ANGLICAN CHURCH AT TAI TAPU

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21941, 16 November 1936, Page 17

ANGLICAN CHURCH AT TAI TAPU

DIAMOND JUBILEE TO BE CELEBRATED

AN INTERESTING RECORD The first church of St. Paul, Tai Tapu. whose diamond jubilee will be celebrated this evening, was opened on Thursday, November 16, 1876, by the Most Rev. H. J. C. Harper, Bishop of Christchurch and Primate of New Zealand. It was built from the design of the late Mr Frederick Stouts, the builders being Messrs Tillman and Ponsford.

Before the erection of the church, occasional services had been conducted in the district by the Rev. F. Pember. In 1875 Tai Tapu was constituted part of the Lincoln cure, and regular services were begun in the schoolroom by the Rev. H. Stocker, the first vicar, on September 19, 1875. During his term as vicar the churches at Brookside (1874), Springston (1875), Tai Tapu (1876), and Lincoln (1877) were built, besides the Lincoln vicarage (1876).

The old St. Paul’s was a small wooden church consisting of nave, apse, south porch, and north vestry, and accommodating about 100 people. It did duty till its demolition in 1932, when it was replaced by the very beautiful new Church of St. Paul, erected by the Hon. Sir R. Heaton Knodes in memory of Lady Rhodes, and designed by Mr Cecil Wood. The Ministers The first vicar of St. Paul's was the Rev. Harry Stocker, afterwards Archdeacon of Invercargill (1875-1879). Successive vicars’ were the Rev. W. Dunkley (1879-80), J. F. Teakle (18801886), A. R. D. Tosswill (1886-1888), H. G. Gould (1888-90), J. F. Teakle (189092), E. R. Otway (1892-98), H. Northcote (1896-98).

For a short time Tai Tapu was included in the Halswell cure, under the Revs. H. Williams (1898-1906), C G. Biddle (1906-08), F, Dunnage (19081910), and was then reattached to Lincoln under the Revs. T. Jasper Smyth (19 10-1913), F. B. Redgrave (1913-Hid), H. A. Wilkinson (1918-1921), P. Carrington (1922-1923), C. L. Wilson (192328), A. H. McC. Acheson (1928-34), and T. M. Curnow (1934-1936). Churchwardens of St. Paul’s have been as follows: Vicar’s wardens: Messrs C. Barrett 1876-81, 1885-88; R. J. Fleming. 1881-85; F. Spencer, 1838-92; I. Champion, 189297; G. Witte. 1897-1922; A. G. Stanbury, 1922-2p, and the Hon. Sir R. Heaton Rhodes, 1926 till the present date. People’s wardens: Messrs I. Champion, 1876-82,1886-91, and 1898-1906; A. Blank, 1882-86; F. E. Barrett, 1891-93, 1910-aa; W. Witte, 1893-98; G. Tobeck, 1906-07; A. E. Orange, 1907-10; D. Hauscniid, 1911-14; and J. J. Willan, 1914 till the present. The Hon. Sir R. Heaton Rhodes is also lay-reader in the district and both he and Lady Rhodes have been conspicuous benefactors of St. Paul’s Church.

The first lay-reader taking duty at St. Paul’s was Mr (now the Rev.; F. R. Inwood, who is now living in retirement on Cashmere Hills.