IN AND AROUND EARLY CHRISTCHURCH—XIII ST MARY’S CONVENT

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32715, 18 September 1971, Page 13

IN AND AROUND EARLY CHRISTCHURCH—XIII ST MARY’S CONVENT

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St Mary’s convent, Colombo Street, is a handsome group of stone buildings built on what were Town Reserves 19 and 40, which were both granted to Grosvenor Miles in July, 1860, by the then Superintendent of the Province.

George Gould bought the whole property in 1865 and in 1871, the larger town reserve 19 was sold to James Purvis Jameson. In 1883 Thomas W. Stringer bought a portion of it, selling to George Taylor White, jeweller, . in 1898 and in 1942 it passed to members of the religous order of the Sisters of Mercy. Jameson also sold another portion to Benjamin Button who in turn in 1878 sold to G. T. Chisnall and in 1900 it became ,the property of the Sisters. Town Reserve 40 on the . other hand was sold by Gould to'William Strange, of Strange’s Drapers, in 1869 and remained in that family until 1907 when it also became the property of the Sisters of Mercy. The buildings shown in the sketch form part of the complex of the Convent school and the Convent of St Mary’s of the Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy and replaced earlier timber houses. The far building, the Chapel, was designed by S. and A. Luttrell in 1910, while the central block and the near wing housing, the convent and original school hall were designed by J. S. Guthrie in 1919.

All are designed in the Gothic manner using Hoon Hay stone with Oamaru Stone dressings and finished with slate roofs. The quality of the stonework is good and although the working of the stone to the cloister arches is rather rough, the textural effect is pleasing. Individual interest to the formal courtyard concept is

J. A. HENDRY. F.N.Z.I.A.)

given by the use of many types of arched openings, the cloistered porch and balcony providing a good focal point to the design. Internally the chapel has an interesting timber ceiling supported on solid hammerbeam trusses, good stained glass and an encaustic tiled floor. The Sanctuary is floored in white marble and the altar and reredos are in coloured marbles all enriched by the stained glass in the lancet windows above. A circular iron stair rises from the main porch to the choir loft over, which is lit by a wheel window and from which there is a good view of the interior. Cloistered porch The central two storey portion is entered through the cloistered porch which gives to a wide entrance hall with a vaulted plaster ceiling enriched with strap work carrying a vine motif. On either side are lofty interviewing rooms with a large music room having a beamed screen, in the comer masked by the former hall. Beyond this range of rooms is another wide vaulted corridor leading to twin staircases at either end to the first floor and also to two right angled wings surrounding an internal courtyard.

The nearest block in the sketch, the original hall, has been divided into two classrooms and more recently a further two were made by putting in a mezzanine floor. These upper rooms are quite fun, with a most pleasantly shaped ceiling and well lit by wide triangular domes set into the main roof slopes. Perhaps the chief attraction of this complex is the use of the dark grey stone and slate, relieved by the white dressings—a method of building once fairly common but now fast disappearing. [This is the last in the present series of articles by Mr Henjdry^and] drawings by Mrs