Woollaston to decide on nurses’ chapel

Press, 14 August 1989, Page 9

Woollaston to decide on nurses’ chapel

By

Patrick Mclennan

It will be a "terrible shame” if Christchurch Hospital's Nurses’ Memorial Chapel is demolished, but important factors such as the estimated $869,000 cost to save it must be considered, the Minister of Conservation, Mr Woollaston, said on , Saturday. v Mr Woollaston (fame to

Christchurch to see the chapel on Saturday before he made a decision on whether to issue a protection order on it. He described it as having “immense beauty," and said it would be a travesty of conservation if it was demolished. The Canterbury Area Health Board had a strong argument for relocating the interior of the ghapel

to a new site however, and if a decision to demolish it was made there “might be a cost against the public purse,” in compensation. “If so, then we must weigh that up as money well spent against preserving other buildings around the country.” Mr Woollaston was escorted by Mrs Pam Wilson, the regional officer

for the Historic Places Trust.

Recently the chapel was raised from a C to a B classification which meant an order could be issued by the Minister of Conservation to protect it.

“I’ve no doubts it merits the B classification, and I will be deciding over the next week whether I will the authorisation for

the protection order that the Historic Places Trust seeks,” said Mr Woollaston.He said he had closely studied the proposals of the Area Health Board and the Friends of the Chapel coalition. He met a deputation from the Friends, as well as the chief nurse, Mrs Brenda Wilson, and the board chairman, Mr Tom Grigg.