HISTORIC WELLINGTON

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 17, 21 July 1928, Page 17

HISTORIC WELLINGTON

BOLTON STREET CHAPEL RENOVATED AND REPAIRED Because'of its historical associations, a proposal was made in September, 1926,' to preserve and put in order the small but long-neglected chapel in tho Bolton Street Cemetery, ».nd a movement was started to collect sufficient money to enable the work.of rehabilitation to be carried out. This idea was successful, and a considerable sum of money was collected for the1 purpose—something in the vicinity of' £400—and the work has now been carried out. A comparison between the two pictures published on this page will give the reader some indication of the extent of the undertaking and tho amount of work which has been involved in bringing the historic chapel into use again. This church was built in 1844 by members of the Churc'i of England in the young settlement of Wellington on the grounds of Parliament Buildings; The littlo church was opened by the Rev. Robert Cole, one of tho Anglican ministers who came out from England under an arrangement with Bishop Selwyn, then Bishop of New Zealand. In 186(5 the building was removed to its present site in the cemetery, and was long used as a mortuary chapel. Its place;as the chief Anglican Church of Wellington was.taken by St. Paul's Church, Mulgrave street. Ou the' opening of the cemetery at Karori, the Bolton Street Cemetery was closed for burials except xor those who already had- allotments >r relatives interred there. Tho result was that for many years the mortuary chapel had been but little used and gradually became dilapi-dated—-windows broken, while the timber of tho structure was hastening towards, decay through exposure to the weather and want of paint. A beginning had been made in 1026 to take down the building, when a strong protest was nude by members of the Early' Settlers' Association and others, and a successful public appeal was made for funds to enable the little church to bo preserved. The following note in the "History of the English Church in Nov.- Zealand, "by the Rev. 11. T. Purch.'is, refers fro the .chapel: "It is a matter, for regret that the scene of the'first episcopal consecration in New Zealand (the consecration of Bishop Abraham) can no longer bo pointed out. The church stood opposite the Museum, on Government land, which now forms part of the grounds surrounding tho Parliament Buildings. But portions of tho structure were removed to tho Bolton Street Cemetery, and still form part of the mortuary chapel there."