ST. ANDREWS CHURCH.

Otago Witness, Issue 878, 26 September 1868, Page 3

ST. ANDREWS CHURCH.

The congregation of St. Andrew's Pres-, byterian Church, Walker street, have never been satisfied with their roughly primitive place of worship. It was intended to supply a pressing want, and it has well served its purpose. More than one proposal as to a permanent building has been made ; and when the Memorial ITirst Church on Church Hill was about to be commenced, the St. Andrew's congregation possibly indulged, for a while, a hope that they might be able to raise for themselves an almost Cathedral-like structure. Now, a more practical course has been adopted. The present building is not such as to justify longer waiting, eyen though the hope could be entertained that within a reasonable time the erection of a costly building of stone could be undertaken : therefore, ifc has been decided that a church shall be erected of brick ; and that, if necessary, the building of the spire of that church shall be postponed. Tenders are ab once to be called for, for the erection of a church according to designs prepared by Mr E>. A. Lawson, architect, Princes street. A good site has been obtained on the northerly side of Walker street, at its junction with Hope street ; so that the part of the city originally intended to be supplied with the means of worship will be somewhat more conveniently supplied than at present.

The style adopted by Mr Lawson, for the new church, is the Early English, ■with its characteristic lancet-headed windows and battlemented copings. The material to "be used is brick, the dressings (which, are many, and bold) being in cement or stone, as maybe decided. The church will be a two-storeyed building, the lower storey being 12ft. high, and giving space for a Sabbath school, •with ample accoaunodation for 350 children, Deacons' Court room, vestry, waiting room, safe, &c. The site has a double fall, first in Hope street, and then in Walker street ; but, by throwing the building back sft. from Hope street, and by a slight excavation at the upper part next that street, the lower storey will be kept ■wholly clear. The church will be so built that the tower and spire will stand on the highest point of the site, namely, at its S.W. corner, in Hope street ; and anarch will there be thrown across from the street level, to the main entrance to the church, which will be through the spire-bearing tower. We use the term spire-bearing, because at each of the other angles there will be a similar tower. Doorways in these, will give access to the lower storey ; but, from the church there will be a flight of stairs in each tower, which can at any time be used as means of exit, and may, conceivably, be of very great utility for that purpose, supposing the congregation to be suddenly alarmed, by accident or other cause.

The extreme length of the building will be 92ft, and its extreme width, 61ft ; the clear inside measurements of the church being respectively 78ft. and 55ft. This ■will give seat room for 650 persons ; and the side walls will be .high enough to allow of the addition of galleries, should such ever be considered necessary. Each tower will have a square of 15ft. ; and each will projegt sufficiently into the body of the church, to give to it the effect of a cruciform structure. There will not be a transept ; but much of the effect of one will be secured, interiorly, by a large window on each Bide, rising so as to break into the sharply-pitched roof. The side walls, to the spring of the roof, will be 21ft. high ; and the clear height of the nave, to the tie-beams of the roof (at ■which point there will be a ceiling in, an at the Baptist Church), will be 35ft. Columns, of wood, and light in design, will mark the division of the side aisles from the nave, which will be 28ft. wide ; moulded principals being continued from the capitals of the columns up to the tiebeams. The capitals will be at a height of 14ft. ; and from them, Gothic arches •will be turned, so as to have the effect of giving a five-bayed groined roof to each side aisle. The walls will be finished in plaster, and the exposed wood work of theroof , &c, willbestained andvarnished, with the exception of the principals, which will be painted, for the purpose of relief. The seats will be stained and vaTnished. The pulpit will stand at the southerly end of the church (next Walker street), on a railed dais, 6ft. high, the railing terminating with pillars having carved finials. The pulpit, &c, will be of cedar. Behind the pulpit will be a large four-light window, which it is intended shall have stained glass ; the head being filled with Gothic foliated tracery. At the northerly end of the nave, there will be^ a similar tyindow ; while the two large side windows before mentioned, will also be of four lights, terminating above in lancet'flhaped openings.

The lover part of the building to the height of the surbase, is to be of bluestone, cemented ; the rest, as we have said, will be of brick, with ' stone or cement dressings. Towards Walker street, will be the recessed doorway into each of the southerly towers. These doorways will be surmounted by triple windows, within recessed arches ; there "will be other windows above, marking a third storey in the towers ; and at a height of 45ft the towers mil terminate with battlemented copings. The decoration of the S.W. tower will be somewhat richer ; but, should the spire not be at once proceeded with, that tower will also be temporarily terminated at a height of 45ft. As on plan, the S.W. tower rises to a height of 56ft; and the spire, which will be octagonal, will have an additional height of 71ft to the top of the vane, making a total of 127 ft. The side elevations will be divided into five bays, by buttresses ; and two of the buttresses on each side will rise above the line of the roof, and have ornamented finials, those buttresses being built as smoke flues, connected with fireplaces in the Deacons' Court-room, school, &c. The lower storey will have coupled windows, while the church will have two-light windows, with plain Gothic points in the heads. Thejtranseptlike windows will occupy the central bay on each side. At the Walker street end, there will be the large window already described ; and above it, in a canopied niche, will be the emblem of the Free Church, the Burning Bush, with the motto, "Nee tamen consumebatur." The gablet will be surmounted by a St. Andrew's cross. The only other point of the exterior calling for notice is the main entrance doorway, which will be boldly reaessed, and will be surmounted by a relieved pediment, over which will be a cross.

The effect of the building, when wholly completed, will certainly be good ; and the church and the school room will be abundantly lighted and ventilated.