Wesley Church, Taranaki Street

Written by Mick Cader, Probus Wellington Central, November 2021

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The Methodist Wesley Church at 75 Taranaki Street has been described as one of Wellington’s finest 19th century timber churches, featuring a rich timber front facade and a high-quality interior. But it hasn’t always been in this spot.

An interesting journey

The first "edition" of the Church was reputed to have been a raupo whare constructed at Te Aro pā on the corner of what is now Taranaki, Manners and Dixon Streets. Originally that was the site of the first service held on 9 June 1839 by two Wesleyan missionaries - J.H. Bumby and John Hobbs - before the main contingents of migrants began arriving from 1840. 

Later, a simple church built on the corner of Manners and Cuba Streets was destroyed by the 1848 earthquake and its replacement succumbed to the 1856 earthquake; its successor, "a commodious wooden structure" fell victim to the Te Aro fire in June 1879.

Back then, the building regulations reflected the fire-hazard nature of a Wellington made up of mainly timber-fabricated buildings. This meant that if people wanted to build the Church on the same site in the central city, it would need to be constructed with relatively expensive boundary walls of brick, stone or concrete. For that reason, the congregation decided to purchase a "town acre" at a site in Taranaki St where they could build a more economical structure using timber. 

The pace of this development might seem surprising; the land was purchased; plans were drawn up by Thomas Turnbull and accepted; James Wilson was the successful contractor; the foundation stone was laid on 18 November 1879 – just 5 months after the fire; and the building opened on 14 March 1880.

The land had been acquired for £4,160 and - when the Church opened - the land and building were then valued at £10,060.

Its community

Over the years, the building has been modified a couple of times and - apart from an arson attack in March 1980 which partially destroyed the west end of the Church - it has survived the rigours of time largely unscathed.

Missionaries from Britain initially ministered to the largely Māori population, and later to the new migrants. As migration from other Pacific countries continued, people from the Samoan, Fijian and Tongan communities have assumed a greater and stronger identity within the life of the Church, making a significant contribution to its diversity and richness.

About the building

For those interested in how historical buildings were constructed, Wellington City Heritage advises:

"The church is sheathed in rusticated weatherboards of kauri, with boxed corners, plain cornices, and bands of timber moulding under the main gable and above the windows of the towers. The interior has been extensively modified over the years, although the main space of the nave (there are no transepts) retains its original form and in particular the elliptical ceiling spanned by kauri ribs."

The building today

The Church can accommodate a congregation of about 1200 worshippers. Over the years other buildings have been added starting with a Sunday School in 1882. The Parish History comments;

"Also on the property is the Drama Christi Studio, built as an infant schoolroom in 1905 and used by Drama Christi since 1970. A concrete building at the rear of the property, built in 1968, now houses Wesley Community Action."

Then, according to Wellington City Council Heritage:

"In 1995 land was purchased alongside York Street to augment the existing town acre, a new building was constructed to meet the church’s changing needs. This building now houses the parish office, the ministers’ offices, counselling rooms, a second hall, and a kitchen.”  The long Taranaki Street frontage of the property has commercial value and space has been let various enterprises over the years, currently “August Eatery” and “Wellworks Pharmacy”.

More information is available at: Wellington City Council

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Thanks to Mick Calder (Sanctum Apartments newsletter editor) and Wellington City Council for sharing this story.