St Andrew's Church is a heritage-listed church building located at Rangi Ruru in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was the first Presbyterian church to be built in Christchurch. It is registered as a "Historic Place – Category I " by Heritage New Zealand. The building was designed in the Gothic Revival style and was first opened for worship on 1 February 1857.
History
The original site of St Andrew's Church is marked by this 2006 memorial sculpture
In 1854 a committee was set up to establish a Presbyterian church for Christchurch. The committee was granted a plot of land on the corner of Tuam and Oxford terrace from the Government. The committee also requested a minister be sent from Scotland. Charles Fraser was chosen and arrived in Christchurch in 1856.[1][2] The original church was designed by the architect Henry John Cridland.
The building was modified and enlarged a number of times between 1862 and 1986. The first addition happened around 1862 when a nave was added. At this time the original building was divided into two halves with a new nave being built between the two halves. This turned the original building's two halves into the transepts of the now larger church. A further addition was made between 1892 and 1893 when the nave was widened to allow for more seating. The church moved in 1986 from its original site opposite the Christchurch Hospital to its current home in the grounds of Rangi Ruru School.[3]
Heritage listing
On 7 April 1983, the church was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I historic place, with the registration number being 304.
