Of the many fine small country churches in South Canterbury this is one of the most beautiful in both design and setting. This picturesque limestone church, prettily situated at the end of a generous driveway bordered with mature oak trees, has a tragic story attached to the origin of its construction on a low ridge overlooking Esk Valley.  
In the 1870’s Mrs Ellen M. Meyer would take walks over the sloping ground where she lived on Blue Cliffs Station and view Esk Valley to the east and the Hunter Hills rising to the west.  She had often expressed the wish to see a church on this site which was clearly visible from her home.   Unfortunately the young woman was never to see her dream realised and died following an operation, on the 30th Jan 1878. 
After her untimely death her husband, Mr Charles Meyer, returned to Scotland but before he did he made arrangements with his trustees to have the little stone church built to fulfil his wife's wish and to her memory.  He left £6,000 as an endowment for the Waimate Parochial District and £1000 for the building of the church.  Rather tragically he never had the chance to come back and view his gift to the district as he himself died in Scotland on 30th August 1878, the same year. 
The church was designed by B.W. Mountfort, the architect responsible for the Canterbury Provincial Buildings.  In 1879 the estate was sold to Robert Heaton Rhodes and he was appointed church warden along with John Bradshaw in 1880 when the church was consecrated by Bishop Harper and dedicated to St Mary. The Rev. Laurence C. Brady arrived soon after and served this parish for thirty-six years.  These days it is part of a co-operating parish and services are held here fortnightly.  
A simple and solidly constructed building, it was made using limestone from the Albury district and roofed with wood shingles - later replaced with iron.  The interior is rich with colour from windows dedicated to members of some of the early settler families in the district.  There is a small churchyard cemetery attached where many local families have their loved ones buried and remembered here.
It is very gratifying to see this Heritage 1 listed building in such great condition, it is obviously treasured and still has an active role within the community that surrounds it. 
Karen Rolleston

 

​This week I thought I’d write about the The Temuka Court House.   
I’ve always been curious about the very decorative little building you can see from the bypass so I thought I’d stop, take a photo and do some research……
It’s a small but spectacular little gem near the main street in Temuka.   This amazingly ornate little building was constructed in 1900-01 and used up until as recently as 1979 as a functioning courthouse.   Currently used as a museum, although it is only open to the public on Sunday afternoons from 2-4pm Oct through to June.  It has a Historic Place Category 2 listing and is considered to be on of New Zealand’s finest small town public buildings.
A Government architect of the age, John Campbell  designed many public buildings throughout the country during the time of his employment between 1890 and 1922.  Campbell was a very busy character and often had little time to create new designs for such buildings so sometimes he approved transitional Baroque designs draughted in the late 1890’s to be erected again.  Therefore the approved design for the Temuka Courthouse built in 1901 was redraughted in May 1903 and constructed in 1905 as the Bluff Court house….a twin?  The authorship of the original design is uncertain. While the Temuka Court house has been credited to a George Schwartz, John Campbell's signature appears on the drawings for Bluff Court.  
Regardless of the authorship the design the increasingly popular and more overt Baroque style of the court houses would no doubt have appealed to Campbell in the first two decades of the twentieth century. 
The building is constructed completely of red brick.  Many Baroque elements were incorporated in the design, such as the oversize keystones near the door. The gable capped  with a scroll pediment and pierced by a finial. The curved aprons under the windows, the fanlight over the doorway and the reference to it in the impressed decoration in the design of the gable.  The blind arcade incorporated in the parapet; and the ribbed  chimney stacks with triangular pediments, testify to the growing Baroque eclecticism the Public Works Department's architecture.
It’s just lovely to see it there, well maintained and in good order, it has a purpose and is worth a look when you are passing through Temuka on your next trip.

Travel South down the motorway for 15 minutes from Timaru and you’ll come to St Andrews.  This township began its existence in 1871, and grew after the subdivision of the Pareora Run into a thriving rural service town which was linked to Timaru by rail in 1876.  
Those driving through St Andrews may notice the wonderful deco building that is The Masonic Hotel.   There has been a hotel on this site for over 135 years,  the original version was established in 1876 but burnt down in a suspicious fire that occurred the night that ownership was signed over on August 19, 1936 to one Peter Daleissi  and in 1937, the new owner rebuilt the hotel into the popular Art Deco style as seen today.  
In 1937 Art Deco was at its height of popularity in NZ and the hotel would have been seen as a thoroughly modern addition to the township.  The style heralded a complete change from the ornate Victorian/Edwardian villas of the beginning of the 20th century.   It features the classic Art Deco monolithic appearance with applied decorative motifs, curvilinear forms, sharply defined outlines, rectangular blocky forms arranged in geometric fashion broken up by the curved ornamental details.  All these features add to its appearance of solidity in the middle of town, the owners responsible for the renovation work completed have done an amazing job with this old gem. 
To me the other feature that really stands out are the fantastic leadlight windows on this building,  they show up most notably by night when the lights are on inside.  If you are not stopping for a meal then it’s well worth cruising past at a lower speed than the recommended 70 kms to admire them.
Karen Rolleston

During the course of our column we’ve dealt mainly with the buildings and amenities of Timaru.   However the Northern border of our district is the Rangitata River and we continue down to the Waitaki River in the south so we thought it was about time we started venturing outside the city limits and exploring the surrounding areas.   
On my journeys to Central I often travel through the Hakataramea to Kurow, in the Waimate district, and on the way drive past an interesting little cob cottage set off the road in a paddock.   This time I managed to stop and check it out.   There isn’t a lot of information about it but here’s what I could find.
Paterson’s Accommodation house at Hakataremea was built in 1872. It has a shingle roof and is built from cob, a building material made of dried mud and straw.  The mud is actually a clay from the nearby Penticotico creek and the straw is in fact tussock.   This primitive method of construction had the advantage of being a good insulator, warm in winter and cool in summer.
The little house was originally occupied by a farmer, James Paterson and his family.  Paterson sold liquor and casual accommodation.  After his departure in 1893 casual workers continued to camp here. There was, at one time a wool wash nearby at Penticotico creek which provided work for these workers.
The building has been largely restored by local supporters and the NZ Historic places trust.  Restoration work is ongoing and the property is managed by Patersons Cottage Charitable Trust.

​Recently an unpleasant odour closed off the Royal Arcade and part of Stafford Street. Unlike the mystery smell the occasionally hits central Timaru, this disruption was traced back to the Arcade. 
It is not the first time such an event like this has happened and in the same location. During the construction of the Priest and Holdgate new building and the extension to the Timaru Herald building in 1906 various problems were encountered. As the Arcade was built over a filled in gully, the foundations for each building had to be sunk 20 feet, and the workmen struck the roots of the peach trees from the original orchard on the site. They also struck the concrete foundations of an old blacksmith’s shop. The concrete aggregate included whole and broken glass bottles which lacerated the contractors hands, and necessitated the use of heavy leather gloves. 
However the public problems happened when the contractors tried to make the connection with the main sewer line. During the third (and final) exploration pit, they hit the sewer main at a depth of twelve feet. According to the Timaru Herald (whose building was on the Arcade) “The pit promptly served as a ventilating pipe, the effluvium that arose through it was decidedly strong.”
By a week later the whole of the Arcade roadway opposite the pits has subsided slightly due to the softer infill that was used to cover the trenches once the sewer lines had been connected. With a gas main being laid through the Arcade two years later and the ground asphalted, the early underground problems were well and truly sealed over.

Tucked in between the South Canterbury Museum and Perth Street, diagonally across from the Timaru Council Buildings,  is the beautiful Kate Sheppard Memorial Garden.   This was gifted to the City by the Citizens of Timaru to celebrate the centennial of Women’s Suffrage.   It was officially opened by Dame Miriam Dell on July 3rd, 1993.
A beautiful little corner of town,   providing a quiet and peaceful space for a moments pause and reflection during a busy day.  I often notice people sitting on the wooden bench as I pass by, soaking up the sun,  enjoying their lunch or just a takeaway coffee with a friend.  
There is a path or two running throughout, some well -built Timaru Blue Stone walls and the plantings follow a lavender and white theme.  Kate Sheppard has a rather lovely white camellia named after her and I am sure there are some of these dotted among the plantings along with white roses and purple (lavender) is the official suffrage colour.  Some fine trees are beginning to become more significant, in particular a beautiful copper beach is just starting to show its form.   The garden softens the modern façade of the South Canterbury Museum and the pretty tower at St Mary’s can be seen in the background.
Recently I saw a fantastic Rock Stage Show called ‘That Bloody Woman’ in Christchurch.  It was written by Luc De Somma , a New Zealander,  detailing the life and story of why and how Kate Sheppard achieved her goal of getting NZ women the vote.   It was fantastic way of telling a younger generation about her incredible accomplishment  and the many battles she faced. 
Dame Miriam Dell was a wonderful person to choose to open the garden,  another impressive New Zealander who has been and continues to be at the forefront of women's issues in New Zealand and internationally for over 30 years, promoting women's advancement and equal rights in society.
Karen Rolleston

Another Meridian Heartland Sculpture Challenge 2009 Winner, this time of the Judges Choice Award is Syncline by Russell Beck .  It was sponsored in the competition by the Timaru District Council and its shining, rolling form sits across the road on a triangle of grass opposite the Council chambers on King George Place. 
Syncline measures 1.2 x 1.2M and weighs a healthy 250kg.  It’s made of stainless steel and was based on an earlier work of his.   Russell’s designs are inspired by landforms, geology and astronomy with a minimalist approach and of Syncline he said “The sculpture reminds me of the hills and valleys you see when you drive into Timaru."
Russell entered the Heartland Sculpture competition after a friend sent him a brochure.  Timaru has certainly benefitted from being a part of Heartland, seems like it was a great idea, one which introduces good sculpture to a city and allows the public to be exposed to and hopefully enjoy seeing something different.
Russell Beck is a retired Southland Museum and Art Gallery Director living in Invercargill. For more than 45 years he has worked in many types of stone, particularly jade, publishing several books on New Zealand jade.  Since retirement he has concentrated on works in stainless and mild steel, fabricated with his son, Andrew, a precision engineer. He has work represented in public and private collections in New Zealand and overseas.  
Karen Rolleston

Doug Neil is a Christchurch based sculptor who originates from Seattle, Washington.   Neil began his work carving abstract totemic and metamorphic designs from timber.   After immigrating to Christchurch in 1990, he began large works in Oamaru Stone and since 1998 he has worked exclusively in marble, granite and volcano basalt often on a very large scale.  His works reflect his inspiration in the varied Landscape formations of the South Island,   our braided rivers, Punakaiki’s Pancake Rocks, canoe forms and dream forms.  His megalithic installations are in well known gardens around New Zealand his smaller gallery art pieces are in private collections throughout the world.
This particular work, Great Rock of the Heartland,  was created for the wonderful Heartland Sculpture Challenge 2009.  Sculptors were given $1000 toward the cost of their sculpture, with the opportunity to win a people's choice award, decided by public vote through texting from the site, and the judges' art award.  The Challenge saw nine sculptures places around South Canterbury at pre-selected sites and those that didn’t win major prizes were auctioned off at a special function at the Timaru District Council Chambers. 
Our Doug Neil Sculpture was purchased as a result of the auction and donated to our city by the YMCA South Canterbury to commemorate their new premises.   It sits at the corner of Butler and Arthur  Streets next to a rather lovely weeping Elm tree.  I am embarrassed to say I’ve driven past it numerous times and never really seen it properly,  now that I know it’s there I see it all the time. 
Karen Rolleston




    
    
    
    
    
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Every now and then we see something really outstanding in our town. While we don’t have a formal system for recognising these achievements as yet, we would like to draw some attention to them in our column and now and again you might see our Thumbs Up award being given as recognition of a job very well done.
One of the best redevelopments to happen in Timaru in recent times would have to be the Timaru Courthouse.  It can be seen as a most successful enhancement of the original, cleverly integrating the old and rather inadequate building with the complex requirements of a modern operating courthouse.  Opus Architecture won awards in both the public architecture and sustainable architecture categories with its work on this building.  
At the opening the Courts, Minister Mrs Georgina Te Heuheu, QSO, said the new courthouse was “a stunning marriage between the old and new...  The splendour of the original Timaru Courthouse, which was built in 1877, has not only been retained but has also been skilfully enhanced by the contemporary architecture.  Those involved are to be congratulated for ensuring the tradition and history associated with this building is not lost to future generations."
Adaptive re-use is a commonly used term for ‘recycling’, or ‘upcycling’ perhaps. In buildings, it means to give new life to a site. Rather than seeking to freeze it at a particular moment in time, it explores the options between the extremes of demolition or turning a site into a museum.  Adding a new layer without erasing earlier layers, an adaptive re-use project becomes part of the long history of the site. It is another stage in the ongoing history  of  an historic building.  In this case, Timaru was the lucky benefactor in the work undertaken and we at the Civic Trust are very appreciative of the planning, work and thought that went into this rebuild.  Job Well Done.
Karen Rolleston

Here on Church Street, not far away from it’s big sister, St Mary’s church, sits St Mary’s Parish Hall.  Designed by the architects J.S Turnbull and P.W Rule and built around 1929 by John F Hunt.   The Hall was opened on 7th Sept, 1929 by the originator of the work, The Very Reverend Dean J A Julius MA.  While there is a foundation stone outside the parish hall inscribed with ‘To the Glory of God. 25 Nov. 1928’....the one for the St Mary’s church cannot be found.
It could appear to be overshadowed by St Mary’s church but if you look at it from across the road you can see it’s a bit of a stunner.  It has aesthetic appeal, architectural merit and interest.  As well as adding an important visual contribution to the streetscape along Church Street it is one of our most Gothic buildings and plays its part in our local history.    
Built of plastered concrete some of its more outstanding  features include buttressing – reinforced supports standing out from the wall.  A beautiful Oriel Window - a type of bay window which projects from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground.  Castellated parapets -  battlements with alternate raised or lowered sections and pediments  as well as a triangulated gable which has a cross set carved into it.  The lamps on either side of the wonderful entrance doorway are a delightful touch.
It’s considered to be in excellent, sound and original condition and is listed with Historic Places Trust.  It was closed in March 2012 and an engineering report sought. Any work required for it to open was cosmetic. In Feb. 2016 the St Mary's hall reopened for community activities and special events.
Karen Rolleston