St Andrew's Anglican Peace Memorial Church in Inglewood has been closed since 2019 due to its earthquake risk. Photo / Alyssa Smith
St Andrew's Anglican Peace Memorial Church in Inglewood has been closed since 2019 due to its earthquake risk. Photo / Alyssa Smith
A 102-year-old Taranaki heritage building needs the community’s help to reopen.
Since 2019, St Andrew’s Anglican Peace Memorial Church in Inglewood has been closed due to required earthquake strengthening following a 20% rating in an engineering report.
Since then the church has deteriorated further after what Reverend Robyn Freeman describedas invasive testing.
“Over the past four months, holes have been drilled to see what needs to be done to strengthen the building and get it running again. This means there has been water leaking into our building.”
The church has an amazing history, she said, and she would like it to reopen to continue serving the community.
“We want it restored to working order. There’s a lot of history here as a community place and one of prayer. It’s a special place.”
St Andrew's Anglican Peace Memorial Church is a category two heritage place. Photo / Alyssa Smith
Listed as a category two heritage place by Heritage New Zealand in 1983, the church was created as a peace memorial church for the soldiers from Inglewood who died in World War I.
The church started as a wooden building on Cutfield St in 1877, she said.
“The first Anzac service was held there on April 25, 1916. The church was then shifted to its current site and reopened in 1918. Following this, a new church made of concrete and steel was designed and built and named St Andrew’s Peace Memorial Church. Reverend RJ Stanton gave the first service of this church on July 1, 1923.”
Freeman, who has been with the church since 1978, said many people will have connections to the church.
“I came to the church as a young mum. My daughters were married here and my mum had her funeral here. The spiritual feeling this place has for people is amazing and over the years, this church has grown with the people.”
Before it closed, the church was always open to the public, she said.
“We used to keep the doors unlocked for people to come sit with God and find peace. We hope to be able to open the doors once again and offer that place of peace to the community.”
To fully restore St Andrew's Anglican Peace Memorial Church in Inglewood will cost an estimated $2.3m. Photo / Alyssa Smith
At the moment, the church community uses the hall beside the church, said Freeman.
“There’s not enough space there. We need the church open again.”
She said St Andrew’s is more than a church.
“Many parishioners are involved with various community initiatives like the young mum’s group, feeding families, the nearly new shop and lunches for sicks. We’ve got a long history of helping the community and now, we’re asking for some help.”
To get the church to operating order will cost an estimated $2.3 million, said property committee chairman Graham Sykes.
“We had a feasibility report done that was sponsored by the lotteries and the Toi Foundation.”
St Andrew's Anglican Peace Memorial Church property committee chairman Graham Sykes says the congregation needs the community's help to restore the church. Photo / Alyssa Smith
The congregation has raised $400,000 and Sykes said he hopes the community can help.
“The parish is not big enough to restore the building by itself. If the community also raises $400,000 we’d have $800,000 with the rest to hopefully be paid for by community funders.”
He said as well as asking for funding help to save the building, he wants feedback on other ways the building can be utilised.
“I’m starting the conversation of how this big space can be used for other community activities. This building is a unique heritage site. When you’re inside it gives you that great feeling. This building started as a peace memorial church and we want to continue that community relationship.”
“I need their ideas on how to structure this. This building would be a church but also a space that can be used by the public. We want to see what that would look like and eventually, make it so it is looked after by both the church and public.”
Sykes said there are surveys that people can complete online.
“We want to hear what the people want. I think, in time, we could make this a significant peace and reconciliation centre. Not just recognised in Taranaki but by the whole of New Zealand.”
For more information, to donate or fill in the survey, visit: standrewsinglewood.org.nz
