The Nurses' Memorial Chapel at

Christchurch Hospital Christchurch Hospital is the largest tertiary hospital in the South Island of New Zealand. The public hospital is in the centre of Christchurch city, on the edge of Hagley Park, and serves the wider Canterbury region. The Canterbury District Heal ...

, New Zealand, is registered as a Category I heritage building. The chapel is significant as New Zealand's first hospital chapel, and as the country's only

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

memorial solely dedicated to women, and is worldwide the only hospital chapel dedicated to nurses who died in World War I.

History

Sibylla Maude and

Mabel Thurston Mabel Thurston (22 July 1869 – 1960) was a notable New Zealand nurse, hospital matron and army nursing administrator. Early life She was born in Manea, Cambridgeshire, England on 22 July 1869 to Mary Ann (nee Green) and her husband, Freder ...

, both former matrons of Christchurch Hospital, first thought of a chapel at the hospital.

Rose Muir A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

, the matron from 1919 to 1936, wrote to the hospital board in July 1924 reiterating the need for a chapel. This request was approved in principle in January 1925. The hospital board provided the land and paid for the foundation and the basement, and was in turn granted the use of the basement. The Ministry of Health did not permit the hospital board to fund any other part of the building, and the government did not provide any of the funds either, but suggested that the public should fund the chapel. A fundraising campaign commenced in November 1925. The foundation stone was laid on 15 March 1927 by the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

. The foundation stone shows the name of the

Duchess of York Duchess of York is the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title held by the wife of the duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of ...

, but she was ill on the day and her husband stood in for her. The chapel was built during 1927 to a design by John Goddard Collins (1886–1965) of

Collins and Harman Armson, Collins and Harman was an architecture, architectural firm in New Zealand. It was founded by William Barnett Armson (1832/3–1883), and after his death, became the practice of two architects who articled with him, John James Collins (1855 ...

, who offered his time free of charge. The first service was held on Christmas Day of 1927. The chapel is dedicated to nurses who died during

, and to nurses who died during the

1918 flu pandemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

. Three Christchurch nurses—

Nona Hildyard Nona Mildred Hildyard (4 November 1888 – 23 October 1915) was a New Zealand nurse who served in the First World War and died in the sinking of SS ''Marquette'' in 1915. Early life Hildyard was born in Lyttelton, near Christchurch, New Zeal ...

, Margaret Rogers and Lorna Rattray—died when the troopship SS ''Marquette'' was sunk in 1915 by a

German submarine U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

. Two Christchurch nurses—Grace Beswick and Hilda Hooker—died during the flu pandemic.

Threats of demolition

In the mid-1970s, the hospital board proposed to demolish the chapel to make way for additional operating theatres. This was met with strong opposition, and the hospital board found a solution that left the chapel in place. The next threat of demolition occurred in the 1980s and was again met with strong opposition, with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust issuing a protection notice in August 1989. Subsequently, the hospital board leased the building to Christchurch City Council, and it is administered by a trust and cared for by a group that calls itself 'Friends of the Chapel'.

Earthquakes

The chapel was closed after 4 September

2010 Canterbury earthquake The 2010 Canterbury earthquake (also known as the Darfield earthquake) struck the South Island of New Zealand with a moment magnitude of 7.1 at on , and had a maximum perceived intensity of X (''Extreme'') on the Mercalli intensity scale. Som ...

had damaged the building. It suffered additional damage in subsequent earthquakes. In October 2011, the

Canterbury District Health Board The Canterbury District Health Board (Canterbury DHB or CDHB) was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of New Zealand, north of the Rangitata River. It was responsible fo ...

announced that the chapel would be repaired, after demolition had been considered. Work to restore the chapel began in October 2017 and despite some unforeseen setbacks, was completed to schedule in October 2018. It was re-opened by the Governor General

Dame Patsy Reddy Dame Patricia Lee Reddy (born 17 May 1954) is a New Zealand lawyer and businesswoman who served as the 21st governor-general of New Zealand from 2016 to 2021. Before becoming governor-general, Reddy was a partner of a law firm, headed a major ...

on 27 October 2018.

Architecture

Collins chose the

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

architectural style for the building, with the walls made of exposed brick inside and out, and timberwork on the inside. The timber includes Oregon panelling, and blackwood and oak parquet floor. There are carvings in the sanctuary by

Frederick Gurnsey Frederick George Gurnsey (18 January 1868 – 23 October 1953) was a New Zealand carver and art teacher. He was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales on 18 January 1868. He did the carvings for the Bridge of Remembrance in Christchurch. The c ...

and Jack Vivian. In the early 1990s, a porch was added to the chapel.

Stained glass windows

Heritage registration

The New Zealand Historic Places Trust registered the building with registration number 1851 on 20 July 1989. The chapel is significant as New Zealand's first hospital chapel, and as the country's only World War I memorial solely dedicated to women, and is worldwide the only hospital chapel dedicated to nurses who died in World War I.

References

{{Reflist 1927 establishments in New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in Canterbury, New Zealand Buildings and structures in Christchurch Religious buildings and structures in Christchurch Churches completed in 1927 2011 Christchurch earthquake Christianity in Christchurch World War I memorials in New Zealand Spanish flu monuments and memorials Spanish flu Monuments and memorials to women Nursing monuments and memorials 1920s architecture in New Zealand Sinking of the SS Marquette