St James Church is an heritage-listed

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

located in

Franz Josef Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death in 1916. In the early part of his reig ...

on the West Coast of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand. Set in a garden setting, the church was built in 1931 in a

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture, also known as mock Tudor in the UK, first manifested in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture, in rea ...

style and is notable for its use of clear glass windows and the view over Waiho Gorge from its altar. This view originally included Franz Josef Glacier, a famous scene recorded on a 1946 Peace Stamp, but the glacier has since receded.

Background

The Ross and South Westland parish was created in 1867, but a church at Franz Josef was not proposed until 1925. Reverend James R. Young, Vicar of the parish between 1923 and 1928, suggested a building of riverstone, and a site was donated by Peter and Alec Graham, notable climbing guides and operators of the Franz Josef Glacier Hotel. Plans were drawn up by Maurice Guthrie, but these were rejected as being too expensive for the nine Anglican families of the area. Archdeacon Julius visited Westland in February 1927, and afterwards suggested a wooden church with views of the

Waiho River The Waiho River (traditionally the Waiau River) is a river of the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It is fed by the meltwater of the Franz Josef Glacier and skirts the main township of Franz Josef to its south, where its rive ...

and Franz Josef Glacier. Plans were commissioned from James S. Turnbull and Percy Watts Rule of

Timaru Timaru (; ) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to peo ...

in 1928.

Construction

The site was cleared for building in March 1930, tenders were called in November of that year, and a contract for the construction was awarded to Bullock and Stewart in 1931. The foundation stone for the church was laid by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

, Lord Bledisloe, in early February 1931. The construction cost of the church was around £1000–1400. The dedication ceremony was held on 26 April 1931 by Bishop West-Watson of Christchurch, assisted by Reverends James R. Young (then of

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was establishe ...

) and Alwyn Warren, vicar of Ross and South Westland, in front of a congregation of 150. The church was dedicated to St James, but named in part to honour James Young, who had proposed it be built, in recognition of his services to the community. The church is described as of 'Selwynesque' or Tudor in style. The walls are constructed of board-and-batten, with a corrugated iron roof. There is castellated bell tower. The church is decorated with a highly distinctive style, with dark brown paint used to highlight the exterior battens and roof trusses. Rather than the more usual stained glass windows, the building features three clear plate glass apsidal windows, overlooking the

. When the church was built it also had a view of the Franz Josef Glacier, but by 1953 this had retreated out of view. From 1985 to 2006, the glacier generally advanced and thickened, and by 1997 it was once again visible through the altar window before retreating again.

History

The more famous Church of the Good Shepherd at

Lake Tekapo Lake Tekapo () is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand (the others are Lake Pukaki and Lake Ōhau). It covers an area of and ...

also incorporates clear glass windows to allow for a view of the lake, a feature which was inspired by the prior use at St James. The church achieved national recognition when the view across the altar to the mountains was featured on a 9d Peace stamp entitled ''A Spirit of Thankfulness'', issued in 1946 to commemorate the end of

World War Two World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...

. On 28 June 1990, the building was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...

) as a Category I structure, with register number 4994. The building is considered notable for the way in which it complements its bush surroundings, and the use of clear glass windows behind the altar. In December 1995, of rain fell over a three-day period, washing away the northern approach to the Waiho River bridge, and gouging out the river bank to within of St James Church. In September–October 1996, civil works costing $300,000, including a contribution of $50,000 from the Anglican Church Property Trust, were completed to protect both the bridge approaches and the church from future flood events.

Gallery

St James Franz MRD 03.jpg, Foundation stone St James Franz Josef altar window view 1998.jpg, View in 1998 through the central apsidal window of St James Church, looking across the

with Franz Josef Glacier visible beyond St James Church, Franz Josef.jpg, Approach down the path St James Franz MRD 06.jpg, Interior St James Franz MRD 09.jpg, Exterior showing altar cross St James river comparisons MRD.jpg, The rise of the Waiho River between 1936 and 2018 can be seen in these two photos of St James Church

References

External links

*
Image of 1946 9d Peace stamp featuring the view over the altar of St James

View of St James as it appeared in its setting in 1936

View through the altar window in April 1932.
(Incorrect information in the caption wa
subsequently corrected
) {{Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, state=collapsed 20th-century Anglican church buildings in New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in the West Coast Region Listed churches in New Zealand Churches completed in 1931 1931 establishments in New Zealand Wooden churches in New Zealand Tudor Revival architecture 1930s architecture in New Zealand