Memorial to Frederick Thatcher in Lichfield Cathedral

The Reverend Frederick Thatcher (1814 – 19 October 1890) was an English and New Zealand architect and clergyman. He was born at

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

to a long-established Sussex family. He practised as an architect in London from 1835 and was one of the earliest associates of the

Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

, being admitted in 1836. He designed the workhouse in

Battle, East Sussex Battle is a small town and civil parish in the local government district of Rother in East Sussex, England. It lies south-east of London, east of Brighton and east of Lewes. Hastings is to the south-east and Bexhill-on-Sea to the south. Batt ...

in 1840. With his dead wife's brother Isaac Newton Watt, (1821–1886) he sailed from

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

on the barque ''Himalaya'', and landed in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

, New Zealand, on 23 December 1843. Thatcher worked in New Plymouth then

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. He entered

St John's College, Auckland The College of St John the Evangelist or St Johns Theological College, is the residential theological college of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The site at Meadowbank in Auckland is the base for theological educatio ...

to train for the ministry in 1848, and was ordained deacon the same year and priest in 1853. He designed the college's chapel, consecrated in 1847. He was the first incumbent of

St Matthew's, Auckland St Matthew's, or St Matthew-in-the-City, is a historic Anglican church located in the Central Business District of Auckland, renowned for its neo-Gothic style since its completion in 1905. History As the city expanded, residential and commer ...

, and at the same time was

Chaplain to the Forces The Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD) is an all-officer department that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army. History The Army Chaplains' Department (AChD) was formed by Royal Warrant of 23 September 1796; until the ...

. In December 1856 he was obliged to leave on account of ill health. The next four years he spent in England, and from December 1859 he was curate at Winwick, Northamptonshire. He returned to New Zealand in July 1861 and was appointed to St Paul's parish,

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, where he remained until 1864, when he had to resign again for health reasons. He designed St Paul's Church (1866), now

Old St Paul's, Wellington Old St Paul's (formerly St Paul's Pro-Cathedral) is a historic site, a city landmark (tourist attraction) and a wedding and event venue in the heart of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. The building served a dual role as the parish c ...

and

Kinder House Kinder House is a List of category 1 historic places in Auckland, historic house on Ayr Street, in the suburb of Parnell, New Zealand, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand. History Kinder House, sometimes known as "The Headmaster's House" was built ...

on Ayr Street, Parnell. He returned to England in 1868, and settled in

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west of B ...

where he became secretary first to Bishop

George Augustus Selwyn George Augustus Selwyn (5 April 1809 – 11 April 1878) was the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand. He was Bishop of New Zealand (which included Melanesia) from 1841 to 1869. His diocese was then subdivided and Selwyn was Metropolitan (later ...

and then to Bishop

William Maclagan William Dalrymple Maclagan (18 June 1826 – 19 September 1910) was Archbishop of York from 1891 to 1908, when he resigned his office, and was succeeded in 1909 by Cosmo Gordon Lang, later Archbishop of Canterbury. As Archbishop of York, Macla ...

. He retired in 1882 and in the following year was made a

prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

. He was associated with Bishop Selwyn and the founding of

Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (18 ...

. He died at

Bakewell Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known also for its local Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, about 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Sheffield. In the 2011 census, ...

, Derbyshire, where his son Ernest Grey Thatcher was curate, in 1890. He designed many New Zealand churches, which were constructed of wood in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style, as well as hospitals and schools. He was associated with the first Anglican

Bishop of New Zealand The Diocese of Auckland is one of the thirteen dioceses and hui amorangi of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Diocese covers the area stretching from North Cape down to the Waikato River, across the Hauraki Plains ...

, George Augustus Selwyn in planning several "Selwyn" churches in New Zealand, among them

St Stephen's Chapel St Stephen's Chapel, sometimes called the Royal Chapel of St Stephen, was a chapel completed around 1297 in the old Palace of Westminster which served as the chamber of the House of Commons of England and that of Great Britain from 1547 to 1834. ...

in Parnell and

All Saints Church, Howick All Saints’ Church in Howick was the first parish church in Auckland and is the oldest building in Manukau City, Manukau. It can be found on the corner of Cook Street and Selwyn Road in the suburb of Howick, New Zealand. The Church was built i ...

. He married, first, in 1840, Elizabeth Watt (died 1842), and second, in 1849, Caroline Wright of New Plymouth. One son, Ernest, was born of the second marriage.

References

Biography in the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand

by

Margaret Alington Margaret Hilda Alington (née Broadhead, 30 September 1920 – 15 October 2012) was a New Zealand librarian, historian and author. Life and career Alington was born and educated in Christchurch, New Zealand. She graduated from Canterbury Unive ...

(2007, Polygraphia, Auckland) 1814 births 1890 deaths New Zealand architects Gothic Revival architects 19th-century New Zealand Anglican priests English ecclesiastical architects New Zealand ecclesiastical architects 19th-century English architects English emigrants to New Zealand Architects from Sussex {{christianity-bio-stub