Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Auckland

The Chapel of St John the Evangelist, formally, the Collegiate Chapel of St John the Evangelist, is an heritage-listed Anglican chapel that forms part of St John's College in the suburb of Meadowbank, Auckland, New Zealand. It is the oldest surviving church building in Auckland.

Chapel of St John the Evangelist
Collegiate Chapel of St John the Evangelist
The chapel in c. 1900
36°52′25.61″S 174°50′29.18″E
Address	188–226 St Johns Road, Meadowbank, Auckland
Country	New Zealand
Denomination	Anglican
History
Status	Chapel
Dedication	John the Evangelist
Consecrated	1847 by Bishop Selwyn
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Frederick Thatcher
Architectural type	Church
Completed	1847
Construction cost	£330
Specifications
Materials	Kauri and tōtara timber
Administration
Province	Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Diocese	Auckland
Heritage New Zealand – Category 1
Designated	23 June 1983[1]
Reference no.	13

The chapel in 2012

History

Building began of the Chapel of St John the Evangelist in March 1847.^[1] The chapel was consecrated by Bishop Selwyn in November 1847.^[1] The chapel was designed by Frederick Thatcher and built at a cost of £330.^[1][2]

It was registered on 23 June 1983 by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I historic place.^[1] It is still in use as a chapel on the site of St John's Theological College.^[1]

Description

The Chapel was built of kauri and tōtara timber with a stone base.^[1] It is cruciform in plan with "apsidal east and west ends," and has externally exposed timber framing with Thatcher later stopped deploying in his church designs.^[1][3][4] It is the earliest surviving example of a Selwyn Church, which are notable for their "steeply pitched roofs, overhanging eaves, early English fenestration and carefully calculated proportions."^[1]

Modifications

The belfry, designed by Archdeacon Philip Walsh, was added in the early 1870s under John Kinder while he was warden of the college.^[5] In 1959, the Chapel was enlarged by extending it to the west by 10ft and matched the original kauri and tōtara timber.^[1][6] This extension was undertaken by architects Patterson, Lewis & Sutcliffe, and on the north side, an additional vestry was added.^[6] There are also several memorial windows to those associated with the college.^[6]

The altar dates from 1934 and the altar candlesticks are made from wood from St Botolph's Church, Boston, Lincolnshire.^{[citation needed]} The bell is made from metal from bells originally in York Minster.^[6]