The Church Building.
The land was
gifted by Mrs Annie Pitt, the beneficial owner of what was then known as
Warrenton Farm Park. The stone
foundations were built by Mr Alex Semple, a stonemason from Waitati. The foundation stone (now assumed to be under
the building) was laid by Mrs Pitt’s sister, Sophia Louisa Smith, on 15th
April 1872. The church was built by Mr
Benjamin Smith (no relation), a settler from Seacliff who was a highly skilled
carpenter, under the direction and with the assistance of Mr William Pitt. It was completed in just a few months, being
fully ready for an opening service on 11th November of that
year. The church and graveyard were
formally consecrated by Bishop Nevill on St Barnabas Day, 11th June
1873.
No known
plans or drawings exist; and it seems that Messrs Pitt and Smith worked from
their own vision of what an English village church would look like when built
in New Zealand timber. It is generally
agreed that they realised that vision magnificently.
The Stained Glass
Windows.
Apart from
the magnificence of the timber itself St Barnabas is renowned for the stunning
stained glass windows, particularly those filling the entire west wall. While some details relating to their provenance
are still in doubt, what we do know is summarised below.
The East Window. This depicts Christ the Teacher. It is believed to have been brought out (or
sent out) from England and installed in the church in 1872, but no documentary
evidence relating to its origins has been found. Below the window is a memorial strip bearing
the inscription “In memoriam 2nd June 1864”. This being the date on which the Pitts only
child, a daughter, was born and died, it is accepted that this window is a
memorial to that child.
The Pitt Window.
The central window in the west wall is a double-light and depicts the
Annunciation of our Saviour to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the only one of our windows to bear the
name of its designer:”C. E. Tute of Gray’s Inn Square.” It was installed in January-February 1896 at
the expense of Mrs Annie Pitt as a memorial to her husband William.
The Smith Windows.
Three of the windows in the west wall are dedicated to the memory of
Sophia Louisa Smith and her daughter Annie Josephine Villeneuve Smith. They are (from left to right when viewed from
inside the church) the single-light depicting St Augustine of Canterbury, the
double-light depicting the Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, and the
double-light depicting the Crucifixion.
They were made by F.X. Zettler of the Munich studios in the early 1920’s
for St Augustine’s Anglican Church in the Hamilton suburb of Brisbane, but
rejected by that church after strong objection was raised by various veterans’
societies on the ground of their German manufacture. They were installed in St Barnabas early in
1935 at the cost of the trustees of Mrs Smith in fulfilment of her testamentary
wishes.
The Gardiner Window.
The remaining single-light in the west wall (nearest to the entrance to
the church) is dedicated to the memory of Jane Alice Gardiner, who served for
many years as our organist. It depicts
Joan of Arc, making it unique in Anglican Churches in this country. It has not yet been determined whether this
window was part of the same set as the Smith windows, or was designed and made
in New Zealand to look like them.
The Font
The font was
installed in the church in time to be used at the opening service on 11th
November 1872 when three young children were baptised. As far as we know it has been used for every
subsequent baptism held in this church to the present time. It is in the style known as “Perpendicular
English Font” and was made from Oamaru stone by a Mr David Hunter. The costs were met by Mrs Sophia Louisa
Smith.
