This month marks the 150th anniversary of the consecration of the first All Saints’ Church in Prebbleton. To help celebrate the milestone Prebbleton Heritage is providing a display at the church.
The church has a long history on the site at the corner of Springs and Blakes Rds beginning with the donation, by John N Tosswill, of the land itself for the purposes of building a church and providing a school to support a township.
The land provided the place where a chapel/school was built – a school during the week and a chapel on Sundays.
The building quickly became inadequate, and fundraising began to build the first All Saints’ Church on the site with the foundation stone being laid in July 1871 with much pomp and ceremony.
Building progressed quickly and a year later services were being held there. Although the interior was not entirely finished a service to consecrate the church was held on All Saints’ Day, November 1, 1872, and it is this occasion which we are marking 150 years later.
It included the parish registers, destroying vital records of the baptisms, marriages and burials which had taken place at the chapel/school and church prior to 1906.
Fundraising began immediately, and together with insurance money, enabled the rebuild of the church to commence and 15 months later, the second All Saints’ Church was opened for worship on July 11, 1907. The rebuild included the replacement of the organ, one which is recognised by The NZ Organ Preservation Trust as being of significance, and in 1913 a new peal of five bells was installed. These were said to be the finest in Canterbury and are still being rung today.
There is much to tell of the history of this church, the first church being designed by Benjamin Mountfort and the second by his son Cyril, and our display gives a more detailed account of this history.
The public are invited to come and see for themselves, both the church interior and the display on Saturday, November 5, 10am-3.30pm and on Sunday, November 6, from 1.30-3.30pm.
The churchyard has many stories of those buried there over the last 150+ years and there will be a cemetery tour available to join at 10.30am and 1.30pm on Saturday and 1.30pm on Sunday.
The tour will begin at the earliest headstone in the cemetery, that of Lucy Kimber who died in 1869 aged just 23. We then move on to hear about William Hazlehurst, his swimming pool, roller skating rink and other of his entrepreneurial enterprises.
The “Prebbleton Sparrow Club” will feature along with the, sometimes sad, stories about more of the early residents of the area as well as hearing the amusing story about Isaac Harding’s missing pig.
The tour finishes at the grave of James Prebble who, along with his three sons Richard, William and Edward, settled in the area and gave the town its name.
The local community market will also be on site (weather permitting) from noon to 4pm on Sunday.
- For any inquiries regarding this event or about Prebbleton’s history in general, get in touch with Prebbleton Heritage at prebbletonheritage@gmail.com.
