Bishop’s Court

• unknown
• Need archives to complete: check file 00053:91:5229 for plans
• unknown
• Original Construction: 1879 1879 (circa
• 1894
• Other: (circa
• 1903
• Addition: (circa – directed by Bishop Wallis so he and his wife could better entertain guests.
• unknown
• Modification - Original north wall removed.: pre-1917
• 1922
• Other: (circa
• 1
• Modification: 922 922 (circa - 927 (circa
• 1
• Modification: 936 936 (circa
• 1
• Modification: 940 940 (circa - 960 (circa
• 1
• Modification: 96 96 (circa
• 1
• Modification: 963 963 (circa
• 1
• Modification: 968 968 (circa
• unknown
• Original Construction: 1976 1976 (circa
• 1
• Modification: 977 977 (circa
• 1978
• Addition: (circa
• 1980
• Addition: (circa
• 1
• Modification: 982 982 (circa
• 1
• Modification: 985 985 (circa
• 1
• Modification: 996 996 (circa
• 1891
• Other: (circa
• 1917
• Other: (circa

• 1878 - 1893
• -1893: Bishop Octavius Hadfield
• 1893 - 1910
• -1910: Bishop Frederick Wallis
• 1910 - 15
• -15: Mrs M. Peters
• 1915 - 17
• -17: Mrs Nicholson
• 1917 - 1936
• -1936: Bishop Thomas Henry Sprott
• 1936 - 1940
• -1940: Bishop Herbert St Barbe Holland
• 1940 - 1963
• -1963: Boarding house and apartments
• 1963 - 1982
• -1982: Various divisions of the Justice Department
• 1982 - 1992
• -1992: District Family Court
• 1993
• -present: The New Zealand Anglican Church Pension and Missions boards

Not assessed

This large, two-storey Victorian residence has been designed in a plain Italianate style. The original house consisted of two double-storey bays, capped by hipped roofs, flanking a central entrance portico. The later addition of a south wing, and a lean-to addition on the north elevation, have been designed in a matching style, although the pleasing symmetry of the original has been altered.

The facade has been skilfully proportioned, with a pleasing ratio of window void to wall surface, and sound, unpretentious detail that builds up an understated sculptural effect. The extensive use of quoins on the facade hints at masonry construction but is really a decorative feature. The brackets under the projecting eaves have a similar effect, as do the bracketed eaves over the ground-floor bay windows. The house is clad in heart totara weatherboards while the original slate roof has been replaced with corrugated iron.

The interior has been significantly altered but retains a modest level of authenticity. The original room dimensions on the ground floor have been preserved, along with the Italianate entrance hall, staircase, original doors, skirtings and architraves.4

Together with Old St Paul’s, Bishops Court preserves a strong link with the former Anglican ecclesiastical community and is an important nineteenth-century component of the Thorndon townscape.

Kauri, totara heartwood

Slate roof replaced with corrugated iron

Bishop’s Court stands on Mulgrave Street with the multi-storey former Government Printing office building (now Archives New Zealand) to the immediate south; the beautifully ornate Old St Paul’s Cathedral to the immediate north; and directly across the road from the imposing Defence House. Those three neighbours are all of tremendous importance, for varying reasons. Yet with those weighty neighbours, Bishop’s Court still manages to carve out an identity and stand proudly by itself. This is because of the close position of Bishop’s Court to the street, and the scale and attractive aesthetic of house, and the contrast the house makes with the aforementioned neighbours and other office buildings in the area.

• Architectural

  Does the item have architectural or artistic value for characteristics that may include its design, style, era, form, scale, materials, colour, texture, patina of age, quality of space, craftsmanship, smells, and sounds?

  Bishop’s Court is a fine example of a large Victorian residence in the Italianate style. Its size, status and grandeur made it a fitting residence of the Bishop of Wellington, one of the 19th and early 20th century’s highest ranking and influential semi-public figures.

• Group

  Is the item part of a group of buildings, structures, or sites that taken together have coherence because of their age, history, style, scale, materials, or use?

  Bishop’s Court has a strong historic association with the neighbouring Old St Paul’s – Wellington’s first Anglican Cathedral.

• Townscape

  Does the item have townscape value for the part it plays in defining a space or street; providing visual interest; its role as a landmark; or the contribution it makes to the character and sense of place of Wellington?

  Bishop’s Court is a fine example of Victorian NZ domestic architecture and contributes to the heritage character of Thorndon, giving a sense of Wellington in the mid-to-late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

• Association

  Is the item associated with an important person, group, or organisation?

  Bishop’s Court is strongly associated with the Anglican Church of New Zealand and the bishops it housed; especially Bishop Octavius Hadfield, an important figure in early Wellington’s Maori and settler communities.

• Archaeological

  Does the item have archaeological value for its ability to provide scientific information about past human activity?

  Pre-1900 building

• Educational

  Does the item have educational value for what it can demonstrate about aspects of the past?

  There is educational value in the building’s construction methods and its evocation of the era in which it was constructed.

• IdentitySenseOfPlaceContinuity

  Is the item a focus of community, regional, or national identity? Does the item contribute to sense of place or continuity?

  The building has had relatively few modern external alterations or additions over the past 130+ years and contributes to a sense of ‘old Thorndon’, especially when viewed together with its neighbour - Old St Paul’s.

• PublicEsteem

  Is the item held in high public esteem?

  The building is likely to be held in high public esteem for its historic association with its neighbour – Old St Paul’s

• SentimentConnection

  Is the item a focus of community sentiment and connection?

  Bishop’s Court is likely to be the focus of some community sentiment and connection. It contributes to modern-day Thorndon’s connection to its past and serves as a reminder of Thorndon’s role in the settlement of Wellington.

• SymbolicCommemorativeTraditionalSpiritual

  Does the item have symbolic, commemorative, traditional, spiritual or other cultural value for the community who has used and continues to use it?

  Bishop’s Court holds special traditional and cultural value for the Anglican Church in its link to the church’s early and continued presence in Wellington. Now that the building is once again owned and occupied by the Anglican Church, that link has been reaffirmed.

• Authentic

  Does the item have authenticity or integrity because it retains significant fabric from the time of its construction or from later periods when important additions or modifications were carried out?

  Bishop’s Court has undergone significant internal renovations but the modifications have not detracted from the building’s integrity.

• Representative

  Is the item a good example of the class it represents?

  Bishop’s Court is a fine example of a large Victorian residence in the Italianate style.

• Importance

  Is the item important for any of the above characteristics at a local, regional, national, or international level?

  Bishop’s Court is a locally significant building for Wellington.

Not assessed

Not available

• Inventory Report

Not available