Wellington Cathedral of St Paul

• 1956 - 1956
• 21-41 Molesworth Street [2 Hill Street], cathedral, stage 1 (00058:3:C138)
• 1964 - 1964
• 21-41 Molesworth Street [2 Hill Street], cathedral, stage 2 (00058:343:C14735)
• 1969 - 1969
• 21-41 Molesworth Street [2 Hill Street], hall (00058:634:C29452)
• 1970 - 1970
• 21-41 Molesworth Street [2 Hill Street], cathedral, stage 3 (00058:667:C30677)
• 1975 - 1975
• 21-41 Molesworth Street [2 Hill Street], additions and alterations - retaining wall (00058:977:C42838)
• 1976 - 1976
• 21-41 Molesworth Street [2 Hill Street], additions and alterations (00058:1074:C46588)
• 1983 - 1983
• 21-41 Molesworth Street [2 Hill Street], add bell tower (00058:1388:C62291)
• 1993 - 1993
• 2 Hill Street [21-41 Molesworth Street], signage (00060:104:3813)
• 1995 - 1995
• 2 Hill Street, plumbing (00061:74:12213)
• 1996 - 1996
• 2 Hill Street [21-41 Molesworth Street], extensions to St Pauls Cathedral (00061:230:17312)
• 1998 - 1998
• 2 Hill Street [21-41 Molesworth Street], new toilets, basement level (00078:142:42126) 2 Hill Street, fire protection upgrade (00078:2478:48245)

• unknown
• The Wellington Diocesan Board of Trustees – Anglican Cathedral

Not assessed

The origins of the original design of the Cathedral are diverse and illustrate the diverse influences of Wood’s travels. Sir Miles Warren, responsible for the design of the last stage of the building, the west end of the nave and the front porch, identifies influences such as the neo-Byzantine Westminster Catholic Cathedral in London, the Stockholm Town Hall, Moorish architecture, and the Spanish Mission style of southern California. Wood’s amalgam of such influences may have been successful and appropriate for the time it was conceived, but it was however regarded as hopelessly dated by 1964 when the Cathedral was first opened. However, if one can consider the building principally as a work of the 1930s, it has significant architectural qualities that have accrued over time as the building has come to completion.

The exterior form of the building illustrates the variety of different stylistic approaches deployed by the various architects to the building over the decades, all kept in some sympathy with Wood’s original design.

The building has a squat and heavy proportion in keeping with its mass concrete construction and is, but for stylised embellishments of a somewhat Moghul nature at the roof spouts (and gargoyles), window heads and balconies, quite severe in detail and appearance. 

The main bulk of the building, built mostly to Wood’s original design, comprises the chancel, crossing and the eastern part of the navel, and consists of a concrete box, stepped in two principal planes, and relieved at the lower level by regularly spaced tall and narrow windows. Roofs are hidden behind long horizontal parapets, with rainspouts let out into gargoyles set above and between the nave windows.

Appended to the east, and centred on the length of the building, the bell-tower doesn’t quite match the original building in style or detail (and is rather different from the originally intended tower design). It consists of a solid concrete shaft, relieved by a balcony at mid height and capped by a mansard roof over trapezoidal arches at the bells.

The last addition of the west end of the nave and front porch, although compatible in form and scale, depart radically from the original design in style and detail. The porch is set at the base of a tower of two high piers that lift above the nave roof, with a tall ornamental window between the piers. At the top, the tower is surmounted by a tall hipped roof, with a small balcony set just below the roof between the piers.

Internally, the overall plan form of the Cathedral is quite traditional, with a porch, nave, choir and chancel as one progresses from west to east. Although there are no clearly defined transepts inside the church, the nave has aisles on either side which terminate at the crossing arch; beyond the arch is the organ on the left and the choir stalls, while an ambulatory runs around the south side of the chancel and gives access to the Lady Chapel, an early timber church relocated onto the site in place of the originally intended Old St. Paul’s.

The main space of the Cathedral is dramatic, and all the stronger, for the starkly plain plastered walls and the high and deeply coffered ceilings. The chancel is the focus of the composition and is well lit, indirectly but with some drama, from the sides, while the more subdued aisles are lit by stained glass windows. The nave, while backlit by the porch window, is considerably darker and gives further emphasis to the chancel.

The combination of the parts, while lacking the cohesion of the original design, nevertheless produces an interesting whole, and alludes to the prolonged design and construction process – not dissimilar to the traditional cathedrals of Europe – where the various parts of the building are ultimately reflective of the time in which they are built, the assemblage providing an insight into the history of the building.

The Cathedral’s landmark form closes off the northern edge of the Parliamentary precinct. Its textured concrete finish, coloured a salmon pink, is appropriate for the bulk and chunkiness of the building

Textured concrete finish

Timber

Steel

The Cathedral is set on a corner site opposite Parliament. Its location, removed yet visually associated with Parliament, neatly symbolizes the long-standing link between Anglican Church and state in New Zealand. The front door of the Cathedral, set in the base of the porch tower, is approached from Hill Street by broad steps bisecting a grassed area. At the right (north) side, the site boundary is formed by Molesworth Street, and a grass verge and plantings separates the building from the footpath. At the south side, a large car-park isolates the small complex of service buildings (halls, offices, etc.) from the street and neighbouring buildings.

The nearby setting includes, along Hill Street, the complex of Catholic buildings, including St Mary’s school, the Basilica and a variety of support and community buildings and housing, and along Molesworth Street various governmental buildings such as the National Library and High Court, along with a variety of commercial buildings.

The broader setting includes the nearby residential areas of Thorndon and is overlooked by the long ridge of Tinakori Hill, which provides a green backdrop for the Cathedral.  

• 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?

  St Paul’s Cathedral is the principal Anglican place of worship in Wellington. It is a large 20th century ecclesiastical building that was built in an amalgam of styles over sixty year period - and these include historicism/Revivalism, Modernism, and Post Modernism. Although the building lacks the cohesion of its original design, it can be seen in the context of the prolonged design and construction process of ancient European Cathedral design - where the various parts of the building are ultimately reflective of the time in which they are built, the assemblage provides an insight into the history of the building.

• 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?

  The Cathedral is a part of a group of high profile buildings sited in this area that includes the Parliamentary buildings, the Catholic Basilica and associated complex of Catholic schools, convent, and community buildings on Hill Street, and the Anglican Old St Paul’s Cathedral and Bishop’s Residence on Mulgrave Street.

• 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?

  St Paul’s Cathedral has high townscape value as it is sited on a prominent corner opposite the Parliament buildings, on a main route out of the CBD. It is a large scale building and has landmark status.

• Association

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

  This Cathedral is associated with a number of important architects and architectural firms who were involved in its design and construction over 50 years. This includes Cecil Wood, Robert Munro, King and Dawson, and Warren and Mahoney.

  
  
  It is associated with the Wellington Anglican diocese, and is the culmination of a long history of effort and commitment by the Anglican community; nearly every stage of this buildings history was marred by controversy, from the original designs in the late 1930s to its final completion in 1998. It is now the centre of Anglican worship in Wellington and is regarded (at least in an official sense) as Wellington’s most significant Anglican religious building.  

  
  

• Archaeological

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

  This building is included in the NZAA Central City archaeological area R27/270 and this area is known to be associated with pre 1900 human activity.

• Identity/Sense Of Place/Continuity

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

  The building is one of a number of ecclesiastic, civic, diplomatic and commercial buildings that have clustered around the parliament grounds over the past 175 years – these contribute to the sense of identity of Wellington as the nation’s capital city.

• Public Esteem

  Is the item held in high public esteem?

  This building is held in very high public esteem, in particular by the Anglican community, as it is the centre of Anglican worship in Wellington. It is a local landmark on its prominent corner site for all Wellingtonians.

• Sentiment/Connection

  Is the item a focus of community sentiment and connection?

  This building has been a place of worship for over 50 years 2011 and has been associated with the key events in the life of members of the congregation including the births, marriages, deaths of individuals, their friends and their family. The church is also the focus of community and social events for the congregation as well as for official/state ceremonies.

• Symbolic/Commemorative/Traditional/Spiritual

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

  The building has significant spiritual cultural value for the Anglican Church community that use the building.

• 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?

  This building retains significant authenticity as it retains much of its original fabric and features of each phase of development and each of these have had few modifications.

• Representative

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

  This building is a large scale 2oth century ecclesiastic building that was built over a 60 year time period. Although individual elements are good representative examples of the architectural style of their era, the overall assemblage is a unique.

• Importance

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

  This is a locally important building for the contribution that it makes to the Molesworth Streetscape, its architectural value, its group value in context of the Parliamentary buildings and the Catholic Basilica, its social values, and its authenticity. It plays an important role in the life of Wellington’s Anglican community and is a land mark for the wider Wellington community.

Not assessed

• Coleridge, T.N. ‘The Wellington Cathedral of St Paul. A Progressive History’. 1978. 2005-040-201: Wellington Cathedral of St Paul Papers, Alexander Turnbull Library
• Historic Places Trust. ‘Cecil Wood’. Professional Biographies, accessed 10 Jul. 13
• Historic Places Trust. ‘King and Dawson’. Professional Biographies, accessed 10 July 2013
• Hogan, T. ‘New Zealand Churches since 1900’. Research Report for Arch 389, Victoria University of Wellington (1987), 117.
• Kernohan, David. Wellington’s Old Buildings. Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1994
• Murray, Russell. Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, Corner Molesworth Street and Hill Street. Wellington City Council: Unpublished report, prepared for Plan Change 53, 2005.
• ‘Statement of E.V Dawson, past principal of King and Dawson and past president of the New Zealand Institute of Architects’, July 1998. Ms-papers-6707-1, ATL.
• Wellington City Council. Wellington Heritage Building Inventory 2001: Non-Residential Buildings. Wellington City Council, 2001
• ‘Warren and Mahoney,’ Christchurch City Libraries, accessed 10 July 2013

• Inventory Report
• 1956 drawings

Not available