Bay Harbour: January 24, 2024

Bay Harbour News Wednesday January 24 2024
18
TREASURES FROM THE PAST
The legacy of Edward Morey, builder
of churches, schools and bridges
WHO WAS Edward Morey? He
certainly made his mark – with
most of his well designed and
built structures still standing,
despite the earthquakes – and
added to the colourful history
around Banks Peninsula.
Edward William Morey was
born in Havant, Hampshire,
England on April 8, 1822. On
September 13, 1841 he married
Charlotte King in Alverstoke,
Hampshire. On October
12, 1858, Edward, aged 35,
Charlotte, 34, and their three
daughters aged 12, eight and 18
months, boarded the ship Strathalan
bound for New Zealand.
They were assisted immigrants,
the total fare being £59, 10s
(NZ$18,500). They arrived in
Lyttelton on January 21, 1859.
Edward was a trained stonemason
and bricklayer, as was his
father Henry Morey.
Prior to their arrival in Lyttelton,
plans for a new stone Anglican
church had been drawn up
by surveyor and architect George
Mallinson, after the unfortunate
demise of the first timber Anglican
church. Built in 1852, it
soon had to be demolished after
the freshly milled native timbers
used in its construction shrank,
making it too dangerous to occupy
in the strong southerly and
nor’west winds.
Along comes Mr
Morey. Did he know
about the planned
new church
before he left
England? Was
that why
he came to
Lyttelton?
You would
think that
the news of
the fate of
the original
church would
have been
talked about by
church builders
back in England,
especially considering
that William Chaney, a well
respected English stonemason
who spent 18 years restoring
Canterbury Cathedral before
coming to New Zealand, was
involved in the first church’s
construction. There is, however,
no mention of this being a
possibility anywhere in the
Morey family history.
Morey submitted a quote to
build the new church, which the
Anglican diocese accepted. The
tender was let to him on April
11, 1859 for £3,320 (NZ$1
million). The new
church was situated
further to the east
than the former,
in order that the
whole building
rested level on
solid ground,
with the
foundation
stone being
laid on June
26, 1859. The
building was
Edward William
Morey. PHOTO:
CARL BONNIFACE
COLLECTION
constructed of red porphyry
(volcanic) stone from the
Sumner Rd quarry, with
finishing sandstone from Quail
Island and a shingled roof. The
new Church of the Most Holy
Trinity was consecrated on April
10, 1860; it had taken just 11
months to build.
Interestingly, as stated in the
Lyttelton Times article on the
consecration on 11 April 1860:
“A great portion of the interior
timber used had been taken
from the materials of the former
Church and is therefore well
seasoned.”
An excerpt from the same
article reads:
“It is due to Mr Morey to say
that he has kept more than good
faith with the parish, and has left
a record of excellent workmanship,
done in a short space in
time, in a business like way, and
with a conscientious liberality,
which should teach a practical
lesson to the whole building
trade in the province.”
Unfortunately, this beautiful
church became a victim of
the 2010/2011 Canterbury
Earthquake Sequence, but not
its historic fittings and fixtures.
STONEMASONRY: Reproduction of a sketch by
J.E. FitzGerald, of the first Church of England in
Lyttelton, December 1852. Above – Second Holy
Trinity Church, pre 1900.
Thanks to some dedicated local
people, those irreplaceable treasures
were saved and reinstated
into St Saviours at Holy Trinity,
which is another story to be told.
Although Morey built the
new Anglican church, he was
actually an active member
of the Wesleyan church in
Lyttelton, volunteering his
time to make improvements to
that denomination’s buildings
to accommodate its rapidly
increasing congregation. He
lived in Lyttelton for four years,
from 1859 to 1862. During that
time he delved into the property
market, purchasing and leasing
sections and building houses on
Jacksons, Selwyn and Hawkhurst
Rds, as well as Oxford St.
Morey also successfully
tendered for and built brick
PHOTOS: TE ŪAKA THE LYTTELTON MUSEUM
REF 14625.21 AND 7823.1
culverts across London and
Winchester streets. He built a
new hall for the Loyal City of
Norwich Lodge No. 4356, of the
Manchester Unity Independent
Order of Oddfellows, in St
Davids St for the bargain price
of £245 (NZ$75,000), as he
was a brother and secretary of
the order. He unsuccessfully
tendered to build the Lyttelton
Gaol (November 16, 1860) and
the beacon on Adderley Head
(May 7, 1861). He regularly ran
an advertisement in the Lyttelton
Times stating:
“EW Morey, mason, builder
and contractor – Tombs and
headstones neatly executed.”
• This week’s story from Te Ūaka
The Lyttelton Museum is by
guest writer Carl Bonniface, a
descendant of Edward Morey.
TUES 30 JAN 9AM - 3PM
HAGLEY CAFE