18 <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News Wednesday <strong>February</strong> 7 <strong>2024</strong>
Morey a busy man indeed Carl Bonniface continues his series on Edward Morey’s heritage contribution BEFORE EDWARD Morey finished building Holy Trinity Church in Lyttelton, the foundation stone for St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church in Governors <strong>Bay</strong> had already been laid (January 30, 1860). Both were designed by George Mallinson. Morey would have been putting the finishing touches to Holy Trinity and starting work on St Cuthberts at the same time – a busy man indeed. It took two years to construct the church because not long into the build, the turret and two gables gave way after wet weather and strong winds. Buttresses were added to stabilise the walls, which were made of cob faced with stone from the beach and from nearby Garlick’s Quarry. The white stone for the buttresses and window frames came from Ōtamahua Quail Island. Smaller stones worn smooth from the tides were carried up Church Lane to the building site by local women in their sacking aprons. These were used as cobblestones in the entrance porch. Morey was assisted with the timber work by Henry Firmston, whose grave is in the church cemetery. Over the ensuing years the church had a number of additions – in 1874 a chancel was added to the eastern end, increasing the seating capacity by 40. It included a magnificent stained glass window depicting the legend of St Cuthbert. Much later, in 1980, a sturdy stone vestry was built onto the south wall, which survived the <strong>February</strong> 22, 2011 earthquake. Unfortunately, the rest of the church was badly damaged. It was decided to deconstruct the building (apart from the vestry) and start again, with new reinforced concrete foundations and block walls. The church was carefully reconstructed to look as it did before the earthquake. Due to the efforts of tradespeople and the local community, St Cuthberts stands proud once again. Despite everything nature has thrown at it, a statement about St Cuthberts from Bishop Harper at the laying of the foundation stone in 1860 has come to pass: “It would remain a blessing to the founders and their children’s children and endure as long as the everlasting hills by which it is surrounded”. But back to the hard-working Morey. In 1862, he moved to Okains <strong>Bay</strong> to build another Anglican church there – St John the Evangelist. The foundation stone was laid on January 1, 1863 by Elizabeth Torlesse, wife of Reverend Henry Torlesse, who was the driving force behind the project. The walls were built using creek boulders and locally quarried stone and were supported by five buttresses – a lesson perhaps learned from St Cuthberts. The buttresses and the Gothic style window frames were made of white stone from Ōtamahua Quail Island. An interesting design feature is the use of red bricks in the door and window arches, fired locally by the ever enterprising Morey. The slate roof was generously gifted by Mr J.E Thacker – the slate and the stained glass were the only imported materials. Wednesday <strong>February</strong> 7 <strong>2024</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News TREASURES FROM THE PAST 19 HARD-WORKING: Edward Morey built both St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church in Governors <strong>Bay</strong> and St John the Evangelist in Okains <strong>Bay</strong> (below). The actual build took just five months and St Johns was ‘open for business’ on June 30, 1863, although the church was not consecrated until <strong>February</strong> 12, 1882. The reason for this is not clear as the main condition of consecration, that of being debt free, was fulfilled in 1863 thanks to local contributions, liberal donations by friends in England and contributions from the Provincial Government. The grand total cost including fittings came to £554, 9s and 8p (NZ$180,000). St Johns was also badly damaged in the earthquake, but as with St Cuthberts, the community and tradespeople came to the rescue. They inserted metal rods into the existing walls, repaired and reset a lot of the original stone, brick and slate, and replaced the white stone framing around the restored east end stained glass window with lighter materials. A nice touch is the old stone framing is laid out as a landscaping feature. Once again a small community’s dedication saved an important historical building for future generations to enjoy. For Almost EVERY WAY You Can Hurt It… There’s an Elastastrap or Thermastrap to help it. • Clinically developed to assist injury management. • From shoulders, backs and elbows to knees and ankles. • Easy to put on and take off, never too tight or too loose. • Find the one that suits you now - and get back to doing what you love. Elastastrap and Thermastrap. The total support range. 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