St Peter's Vicarage
carved eagle lectern, the work of a Chinese man named Ah Tong, given in 1874. The two stained glass windows complement the building. The one over the alter dedicated to the memory of those parishioners who lost their lives in the second World War, depicts ‘the Call of St Peter’. The memorial to those who lost their lives in the first World War, takes the form of a plaque situated in the nave near the vestry door. The window over the font depicts the story of the Good Shepherd.The foundations of the Anglican or Episcopalian Church in the Wakatipu were laid by William Gilbert Rees, the first settler (see extra tip), who came to Queenstown in 1861. He was a devout Anglican and held regular services which were attended by the handful of men and one woman who worked for him. Later Rees was joined by a Lay Reader named Richmond Beetham. The first wooden church was built in 1863.
The church you see today at the corner of Church and Camp Streets was built in 1932. It was designed by J. McDowall Smith of Dunedin, modelled on a the traditional lines of the English parish church using Gothic details. The exterior walls were faced with greywacke stone obtained from the lake edge on the park peninsula. The funds for the building came from three main donators. One of them, Thomas Hicks who had given £ 1500, was honoured by the erection of the Lychgate.
The old wooden church was given to the neighbouring parish of Dunstan. It was dismantled, taken to Omakau and re-erected. It is named after St. Mary the Virgin.
St. Peter's Church contains some beautiful features. The most noteworthy is the carved Eagle Lectern from 1874, made by a Chinese man named Ah Tong. The church also has two beautiful stained glass windows.
If you stand in front of lovely St. Peter’s Church, left of it you see a nice creamy white wooden building. This is the church’s Parish Centre Hall.
In 2007, the Parish Hall and Vicarage were refurbished and rededicated, and – the most obvious change - relocated from their original to the area next to the church. They now make a great new facility for the advantage of the Wakatipu Community. On the other hand, the church itself looks a little squeezed into the space, and I liked the lawn and space around the church as it was before.
What makes the crowded space attractive again, at least for me, is the amalgamation of the church and the parish hall with the "Halo - Forbidden Bite" café which has a terrace right in front of the parish hall for outdoor dining. If you want, the church and the world united.
The Halo – Forbidden Bite serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, 7 days from 7 am to 9pm.
On a sunny day the terrace, framed by St. Peter’s and the parish hall, is one of the lovliest spots in the whole of Queenstown.
Among the early arrivals in the town was Richmond Beetham who was Resident Magistrate. He was a Lay Reader and very soon a small party of Anglicans with Rees and Beetham as their leaders had established an Anglican community and were holding Church services. The visit of Bishop Harper in March 1863 no doubt quickened the interest of the Anglicans and soon plans were
St Peters Church
in hand to build a Church on the present site for which arrangements had been made to purchase from the Provincial Government. Timber from the head of the Lake was used in the construction and the cost was largely financed by advances from some of the parishioners. There was a major setback in June when a storm badly damaged the partly built Church, but the determination of the congregation saw the building completed in July 1863. First Vicar Services and Sunday School continued on a regular basis taken by lay people and it, was not until early 1869, a Vicar, the Rev'd Richard Coffey, was appointed. Besides the pastoral care of Queenstown and Arrowtown Communities, the Vicar had to travel by foot and horseback over dangerous mountain tracks to minister to the scattered flock in remote to accommodate the Vicar and his family, a home was built and part of this building is still in use today as the Parish Centre. Over the years as the congregation increased, several additions were made to the Church building, the final one in 1906. At the same time as this extension was made, the present pipe organ was purchased second hand from All Saints, Dunedin. Its origin is not known but it is probably of English manufacture and was first installed in All Saints Church in 1874. In the previous year the hall in Earl Street was built. Two donations, one of the land, and the other of £250 to erect the building, both from parishioners, made this possible. The New Church The present Church was built in 1932 and being free from debt was consecrated by Bishop Richards, Bishop of Dunedin. The Church was designed by J. McDowall Smith of Dunedin, modelled on a the traditional lines of the English parish church using Gothic details. The exterior walls were faced with greywacke stone obtained from the lake edge on the park peninsula. Funds to build the Church came largely from three main sources, all legacies. The largest of £1500 was made in 1911 by Thomas Hicks to erect a Church in stone or concrete. In 1927 £300 came front Mr A.D. Lubeckie who had owned a business in the town in its early days and had been an office-bearer in the early church. In the same year £100 came from the estate of the first Vicar, the Rev'd Richard Coffey. As the large legacy by Thomas Hicks had made the new Church possible, the Lych-gate was erected by the parishioners in memory of this generous benefactor. The old wooden Church was given to the neighboring parish of Dunstan. It was dismantled, taken to Omakau and re-erected. The delightful old building is still in use serving the people of Omakau. It is named after St. Mary the Virgin.
Among the early arrivals in the town was Richmond Beetham who was Resident Magistrate. He was a Lay Reader and very soon a small party of Anglicans with Rees and Beetham as their leaders had established an Anglican community and were holding Church services. The visit of Bishop Harper in March 1863 no doubt quickened the interest of the Anglicans and soon plans were
St Peters Church
in hand to build a Church on the present site for which arrangements had been made to purchase from the Provincial Government. Timber from the head of the Lake was used in the construction and the cost was largely financed by advances from some of the parishioners. There was a major setback in June when a storm badly damaged the partly built Church, but the determination of the congregation saw the building completed in July 1863. First Vicar Services and Sunday School continued on a regular basis taken by lay people and it, was not until early 1869, a Vicar, the Rev'd Richard Coffey, was appointed. Besides the pastoral care of Queenstown and Arrowtown Communities, the Vicar had to travel by foot and horseback over dangerous mountain tracks to minister to the scattered flock in remote to accommodate the Vicar and his family, a home was built and part of this building is still in use today as the Parish Centre. Over the years as the congregation increased, several additions were made to the Church building, the final one in 1906. At the same time as this extension was made, the present pipe organ was purchased second hand from All Saints, Dunedin. Its origin is not known but it is probably of English manufacture and was first installed in All Saints Church in 1874. In the previous year the hall in Earl Street was built. Two donations, one of the land, and the other of £250 to erect the building, both from parishioners, made this possible. The New Church The present Church was built in 1932 and being free from debt was consecrated by Bishop Richards, Bishop of Dunedin. The Church was designed by J. McDowall Smith of Dunedin, modelled on a the traditional lines of the English parish church using Gothic details. The exterior walls were faced with greywacke stone obtained from the lake edge on the park peninsula. Funds to build the Church came largely from three main sources, all legacies. The largest of £1500 was made in 1911 by Thomas Hicks to erect a Church in stone or concrete. In 1927 £300 came front Mr A.D. Lubeckie who had owned a business in the town in its early days and had been an office-bearer in the early church. In the same year £100 came from the estate of the first Vicar, the Rev'd Richard Coffey. As the large legacy by Thomas Hicks had made the new Church possible, the Lych-gate was erected by the parishioners in memory of this generous benefactor. The old wooden Church was given to the neighboring parish of Dunstan. It was dismantled, taken to Omakau and re-erected. The delightful old building is still in use serving the people of Omakau. It is named after St. Mary the Virgin.
Historic Sites : St Peter's Vicarage
McNeill's Cottage
James McNeill was a Scotsman who came to New Zealand in his teens. He came to Queenstown about 1882. where he was employed as a contractor to build the Ballarat Street Bridge. He married in 1885 and built this cottage about this time. After the death of his first wife from peritonitis, he married Anne Bella Prier, the niece of the John Williams who built Williams’ Cottage. James McNeill died in 1920. McNeill was responsible for building many well-known Queenstown properties, but only a couple remain standing today. The passing of time is testament to McNeill's craftsmanship. McNeill's Cottage remained a private residence until the early 1970s when it was expanded and converted into a brewery, before new ownership in 2012 resulted in a major renovation and the opening of Sasso (Italian) Restaurant.Historic Sites : McNeill's Cottage
Masonic Lodge - Lake Lodge of Ophir (Lake Lodge of Ophir No 85 - Masonic Lodge)
This was one of the first permanent material buildings to be erected in Queenstown, and today it is the eldest Masonic Lodge building in New Zealand still in use for its original purpose. The foundation stone was laid in 1863.
Lake Lodge of Ophir is a simple rectangular stone building, set on a lakefront section. It was constructed from local schist collected from the water’s edge and beech culled from the head of the lake. At the time the foundation stone was laid the local newspaper stated that the ‘fair propositions, stern solidity and picturesque position of [the building] … will be an ornament to our town and a monument of our progress.’ Originally the interior was lined with tongue and groove panelling up to the dado rail and plastered above with a mixture of mud and horsehair. The upper wall was finished with a lime wash and the ceiling was canvas lined with paper. Raised sections run along the bottom of three walls and a freestanding organ, purchased in 1870, is located in the south-east corner. The lodge is lit through a skylight set at the apex of the roof, a form of lighting typical of Masonic lodges. This skylight opens into the wooden barrel-vaulted ceiling from which hangs the original rise and fall candelabrum. It is said that the light from the candelabrum, visible through the skylight, was also used, in early days as a navigational beam for boats on Lake Wakatipu.
Current Use: Civic facilities and recreation - Masonic Lodge
The Freemasons Lodge is situated at 13 Marine Parade, Queenstown. Regular meetings every 4th Wednesday of the month at 7:30pm. Other contact: 03 442 8783
Contact Details
Hudson Turnbull, Secretary
lakelodgeofophir@queenstown.co.nz
PO Box 85 Queenstown 9348
Phone: 03 442 3627 http://www.freemasons.co.nz
Historic Sites : Masonic Lodge - Lake Lodge of Ophir
Williams’ Cottage
This is the oldest remaining residential building in Queenstown. It was built in 1864 by John Williams, boatman and shipbuilder. The house was lived in by members of his family until 1983. The cottage is unique in that it had, until renovation in the 1990s, never had electricity connected or mains water. However it is prone to flooding, and was destined for demolition until a considerable public funding campaign saved it for posterity. Williams' Cottage currently operates as Vesta Design Store & Café.
Historic Sites : Williams' Cottage
Buckham 's Brewery and Cordial Factory
In the 1870s a brewery complex, including stables, a stone malthouse and a large building for the manufacture of beer and cordials was established on this site. The site was sold by the Buckham family in 1970. Then followed years of debate regarding the historical merit of the brewery ruins. Those with a historic leaning lost when the site was bulldozed in the early hours of a morning in 1976. Development overtook history as you can see from the hotel now in the site. However, public pressure stopped the hotel extending up the hill into the Gardens Reserve as intended.
Historic Sites : Buckham 's Brewery and Cordial Factory
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| Back then: The Coronation Bathhouse in Queenstown Bay pictured back in the 1930s |
Bath House
Article from Mountain Scene :
Bustling cafe restaurant The Bathhouse is a far cry from its original incarnation built in 1911 to commemorate the coronation of King George V.
Down the years, the fortunes of the iconic building have ebbed and flowed like the waters of Lake Wakatipu, on the shores of which it stands.
It began as a fashionable bathhouse, complete with changing stalls, jetty and diving platforms but was later abandoned, vandalised and flooded to become derelict.
Threatened with demolition in the 1980s, the structure was eventually saved, renovated and reborn as an architects’ studio and then a restaurant.
To mark its centenary, elderly residents of Frankton’s Wakatipu Home & Hospital are being treated to high tea at The Bathhouse today.
Current restaurant operator Karen Brown: “I’ve been here all my life and we used to play in the bathhouse when it was ruins.
“It is such a beautiful site.
“I bought it two years ago with Alana Gould. I always thought it was a shame the restaurant was fine dining – it should be used by everyone.
“It is definitely a challenging little place to work because it is so tiny. On a sunny day the whole place can be full with more than 100 people inside and out, but only two chefs can fit in the kitchen.
“Patrons are always asking ‘where’s the kitchen’. They think it’s underneath.”
The Bathhouse on Marine Parade is now a cafe by day offering tapas and then a popular restaurant by night.
The first sod was turned by Miss H.E. Beety, with appropriate pomp and circumstance, during a coronation procession. Miss Beety had written to the borough council offering £20 – about $3500 in today’s money – towards the construction of a bathhouse.
It was built by John Salmond at a cost of £315 – about $55,000 now – with the distinctive crown added by another contractor.
Officially opened in March 1912, it became a popular public changing room and children’s play area.
But in the 1960s, when a town swimming pool was built, the bathhouse fell into disuse. It then became a summer teahouse for students and was also later used by the Wakatipu Rowing Club, which tacked on an addition.
By the late 70s, the building was dilapidated and needed major restoration. The council had planned to demolish it in 1988 but the Department of Conservation and the Historic Places Trust replaced rotten timber.
By 1993, all that remained of the original structure was the central octagon. It was run-down, subject to vandalism and vulnerable to flooding.
The council offered the building for commercial lease and the project was taken on by local heritage architect Jackie Gillies, who restored and transformed it into her studio.
Then in 1996, Gillies converted the bathhouse into a restaurant, reinstating the original changing room wings in a new form and adding a kitchen.
Restaurateur Guy Evatt took over the building, also raising the structure by about 50cms to lift it above the flood line and installing an underfloor wine cellar.
Evatt was followed as restaurant operator by Ben Chardome and now Brown. Evatt also on-sold the building to Queenstown landlord Chris James.
Historic Sites : Bath House
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