Bid to restore historic city belfry
A fundraising committee is hoping to restore a prominent and historic belfry in Christchurch which is falling foul of weather and borer.
The belfry at St Michael and All Angels on Oxford Tce once served as Christchurch’s earliest fire bell and as a timepiece, being rung every hour during daylight. It is listed as a category 1 historic place, and closed in 2018 due to structural damage.
According to Heritage New Zealand, the belfry and its intriguing design was significant as a prominent Christchurch landmark designed in 1861 by pre-eminent architect Benjamin Mountfort.
St Michael’s was the first church to be built in Canterbury and its bell arrived from Britain with the Canterbury Association settlers in 1850.
Dr Ian Lochhead, in his book on Mountfort, traced the architectural sources back to roofs in Rhineland and medieval timber belfries, particularly those in Essex and Scandinavia.
Church committee member Toni Stewart said it was not just a church bell, it was an important piece of Christchurch’s history.
A small group of church goers had formed a committee to raise money to restore and preserve the belfry. “The cost of the belfry restoration and reinstatement of the bell is a heavy burden on the parish of St Michael’s with the high and ever rising costs of maintaining its three other category-one buildings,” she said.
The bell itself came out on the Charlotte Jane – one of the first four ships to arrive from Canterbury from England. After the earthquakes, bridal couples chose St Michael’s because it was the only remaining inner city church with bells.
At funerals, the bell honoured the dead by tolling the number of their years on earth. “By restoring the structure of the belfry and bell we also restore the beautiful daily soundscape to the city, loved and remembered for 165 years,” Stewart said.
The group would have a clearer idea on how much the restoration would cost next year. “We’ve had it assessed by an engineer and architect and we will go over all the options next year to decide on a scope of work required. It’s a wooden structure. It has borer and rot. It is exposed to the weather.”
So far, the group had held a market day and set up a Givealittle page with a goal of $80,000.
Father Peter Williams said the belfry had been “an unexpected but delightful” part of the Christchurch cityscape for more than 160 years. “For over 100 years until recently, the Angelus was rung on weekdays at noon by senior pupils of St Michael’s Church School.”
The belfry was restored when it shifted from its original position during Oxford Tce’s realignment in 1976. “Now, 50 years later it requires attention again. The belfry has large openings high up so that the sound can get out, but that has also allowed weather to get in,” Williams said.
Water-damaged timber, metal components and fixtures needed to be replaced urgently. Fortunately the main structural hardwood was still sound and the bell could still be rung.