St Barnabas Church, Warrington

St Barnabas Church is a small wooden Anglican church in Warrington, New Zealand. It was built in 1872.[1]

St Barnabas Church viewed from north.
German stained-glass windows at the 'west' end of the church
Wooden interior of St Barnabas Church.

History

Anglicans met at the Pitt residence in Warrington until Mrs Pitt donated 2 acres (0.81 ha) of land for a church. The building was built by Benjamin Smith, opening on 11 November 1872.[1]

The church building and its community are named after St Barnabas, one of the first prophets and teachers of the Christian Church at Antioch. In 2018, St Barnabas Church was in the Archdeaconry of Coastal Otago, part of the Anglican Diocese of Dunedin.[2]

Building

The church is set in woodland and is surrounded by a cemetery. Otago's first Anglican Bishop, Samuel Tarratt Nevill was buried here in 1921.[1] A traditional lych gate marks the entrance from Coast Road. The church is built in board and batten with a wooden shingle roof and a small copper-tipped tower, fitted with a bell inside. The stained glass windows are unusually elaborate for such a small building. They depict among others St. Joan of Arc and Christ the Redeemer. They have been said to have been ordered for a Roman Catholic church in Brisbane but diverted to Dunedin following a waterfront dispute.[1] However recent research has found this to be mythical, and the real story of their original destination is even more complicated and interesting. The building is listed as a Category II Historic Place.[3]

References
  1. Ian Church Blueskin Days, Waitati 2007
  2. Archdeconry of Coastal Otago on Dunedin Anglican diocese website, viewed 2018-02-20
  3. "St Barnabas Anglican Church". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 2009-09-30.

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