All Saints' Church, Palmerston North

All Saints' Church in Palmerston North, New Zealand, is an Anglican heritage-registered church designed by eminent architect Frederick de Jersey Clere. The church has been closed since 2013 over concerns about earthquake resistance but there are plans to strengthen the structure.

Bishop Octavius Hadfield purchased the land for the church in 1875. The section is located just off the Square in Church Street. The Grand Hotel, also a category I listed building, is located directly opposite on the north side of Church Street.

The foundation stone for the first church on the site was laid by Louisa Snelson, the wife of Palmerston North's founding father, George Snelson, on 29 September 1875. Saint George was chosen as the patron saint. The first building soon ran out of room and in 1881–82, a larger church was erected, with the original building becoming the transept. This building was soon after enlarged by adding a southern aisle. In 1883, Clere became the architect for the Anglican Diocese of Wellington and during his career, he designed over 100 churches for them. Clere was commissioned in 1905 by Archdeacon Charles Coleridge Harper to prepare plans for a new church; this was to have been the third church built on the land. His first design was rejected but the need for a new church remained and in 1910, the existing timber church was moved to the rear of the site to make room for a new building. In 1913, Clere was once more commissioned to prepare an architectural design. Clere designed the church in an English Gothic architectural style emphasising bricks as the construction material; he used the English bond pattern. The church provides seating for 950 people. John Henry Meyer was the builder and he commenced work in mid-February 1913. The laying of the foundation stone on 7 November 1913 by Bishop Sprott was marred by very bad weather. The construction of the brick church was supervised by Herbert Clere, the architect's son, from his Palmerston North office. The opening ceremony was held by Bishop Sprott from Wellington on Wednesday, 6 May 1914. Bishop Sprott consecrated the altar as part of the opening ceremony, but the church i

Church data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).