Church of the Holy Innocents

The Church of the Holy Innocents dates from 1868-1869 and is believed to be designed by Edward Ashworth, in the Gothic Revival style. Construction of the church was undertaken by the eminent Christchurch stonemason, William Brassington, who used greywacke boulders from the Rangitata River to build the walls of the church. Hand shaped Mt Somers limestone blocks were used for the quoins and window surrounds, contrasting with the greywacke walls. The belfry was designed by Emily Acland. DPA Architects were appointed by the Christchurch Anglican Church Property Trustees to oversee the restoration and structural upgrading of the building.  The seismic upgrading work was designed by Ruamoko Solutions of Christchurch. The major work involved the near complete reconstruction of the east wall including the limestone Gothic window.  The stained-glass window was completely shattered in the earthquakes as the window collapsed.  It has since been carefully reconstructed by Stewart Stained Glass.  Other work to the exterior of the building included repointing of the stonework with lime mortar.  Limestone reveals around the windows were also repaired and repointed and the walls were consolidated with a lime based grout.  Inside the church, the walls were replastered and painted.  The timber work was refurbished.   The project was the recipient of a Silver Award in the Heritage/Restoration Category at the recent New Zealand Commercial Project Awards, 2018.