The Early Church: St Matthew-in-the-City | 1904 - 2024
After its opening in 1905 the Anglican church of St Matthew-in-the-City, standing on the corner of Hobson Street and Wellesley Street West, saw a procession of photographers both recording it from street level and making the long winding climb to the top of its tower to capture views of the city. Already high on the Hobson Street ridge, the tower must for some time have been the highest point in the central city. The building replaced earlier timber structures on the same site; then-and-now treatments of those older church buildings are here, here, and here.
Henry Winkelmann |
Henry Winkelmann |
Frederick George Radcliffe |
William Archer Price |
The view from the tower
Click on the image below of a man standing on the church tower in 1909 (by Hubert Vaile, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 2-V1387) to view an interactive 360-degree panorama made here in 2024.
Henry Winkelmann |
Unknown photographer |
Henry Winkelmann |
Henry Winkelmann |
Sydney Charles Smith |
Sydney Charles Smith |
Sydney Charles Smith |
James Richardson |
James Richardson |
James Richardson |
Robert Percy Moore |
Smith/Winkelmann |
Lastly, the image below, a detail from a 1923 Henry Winkelmann panorama made from upper Shortland Street, shows how the church and its tower dominated the central city skyline for many years.
Henry Winkelmann | Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1-W0487-PAN (detail)