Holy Trinity Church, Port Chalmers
Holy Trinity Church is an active Anglican church in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand. Built of volcanic stone in the Academic Gothic Revival style, it was completed in 1874 and can seat about 300 people. The church was designed by Robert Lawson, and its foundation stone was laid on 7 June 1871 by Bishop Samuel Nevill. It opened on 28 April 1874. Holy Trinity forms the Port Chalmers-Warrington Parish in the Diocese of Dunedin and is a Heritage New Zealand Category I historic place.
History in brief
- In the early days, Port Chalmers was mainly Scots Presbyterian, so Anglicans shared worship spaces and used the Masonic Hall until they could build their own church.
- The parish bought a 0.5-acre site at the corner of Grey and Scotia streets after 1870-71. Construction began with the foundation laid in 1871 and the church opened in 1874.
- The first vicar was Reverend T. L. Stanley. A Sunday school hall and a bell tower were added, with the bells dedicated in 1879; the bell tower has since been demolished.
- A parsonage was built on nearby land in 1881 but the debt from church building projects eventually led to its sale.
- The roof leaked for years and was restored and re-roofed, with Marseilles tiles used in 1909. The church was consecrated on 6 October 1907 after becoming debt free.
- An organ was installed in 1916. The Sunday school hall was demolished in 1981, and the church was re-roofed with red steel roofing in 1987.
- Notable family links include Daisy Platts-Mills, a daughter of Reverend Frederick Charles Platts, who became one of New Zealand’s first female doctors.
Holy Trinity remains a historic and active part of the Port Chalmers community.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:23 (CET).