Erskine College, Wellington

Erskine College
Erskine College building, Wellington
Map
Former namesConvent of the Sacred Heart at Island Bay
General information
Architectural styleFrench Gothic and Edwardian collegiate architecture
LocationCorner Avon Street and Melbourne Road, Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand
Coordinates41°20′00″S 174°46′38″E / 41.333434°S 174.777358°E / -41.333434; 174.777358
Completed1906
Design and construction
Architect(s)John Sydney Swan
Designated13-Aug-2009
Reference no.7795

Erskine College was a former Catholic girls' boarding school in Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand, and the subject of a campaign to protect its historic buildings (the Chapel of the Sacred Heart and the Main Block Convent). It was largely demolished in 2018 to build housing, but the chapel was restored and later reopened.

History

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The Convent of the Sacred Heart (as it was initially known) was founded by nuns from the Society of the Sacred Heart (Sacré Coeur), who came to New Zealand at the invitation of Archbishop Redwood.[1]

The four-storey Gothic Revival brick and reinforced concrete convent building was designed by architect John Sydney Swan and built between 1904 and 1906.[1] Teaching of pupils started in 1907. More buildings were added as the school roll increased. The interior of the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, also designed by Swan and built in 1929-30, is regarded as one of the finest examples of a Gothic Revival interior in New Zealand.[2]

The school's name was changed to Erskine College in the late 1960s to avoid confusion with Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt. It was named after Mother Janet Erskine Stuart, the fifth Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart.[1]

The buildings served as a Catholic girls' boarding school until its closure in 1985. By that time, nearly 3000 girls had been educated at the college.[1]

Peter Jackson's 1996 film The Frighteners used Erskine College as one of its locations.[3]

An arts school, The Learning Connexion, occupied Erskine College from 1996 to until 2009.[3][4]

Historic significance and campaign

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The buildings and grounds were classified as a "Category I" ("places of special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value") historic place by Heritage New Zealand.[1]

The Save Erskine College Trust was formed to protect the site in 1992, the first non-government heritage protection authority in New Zealand.[1]

The college buildings, with the exception of the chapel, were controversially demolished by its owners The Wellington Company in 2018, to make way for 96 townhouses.[5][6] The chapel was restored and reopened in 2023.[7]

Old Girls

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The Erskine College building being demolished in October 2018

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Erskine College (Former)". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  2. ^ "Erskine College Main Building and Chapel of the Sacred Heart – Wellington Heritage – Absolutely Positively Wellington City Council Me Heke Ki Poneke". wellingtoncityheritage.org.nz. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Erskine College Main Building and Chapel of the Sacred Heart – Wellington Heritage – Absolutely Positively Wellington City Council Me Heke Ki Poneke". Wellington City Heritage. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Memories, a proposal and grand plans". The Learning Connexion. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Erskine College demolition underway as massive development begins". Stuff. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Wellington.scoop.co.nz » Farewell to a heritage building". Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  7. ^ Norman, Cushla (27 October 2023). "Wellington's Erskine Chapel restored after decades of disrepair". No. One News. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
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Media related to Erskine College, Wellington at Wikimedia Commons

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