Draft:St Alban's Church, Eastbourne
{{Short description|Anglican parish church in New Zealand}}
{{Draft topics|oceania}}
{{AfC topic|other}}
{{AfC submission|||ts=20250410140023|u=MrTNoakes|ns=2}}
{{Infobox church
| name = St Alban's Church
| image = Image - Interior of St Alban's, Eastbourne. 2024..jpg
| caption = Interior of St Alban's in 2024
| country = New Zealand
| location = Ngaio Street, Eastbourne, Lower Hutt
| denomination = Anglican
| website = https://stalbanschurch.nz/
| dedicated date = May 1910
| architect = Frederick de Jersey Clere
| architectural type = church
| style = Gothic Revival
| years built = 1910
| diocese = Wellington
| province = Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
}}
St Alban's Church is a historic Anglican parish church belonging to the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. It is located in the Lower Hutt suburb of Eastbourne, situated along the east coast of Wellington Harbor in New Zealand.
The church is the oldest in Eastbourne having been designed by the then Diocesan architect of Wellington, Frederick de Jersey Clere, and completed in 1910.{{Cite web |title=The Eastbourne Herald July 2023 |url=https://issuu.com/louiseparry8708/docs/to_print_16_page_july_2023?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=issuu |language=en}} Following assessments after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, the church building along with its accompanying hall were closed after failing to meet the required earthquake building standards.{{Cite web |date=2016-08-31 |title=Eastbourne Herald August 2016 by The Eastbourne Herald |url=https://issuu.com/theeastbourneherald/docs/eh_august_16 |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=Issuu |language=en}} This saw the parish move its services to the hall of the nearby Wellesley College in Days Bay.
The church is dedicated to Saint Alban, the first Christian martyr of Great Britain.
History
The very first Anglican service to be held in Eastbourne is believed to have taken place in a disused in store in June of 1902.{{Cite book |last1=Beaglehole |first1=Ann |title=Eastbourne: A History of the Eastern Bays of Wellington Harbour |last2=Carew |first2=Alison |date=2001 |publisher=The Historical Society of Eastbourne, Inc. |isbn=0-473-07966-6 |location=Eastbourne, New Zealand. |publication-date=2001 |pages=95 |language=en}} Before the community in Eastbourne received their own church and vicar, the Vicar of St James Church in Lower Hutt, The Reverend Joshua Jones, would travel to on horseback to the Eastern Bays to conduct occasional services.
The land on which St Alban's Church is built, located at the end of Ngaio Street, was purchased in 1908. It's design was produced by the distinguished Wellington architect, Frederick de Jersey Clere, who is also responsible for other significant church buildings in the region, such as St Mary of the Angels and St Andrew's on The Terrace, both of which are located in Wellington. The church was completed and dedicated in May of 1910. It's first vicar was The Reverend Ernest I. Sola, who served the parish until 1917.
Vicars
From 2002 to 2012 The Venerable Damon Plimmer would serve as the Vicar of St Alban's.{{Cite web |date=2016-01-22 |title=Sermons - St Alban's Anglican Church Eastbourne New Zealand |url=http://stalbans.eastbourne.net.nz/publications/sermons/show/17 |access-date=2025-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122095222/http://stalbans.eastbourne.net.nz/publications/sermons/show/17 |archive-date=22 January 2016 }} Subsequently he serves as the Archdeacon of Central Otago in the Diocese of Dunedin on the South Island.{{Cite web |title=Diocese of Dunedin / Diocese of Dunedin / Directory / Home - Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia |url=https://anglican.org.nz/Directory/Diocese-of-Dunedin/Diocese-of-Dunedin |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=anglican.org.nz}}
File:St Alban's Church, Eastbourne. 2024.jpg
From 2013, The Right Reverend Dr Eleanor Sanderson served as Vicar of St Alban's, prior to being elected assistant bishop in the Diocese of Wellington in 2017.{{Cite web |last=Conger |first=George |date=2017-06-13 |title=Assistant Bishop of Wellington consecrated |url=https://anglican.ink/2017/06/13/assistant-bishop-of-wellington-consecrated/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=Anglican Ink © 2025 |language=en-US}} Sanderson was the first woman to be elected to the office of bishop within the diocese.{{Cite web |date=2017-06-05 |title=Wellington gets first female bishop |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/dr-eleanor-sanderson-to-become-wellingtons-first-female-bishop/WLBEJKYVQRA3BQ3A2DAO7VBPIQ/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=NZ Herald |language=en-NZ}} In June 2022, Sanderson was announced as the next Bishop of Hull in the Diocese of York of the Church of England.{{Cite web |title=New Bishop of Hull brought in from New Zealand |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/1-july/news/uk/new-bishop-of-hull-brought-in-from-new-zealand |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=www.churchtimes.co.uk}}
References
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