St James Anglican Church, Māngere Bridge

File:St James' Church by Henry Thomas Spratt (1860s) (cropped).jpg

St James Anglican Church and the surrounding cemetery are located in Māngere Bridge on land formerly occupied by Tāmaki Māori (Waiohua and later Ngāti Whātua). In 1837 Ngāti Mahuta were gifted land by Ngāti Whātua, later establishing a defensive settlement for Auckland.{{Cite web| first=Malcolm |last=Patterson | title = Ngati Whatua o Orakei Heritage Report for State Highway 20; Transit Manukau Harbour Crossing |url=https://www.epa.govt.nz/assets/FileAPI/proposal/NSP000038/Evidence/8168b606f5/EWL-Rebuttal-Ngati-Whatua-O-Orakei-Onehunga-Report-MPatterson.pdf |date=21 March 2008 | publisher = Environmental Protection Authority | access-date = 21 October 2021 |pages=6–7}}

In 1849, the land where the church now sits was granted by Governor George Grey, for the purpose of settlement of Maori from the Waikato. It is recorded that the building project was managed by Rev Arthur Purchas, who served as architect, and Tāmati Ngāpora. This venture was recorded to be co-funded by Bishop Selwyn and local Māori.{{Cite web |last=Auckland Council |title=Māngere Bridge, Māngere East and Favona Heritage Survey- Historic Context Statement |url=https://infocouncil.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/Open/2017/08/MO_20170816_AGN_7310_AT_files/MO_20170816_AGN_7310_AT_Attachment_54463_1.PDF |publisher=Auckland Council}}{{Cite web |title=Mangere Bridge Community Website :: Mangere Bridge History |url=http://www.mangerebridge.co.nz/?page=history |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=mangerebridge.co.nz}} The church was built and funded by the resettled Māori bar a £10 donation from Bishop Selwyn. Reverend Robert Burrows oversaw the construction.

The church was constructed of scoria from the nearby Mangere Mountain, it was completed {{circa}}1857.

Over the years, many efforts to preserve the church and churchyard have been made. The church was renovated in 1917 and the roof fixed in 1928 and again 1974.{{Cite web |title=1 January 1860 |url=https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/manukau/id/7123/rec/44 |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz |language=en}} This included in 1924, a group of female members of the church forming a guild to promote events and raise funds to maintain the church.{{Cite news |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |date=24 June 1924 |title=OLD MANGERE CHURCH |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19240624.2.31?end_date=31-12-1989&items_per_page=10&query=st+james+mangere+bridge&snippet=true&start_date=01-01-1889&title=NZH |access-date=2024-02-04}} Later in 1938, further pleas to preserve the historic site were made. This resulted in an extensive renovation of the memorials to Māori chiefs Ēpiha Pūtini and Kati Takiwaru, who had great significance to the area.{{Cite news |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |date=29 December 1938 |title=HISTORIC CEMETERY |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19381229.2.113?end_date=31-12-1989&items_per_page=10&query=st+james+mangere+bridge&snippet=true&start_date=01-01-1889&title=NZH |access-date=2024-02-04}}

During the invasion of the Waikato the land grant was rescinded but was restored after the war and the church became governed by a board of trustees made up exclusively of Māori. {{circa}}1965 the trust became governed by both Māori and non-Māori, following a change in rules.

The original floor was replaced in 1988; however, the original windows remain today. On 4 April 1983 St James Church was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand) as a Category II historic place with registration number 689.

St James Church is built of scoria quarried from Te Pane o Mataaho / Māngere Mountain. Designed by Bishop Selwyn, St James Church is the only surviving stone church from the Selwyn period in Auckland.{{Cite web |title=Footprints 07260 |url=https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/photos/id/35859/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz |language=en}} It is noted that Bishop Selwyn made several attempts at stone churches in Auckland, most of them left to decay or were completely abandoned.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-05 |title=Photo essay: Inside New Zealand's most spectacular churches |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/photo-essay-inside-new-zealands-most-spectacular-churches/KTBNT3QXK35IFXAMIT7LQVQKQA/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}

Due to the difficulty of stone construction, the chancel arch and arches of the doors are made from brick, not stone.

The church has a rectangular nave {{cvt|40|ft}} by {{cvt|24|ft}}, a chancel at the east and a vestibule at the west. Some of the walls are up to {{cvt|18|in}} thick. There are buttresses every {{cvt|12|ft}} which support the roof.{{cite book |last1=Knight |first1=Cyril Roy |title=The Selwyn churches of Auckland |date=1972|pages=67–68 |publisher=Reed}}

Side view St James Anglican Church Mangere Bridge.jpg|Side view St James Anglican Church Mangere Bridge, 2024

WelcomeStJamesChurchMangereBridge.jpg|View of St James Church Mangere Bridge from cemetery, 2024

Sign at St James Anglican Church Mangere Bridge.jpg|Sign at St James Anglican Church Mangere Bridge, 2024

St James Anglican Church 20211023 144644.jpg|View of the urupā with Māngere Mountain in the background, 2021

{{Reflist}}

{{Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Area}}{{coord|-36.9418 |174.7833|type:landmark_region:NZ|display=title}}

Category:Churches in Auckland

Category:Selwyn churches

Category:Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Area

Category:Heritage New Zealand Category 2 historic places in the Auckland Region

Category:1850s churches in New Zealand