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St John's Church at Hororātā
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TitleSt John's Church at HororātāDescriptionSt John's Church at Hororātā was consecrated on 27 February 1911 and replaced the wooden church (still existing) which was moved to the other side of the Hororātā Road. Stone for its construction came from a southern ridge of the Malvern Hills from across the Selwyn River at Glentunnel. Sir John Hall bequeathed ten thousand pounds to build the church (in memory of his wife, Rose, Lady Hall) and a wooden vicarage, in his will.
The following is an article by writer Wayne Stack in the Selwyn Times:
You could be forgiven for thinking you were in rural England when you pass Hororata’s St John’s Anglican Church on Hororata Road. Surrounded by mature trees and accompanied by a traditional Lych gate that leads you into the adjacent graveyard, this church setting is typical of many country villages throughout England. The large stone-built Norman-style church with its crenelated belfry tower now seems out of place in rural Canterbury. But the colonial pioneers who built it 107 years ago had a clear vision.
Settlement in New Zealand provided an opportunity for a more prosperous lifestyle, based on land ownership, than most would have enjoyed back in Great Britain, where the majority of early settlers came from. Migration to New Zealand was sold as providing an opportunity to build ‘a better Britain’ in the South Pacific; free from the squalor and disease of the over-crowded cities of the British Isles, but where their values and attitudes would still reflect the influence of Victorian society.
The run-holders who secured large blocks of land on the Canterbury Plains used their new wealth to transform their surroundings into idyllic rural landscapes that reminded them of ‘home.’ Deciduous trees were planted around the many stately English-style homesteads that were built on farms within what is now the Selwyn District, with most communities also having at least one church that reflected the importance religion played within colonial society. St John’s Anglican Church in Hororata is a prime example of this.
The first church in the parish was built of wood in 1875 on the site of the current stone church. Prior to this Anglican services had been held in Coton’s cob cottage, where three prominent run-holders, John Hall (later Sir John Hall) of Terrace Station, John Cordy of Hororata Station and Samuel Bealey of Haldon Station worshipped. John Hall was a layer reader and conducted many of the services.
Hall was a man ahead of his time and when the original wooden church was being built expressed his disappointment in a letter to parishioners that it would not be shared with other denominations: ‘I regret that the church is not to be used by other denominations to hold services when not required by the Church of England. The Church of England is the only protestant body, which is so exclusive. I expect the time will soon arrive when men will laugh at such notions having ever been held. If the church is to be exclusively for Church of England services, I will give 10 guineas [towards its construction], but if it could be used by other denominations, I will give one hundred pounds.’ Hall’s views were not shared by other members of the church and they accepted his 10 guineas.
Hall was prominent in provincial and national politics, being the first chairman of the Christchurch City Council in 1863 and Premier of New Zealand from 1879 to 1882, for which he was knighted. However, he is best remembered for promoting the parliamentary bill that led to women receiving the right to vote in 1893.
His greatest local legacy was the construction of the majestic stone church in 1911. When Hall died in 1907 he bequeathed money to build a new vicarage; he provided an endowment towards the vicar’s stipend; and gifted money to build the new stone church in memory of his late wife, Rose. It had been her wish, ‘that the building set apart for worship of God should have beauty and dignity worthy of its sacred purpose.’
The existing wooden church was towed across the road from its former site to where it is now during the summer of 1909/1910. This proved a difficult job and it slipped of its runners on a Saturday and had to stay in the middle of Hororata Road until Monday. The Sunday service was still held though, in what could be New Zealand’s first ‘middle of the road church.’ The wooden church (which is now 143 years old) served as the parish hall until the 2010 earthquake, after which it is again being used for services.
The stone church was built using local volcanic stone from the Malvern Hills, with the inside decorated in Oamaru stone. The stained glass window was gifted by Sir John Hall’s children as a memorial to him. It was made in England and installed in 1914. The church is now a listed heritage building.
Sadly, eight years on from the September 2010 earthquakes the stone church remains in state of disrepair and at risk, despite the efforts of the local community.
The Hororata Community Trust was established following the earthquakes primarily to raise funds for the repair of the church and the local hall, with the major fund-raising initiative being the successful Hororata Highland Games.
Trust chairman, Richard Lang, acknowledges the complex issues surrounding the repair of the church: ‘I think after the earthquakes we all had big dreams of having these important community facilities repaired quickly but the reality is that each project is complex and has a number of stakeholders…we have been working with the Anglican Church since the earthquakes and have been in direct discussions with the Church Property Trustees since late 2014.’
The church and graveyard is still a focal point for the Hororata community, and although the immediately future of the church is yet to be decided, the Trust’s vision is that once repaired it can be available for both Church and community use.
District Councillor, Jeff Bland, is promoting the strengthening of the arts, culture and heritage within the district and argues that we must save and protect our heritage buildings if we can: ‘Like the Cathedral in Christchurch, St John’s Church is one of the few remaining iconic buildings within the district that links us to our colonial past. We owe it to our future generations to be the custodians of our heritage now so that they have an understanding of how we have grown as community. It would be a great loss to the whole district if the building can’t be saved.’
Date27 February 1911SourceCanterbury Times, 1 March 1911, p. 37.
The following is an article by writer Wayne Stack in the Selwyn Times:
You could be forgiven for thinking you were in rural England when you pass Hororata’s St John’s Anglican Church on Hororata Road. Surrounded by mature trees and accompanied by a traditional Lych gate that leads you into the adjacent graveyard, this church setting is typical of many country villages throughout England. The large stone-built Norman-style church with its crenelated belfry tower now seems out of place in rural Canterbury. But the colonial pioneers who built it 107 years ago had a clear vision.
Settlement in New Zealand provided an opportunity for a more prosperous lifestyle, based on land ownership, than most would have enjoyed back in Great Britain, where the majority of early settlers came from. Migration to New Zealand was sold as providing an opportunity to build ‘a better Britain’ in the South Pacific; free from the squalor and disease of the over-crowded cities of the British Isles, but where their values and attitudes would still reflect the influence of Victorian society.
The run-holders who secured large blocks of land on the Canterbury Plains used their new wealth to transform their surroundings into idyllic rural landscapes that reminded them of ‘home.’ Deciduous trees were planted around the many stately English-style homesteads that were built on farms within what is now the Selwyn District, with most communities also having at least one church that reflected the importance religion played within colonial society. St John’s Anglican Church in Hororata is a prime example of this.
The first church in the parish was built of wood in 1875 on the site of the current stone church. Prior to this Anglican services had been held in Coton’s cob cottage, where three prominent run-holders, John Hall (later Sir John Hall) of Terrace Station, John Cordy of Hororata Station and Samuel Bealey of Haldon Station worshipped. John Hall was a layer reader and conducted many of the services.
Hall was a man ahead of his time and when the original wooden church was being built expressed his disappointment in a letter to parishioners that it would not be shared with other denominations: ‘I regret that the church is not to be used by other denominations to hold services when not required by the Church of England. The Church of England is the only protestant body, which is so exclusive. I expect the time will soon arrive when men will laugh at such notions having ever been held. If the church is to be exclusively for Church of England services, I will give 10 guineas [towards its construction], but if it could be used by other denominations, I will give one hundred pounds.’ Hall’s views were not shared by other members of the church and they accepted his 10 guineas.
Hall was prominent in provincial and national politics, being the first chairman of the Christchurch City Council in 1863 and Premier of New Zealand from 1879 to 1882, for which he was knighted. However, he is best remembered for promoting the parliamentary bill that led to women receiving the right to vote in 1893.
His greatest local legacy was the construction of the majestic stone church in 1911. When Hall died in 1907 he bequeathed money to build a new vicarage; he provided an endowment towards the vicar’s stipend; and gifted money to build the new stone church in memory of his late wife, Rose. It had been her wish, ‘that the building set apart for worship of God should have beauty and dignity worthy of its sacred purpose.’
The existing wooden church was towed across the road from its former site to where it is now during the summer of 1909/1910. This proved a difficult job and it slipped of its runners on a Saturday and had to stay in the middle of Hororata Road until Monday. The Sunday service was still held though, in what could be New Zealand’s first ‘middle of the road church.’ The wooden church (which is now 143 years old) served as the parish hall until the 2010 earthquake, after which it is again being used for services.
The stone church was built using local volcanic stone from the Malvern Hills, with the inside decorated in Oamaru stone. The stained glass window was gifted by Sir John Hall’s children as a memorial to him. It was made in England and installed in 1914. The church is now a listed heritage building.
Sadly, eight years on from the September 2010 earthquakes the stone church remains in state of disrepair and at risk, despite the efforts of the local community.
The Hororata Community Trust was established following the earthquakes primarily to raise funds for the repair of the church and the local hall, with the major fund-raising initiative being the successful Hororata Highland Games.
Trust chairman, Richard Lang, acknowledges the complex issues surrounding the repair of the church: ‘I think after the earthquakes we all had big dreams of having these important community facilities repaired quickly but the reality is that each project is complex and has a number of stakeholders…we have been working with the Anglican Church since the earthquakes and have been in direct discussions with the Church Property Trustees since late 2014.’
The church and graveyard is still a focal point for the Hororata community, and although the immediately future of the church is yet to be decided, the Trust’s vision is that once repaired it can be available for both Church and community use.
District Councillor, Jeff Bland, is promoting the strengthening of the arts, culture and heritage within the district and argues that we must save and protect our heritage buildings if we can: ‘Like the Cathedral in Christchurch, St John’s Church is one of the few remaining iconic buildings within the district that links us to our colonial past. We owe it to our future generations to be the custodians of our heritage now so that they have an understanding of how we have grown as community. It would be a great loss to the whole district if the building can’t be saved.’
Date27 February 1911SourceCanterbury Times, 1 March 1911, p. 37.
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St John's Church at Hororātā (27 February 1911). Selwyn Stories, accessed 08/12/2025, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/836
