The Missions to Seamen was founded in Bristol in 1865 and had its origins in the work of Anglican Minister Rev. John Ashley, who would visit ships in Port Bristol and offer religious services to them. The Mission developed in other ports and the various ministries that offered them were united under one non-denominational organisation in 1856. Two years later the name ‘Mission to Seamen’ was adopted. The Mission spread from England, and in 1898 the Rev. James Moore came to Wellington after 22 years at the Mission in England. He arrived in New Zealand with little money and no place to hold services, so he started his work in the Wellington Botanic Gardens, then in a variety of places until a benefactor arrived.
This benefactor was Mary Anne Williams, the widow of Captain William ‘Bully’ Williams (1832-1890), who established the Black Diamond shipping line. He was brought out by the Union Steam Ship Co., in 1885 and went on to run the ferries on Wellington harbour. When Williams passed away in 1890, his widow Mary donated the land for the building to the Rev. Moore as a memorial to her husband and to house a hall, library, tearooms, and a chapel. The Missions to Seamen building was the first building to be constructed on this site - on the 1876 Thorndon reclamation. This building was also the first purpose built Mission to Seamen in New Zealand.
The design for the Missions to Seamen (or Seafarers) Building was drawn up by architectural firm Crichton and McKay and the cost of the building was £5247. The foundation stone was laid on the 16th December 1903 by Mary Williams and the building was officially opened by Governor General Lord Plunket on 25th August 1904. The facilities were available to sailors of nations, classes, creeds and constitutions and the large hall hosted a number of free events such as concerts, dances, and lectures. Also available was a large library and a postal service, as well as services held in the upstairs chapel. Moore provided counselling and encouraged the sailors to sign a pledge against the consumption of alcohol. The Mission was extremely successful and, according to Moore, played a substantial role in the reduction of arrests of drunken sailors from 554 in 1902 to 290 in 1909.
The history of the Missions to Seamen building has not always been smooth sailing. Although Rev. Moore was credited with reforming the image of sailors visiting Wellington, he lost control of the institution when he was forced to return to England due to a period of ill-health. Moore’s application to return to New Zealand to continue his work in Wellington was declined and he subsequently disassociated himself from the Missions to Seamen movement. With the help of Mary Williams he established a new trust outside of the Mission’s jurisdiction. This allowed Moore - as a private citizen - to run a social and spiritual centre in this building until his death in the 1930s.
Following Moore’s death the Missions to Seamen movement regained control of the building. During World War Two (particularly during the war in the Pacific) an increased number of overseas ships visited Wellington, and the building was used extensively. Following the war, attendance slowly declined, and by 1975 falling visitor numbers and the rising cost of maintenance prompted the relocation of the Mission to Kelburn.
The building was then sold to the Government and used as a storehouse and community centre until 1985 when a proposal was made to demolish the building. This led to one of the biggest heritage battles in the city’s history and the Government was forced to reconsider its plans.
The building remained in use as warehouse until 1994 when it was sold, and then converted into ten private apartments. During the conversion the fine interior spaces were, for the most part, altered or destroyed. The exterior remains reasonably authentic although the replacement of the original Marseilles roofing tiles with a pink pressed metal roof detracts from the architectural finesse of the building. The building received seismic strengthening during the 1994 conversion.
