Religious Society of Friends Meeting House

Friends’ Meeting House

7 Moncrieff Street, Mt Victoria, Wellington
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Image: Charles Collins, 2015
Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015
Cityview 2012

Cityview GIS 2012

‘7 Moncrieff Street building,’ 17 July 1929, 00056:80:B7689, Wellington City Archives.
‘7 Moncrieff Street building,’ 17 July 1929, 00056:80:B7689, Wellington City Archives.
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  • Constructed

    1929

  • Architect(s)

    Gray Young Morton and Young

  • Builder(s)

    Trevor Brothers

  • This neo-Georgian style building still has a significant amount of its original form and details. The building has been the Wellington’s Quaker community’s meeting place since it was built in 1929.

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  • close History

    • When the New Zealand Company ship Olympus first arrived in Wellington in 1841, it brought with it two Quakers, Thomas and Jane Mason. Members of the Religious Society of Friends were also among the settlers who assisted in establishing the town of Nelson. However the numbers of Quakers in colonial New Zealand was minimal. Since their faith did not have need for churches, meetings were often held in members’ houses.

      Despite this, meeting for worship in Wellington was not formally established until 1902 when a Wellington Monthly Meeting was inaugurated. Funds were gradually raised for a purpose-built Meeting House, with some of the contributions coming from England and other parts of New Zealand. It was originally decided to build in Abel Smith Street – “to fill a spiritual and social need in a less favoured community” - but the site was thought too small and so a section at Moncrieff Street was chosen instead. Architect William Gray Young of Gray Young, Morton and Young designed the house and it was built by Trevor Brothers, whose tender was £1,381. (Total cost of land, improvements and furnishings was put at £3,350). By 1929 work on the meeting house was completed.

      As the house neared completion it was described to Friends in a special letter.

      “The Meeting House...is planned to accommodate eighty persons. It is equipped with electrical lighting and heating and has, opening out of the front hall, two cloak rooms and a room fitted to provide for the preparing of meals and the holding of committees.”

      When they completed the building Trevor Brothers were fulsomely thanked by the Friends. Before the building of the house, meetings were attracting average attendances of 17. At some point a detached classroom was built on the property but by the early 1950s the Friends had outgrown the main building. In 1954 a children’s room was added to the house at a cost of £591.

      By 1997 the size of the Meeting House was no longer able to accommodate the members of the Wellington Friends, and so it was decided to construct a new annex to the building. These plans for alterations also included the widening of the courtyard and disabled access. The new alterations were completed in 1999.

      Moncrieff Street remains the centre of Friends’ activities in Wellington.

    • Modifications close
      • 1929
      • Building (00056:80:B7689)
      • 1954
      • Children’s room (00056:474:B35776)
      • 1964
      • Alterations to meeting house (00058:375:C16040)
      • 2006
      • Construction of annexe (00078:1598:45338)
    • Occupation History close
      • 1929
      • Religious Society of Friends
  • close Architectural Information
    • Building Classification(s) close

      Not assessed

    • Architecture close

      The Friends Meeting House is a single-storey building that could be mistaken for a domestic building but for the words ‘Friends House’ inscribed in plaster over the front porch. It is Georgian in style, with a central porch flanked by a double-hung window on each side, the sashes divided into six small panes. The roof is hipped, sheathed in tiles and has broad eaves on all sides. The walls are double-skin cavity brickwork, resting on a concrete footing and with a reinforced concrete beam running above the windows at eaves level. Timber floor framing is totara. The brickwork is plastered around the porch, which has a small bracketed hood over it.

      The building has a single rectangular plan. The front portion has a central hall with service rooms on either side, while the whole of the back is occupied by the Meeting Hall, a very elegant room with coved ceiling and timber panelling. A small Arts and Crafts style table and a set of chairs are almost certainly original furniture in this space.

      Moncrieff Street is a short blind street of mainly two-storey brick and timber houses. The Friends House is sited very discreetly at the end of the street. A recent addition to the House (1999) is modern in style and closes the whole of the view at the end of the street. The level of authenticity of this building is very high, with elevations and the main interior space unaltered.

    • Materials close

      Double skin cavity brickwork

      Concrete footing

    • Setting close

      The building is located at the end of a cul-de-sac and is surrounded by residential properties. Because of the architectural style of the building it discretely fits in with the surrounding houses.

  • close Cultural Value

    The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Meeting House has historic significance as the meeting place for Wellington’s Quaker community since its construction in 1929.

    The building has architectural significance as a good example of the neo-Georgian style that the architect William Gray Young used for many of his domestic designs.

    The building is authentic as it has retained a significant amount of its original form and details.

    • Aesthetic Value close

      • Architectural

        Does the item have architectural or artistic value for characteristics that may include its design, style, era, form, scale, materials, colour, texture, patina of age, quality of space, craftsmanship, smells, and sounds?

        The building has architectural significance as a good example of the neo-Georgian style that the architect William Gray Young used for many of his domestic designs.

    • Historic Value close

      • Association

        Is the item associated with an important historic event, theme, pattern, phase, or activity?

        The building is associated with the activities of the Religious Society of Friends in Wellington since 1929.

      • Association

        Is the item associated with an important person, group, or organisation?

        The building is strongly associated with the Religious Society of Friends, a Nonconformist movement whose origins began in 17th century England and who have had a presence in Wellington since 1841. 

    • Scientific Value close

      • Archaeological

        Does the item have archaeological value for its ability to provide scientific information about past human activity?

        The building is located in the Central City archaeological site reference NZAA R27/270.

    • Social Value close

      • Identity/Sense of place/Continuity

        Is the item a focus of community, regional, or national identity? Does the item contribute to sense of place or continuity?

        The building contributes to the identity of the Religious Society of Friends in Wellington.

      • Sentiment/Connection

        Is the item a focus of community sentiment and connection?

        The building will have sentimental value to members of Wellington’s Religious Society of Friends.

      • Symbolic, commemorative, traditional, spiritual

        Does the item have symbolic, commemorative, traditional, spiritual or other cultural value for the community who has used and continues to use it?

        The building has spiritual value due to its use as a meeting and function hall for the Religious Society of Friends.

    • Level of Cultural Heritage Significance close

      • Authentic

        Does the item have authenticity or integrity because it retains significant fabric from the time of its construction or from later periods when important additions or modifications were carried out?

        The building has retained most of its original fabric, therefore it has authenticity.

      • Representative

        Is the item a good example of the class it represents?

        The building is a skilfully designed example of the neo-Georgian architectural style which was often used by William Gray Young for domestic buildings.

      • Importance

        Is the item important for any of the above characteristics at a local, regional, national, or international level?

        The building is important on a local level as it has been the centre of worship for over 80 years for members of Wellington’s Religious Society of Friends

    • Local / Regional / National / International Importance close

      Not assessed

  • close Site Detail

    • District Plan Number

      16/ 218

    • Legal Description

      Lot 17 DP 9089 (2001 Inventory)

    • Heritage New Zealand Listed

      2/Historic Place 3648

    • Archaeological Site

      None

    • Current Uses

      unknown

    • Former Uses

      unknown

    • Has building been funded

      No

    • Funding Amount

      Not applicable

    • Earthquake Prone Status

      124 Notice

  • close Additional Information

Last updated: 6/22/2017 11:53:54 PM