St Stephen's

St Stephen's Presbyterian Church in Jervois Road, Ponsonby was built between 1876 and 1879 to a design by Edward Mahoney and Sons. Made of timber, it almost certainly consists mainly of kauri. The nave and the spire were completed in 1879, and 30 years later transepts were inserted between the nave and the vestry.

Although not easy to see in my photograph, the spire on top of the square tower is octagonal. Some of the wooden buttresses around the exterior can be seen here, and are another feature of the church. The whole church is in the Gothic style, including three Gothic arches marking the transition between transepts and sanctuary.

On my run this morning, there was only a short opportunity to record the sun colouring the clouds in this way and despite not having set foot in a church (other than for funerals) in many a long year, I was attracted by the conjunction of bright sky, coloured clouds and the spire of a building dedicated to looking outwards and upwards.

This church has long been a part of the community around it. Dance classes continue to be held in the church hall (beyond and behind), and both our daughters attended classes here for a time when young. C showed early her talent for dance and performance following the "proper" steps, while J danced her own dances to the embarrassment of her older sister and the frustration of the teacher, and the amusement of S.