Family pray for engineer's report to save historic church from wrecking ball

Thursday, 23 March 2017

The future of St Oswald's Anglican Church, near Wharanui, has yet to be decided.

A historic church on Marlborough's east coast damaged by the Kaikoura earthquake might yet be saved from the wrecking ball.

St Oswald's Anglican Church has sat beside State Highway 1, near Wharanui, 60 kilometres south of Blenheim, for the past 90 years attracting the attention of passing motorists.

It would normally hold monthly services for the local congregation but no sermon has passed the pulpit since the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in November.

The church was built in 1927 by Charles and Jessie Murray in memory of their son, Charles Murray, who died in 1924 while travelling in Switzerland.

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A relative, Leicester Murray, said wider family members had been canvassed on the future of the church and an engineer's report commissioned to gauge the cost of repairing the damage.

St Oswald's was administered by the Nelson Anglican Diocesan Trust Board, on behalf of the Nelson Anglican Diocese.

The trust board had offered the building back to the family, Murray said.

'We haven't made a decision on whether to accept the offer until we see the engineer's report.

'We've had some pretty positive feedback from family members who are supportive and want to be part of the decision-making.

'We've asked for an engineer's report and until that is compiled and shown to the family we cannot make a decision.'

Murray said the church looked like it could be repaired.

Funds would be needed depending on the outcome of the report, but repairs could be staggered over time to offset the cost, he said.

'We don't know what repairs are needed yet.'

Murray helped remove pews and other items from the interior for safe keeping after the earthquake caused structural damage to the building.

However, large distinctive stained glass windows commemorating local farming families were not damaged.

The Nelson Diocesan Trust Board said in a statement the future of St Oswald's was uncertain.

'The church was significantly damaged and engineering advice confirmed it was not safe for occupation.

'The church was not insured for earthquake damage as its age and its structural condition precluded viable cover.'