Located at 49 North Road, Clevedon, All Souls was dedicated by Bishop Selwyn on 29 December 1861. The church is built of heart kauri, and has the typical vertical weatherboarding with battens and a shingle roof. In 1888 the nave was lengthened by 12 feet and in 1910 the vestry was added. In preparation for the Centenary in 1961, a new transept was extended on the North side, the shingled Selwyn-type spire was erected, and the gates in memory of the early pioneers, were placed at the foot of the drive. The church seats 86 and is a beautiful space for services of all kinds: weddings, baptisms and funerals. There is mobility access to the side of the church, through the vestry.
Sunday worship is held at All Souls on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Sundays of the month at 9.30am.
History All Souls Church is set on a slight rise in the village of Clevedon, and was built by Mr. A. Cochrane on two acres of land donated by Mr. J. Thorp, and dedicated by Bishop Selwyn on December 29th, 1861. It was first known as the Wairoa Episcopalian Church.
During the NZ War in 1863, soldiers were dispatched to Wairoa, and spent their first night in the church, beginning the next day to build the Galloway Redoubt, traces of which can still be seen on the site of the old vicarage. The two Norfolk pine trees which still stand in the churchyard were, by tradition, planted by Bishop Selwyn.
The church is built of heart kauri, and has the typical vertical weatherboarding with battens and a shingle roof. In 1888 the nave was lengthened by 12 feet and the vestry was added in 1910. In preparation for the Centenary in 1961, a new transept was extended on the North side, the shingled Selwyn-type spire was erected, and the gates in memory of the early pioneers, were placed at the foot of the drive.
The church bell has an interesting history, being first a ship’s bell, and much older than the church itself. It was used on the jetty by the river, and when the cutter came up the river with stores, the bell was rung to summon passengers, and the villagers came down with pack-horses to collect provisions. The bell was acquired by the church in 1866, for 12.10s pound sterling.
There is still some of the original hand-rolled glass in the square-top casement windows; you can notice the uneven rolled effect. The stained-glass in the sanctuary was all made at White friars, London. The altar, a memorial to Mr. and Miss Thorp, was given in 1922; the wooden lectern, and the lectern Bible were given in 1880, the latter by Bishop Cowie. The Lychgate outside, in memory of the first Vicar’s Warden, was added in 1951. Vic Glaysher made and carved the wooden christening font and Fay Wellwood made the tapestry cushions.
The altar, altar chairs, pulpit, pews and the floor (Kauri and Rimu) were restored in 1997. At this time, new altar hangings were made and donated by Monica Aplin, and Susan Schroder started a memorial garden. In 1998 the Sharp and Lovett families donated and erected a stone altar close to the memorial garden, and the main doors of the church were restored.