ST. PETER'S CHURCH

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 104, 30 October 1933, Page 3

ST. PETER'S CHURCH

MYE OLDE ENGLISH FAIRE"

On Wednesday next at 2.4 a p.m. -her .Excellency ' Lady Bledisloe will formally open "Ye Okie English Fuire" at St. Peter's Hall, Ghuznee Street. The proceeds of the fair will be in aid of the funds .for St. Peter's Church. Arrangements are being made for. the decoration, of the hall, and a band of active workers', has been organised to furnish the stalls with a great variety of articles which will be disposed of at most reasonable prices. The tharge for admission tickets is 6d—the ticket entitling the holder to purchase soods to the value of 6d at any stall iv the afternoons. A musical programme has been arranged for each evening Some fifty years ago a similar fair was opened in connection with St. Peter's Church, and lasted for eight days. A list of the stall-holders on that occasion contains the names o£ ladies familiar to numbers of citizens of the, present day. They were Mesdames Holmes, Stuart, L. Blundell, Rhodes, Stock, England, Rose, E. Anderson, Hardy, Graves, Taylor, Linnell, West, Valentine, Startup, Martin, Shortt, Howard, Missea Stevenson, Redward, Ling, Johnston, Gill, Stanford, Caughey, Seed, Kreeft, Na.ncarrow, Didsbury, Jessie Barraud, Phoebe Wallace, Flora AVallace, Crease, Hatfield, Bethune, Vennell, J. Morrah, Baird, Nicholls, Caughey, L. Dixon, Yepmans, Bristow, Lawson, Parkes, v L. Grant, and Baillie. The entertainment included a performance on silver bells, Maypole dances, etc.' Mr. Hautrie West •was musical conductor. _ The first Church of St. Peter, iv Wellington, was erected in 1847. It consisted merely of the nave o£ the old church which •was pulled down in 1870, the remainder of the building, as seen at the latter date, comprising subsequent additions. It was a plain little structure of the simplest Early English design, with no pretensions to architectural effect, but adequate for the wants of that day. In the following year an earthquake occurred, and -for three weeks the little church of St. Peter was the dwelling place of a large number of •people. The first officiating clergyman of St. Peter's was the Rev. R. Cole; who conducted the service alternately at that, church and at St. Paul's. This arrangejnent subsisted until the end of 1853. Early Sn 1854 the Rev. S. Poole -was appointed to the separate charge of St. Peter's. In 3856 Mr. Poolc was succeeded by the Rev. Arthur Stock, subsequently Archdeacon Stock. The church was enlarged in 1857, and again, some years later, a further enlargement was carried out.