Calls for a larger and more permanent church to be built began in the early 1880s, and a new church, designed by Dunedin architect Robert Lawson and with capacity for 600 people, began later in the decade. The finished edifice, built by J. & W. Gore, was opened on 13 October 1889[1]by Rev. Donald Stuart.[2]
The church is located at the southern end of Milton's CBD, at the junction of the town's main street, Union Street, and Ossian Street, which was formerly a major thoroughfare to the coast via the township of Fairfax (now Tokoiti). The church forms an impressive terminating vista for Ossian Street. The building is listed as a Category 1 historic place by Heritage New Zealand.[3] The listing proposal, in 2008, generated a record number of positive submissions to the then New Zealand Historic Places Trust.[4]
The church is now used as the main place of worship of the Tokomairiro Co-operating Parish of Milton-Waihola, a joint arrangement reached between local Presbyterian and Methodist congregations in 1976.[5]
The church is in the gothic style, with a frontage including a central tower topped by a steeple. Inside, there are short transepts and a rearward extension which houses the church hall.[6] The church is constructed of breccia sourced at Port Chalmers and limestone, with a slate roof.[1] Construction cost £3000.[5]
At the time of its construction, the 32-metre (105 ft) building[2] was reputed to be the tallest building south of Dunedin anywhere in the world. Lawson's original design included a taller spire, but a more truncated one was constructed to keep costs down.[6]
The steeple contains a bell re-cast from the cracked bell of the previous church building. Re-casting was completed in time for the 1889 building's inauguration.[2]
