Vicars: Saint
Peter’s has had about 18
Vicars in its history (depending whom you count).
Churches: There
have been up to five churches:
-
Saint Peter’s is the mother Church
-
Saint Peter
the Less ministered to St Clair from 1927 to 1993
-
Saint Alban’s hall, Corstophine, was a mission site from 1947 to
1973
-
St Kilda Mission started with services in the Forbury School
gymnasium and the St Kilda Town Hall, and culminated in 1917 with
the establishment of
Holy Cross (St Kilda) as a separate parish
-
In the early days,
the parish extended to Taiaroa Head*, and included a Church at
Otakau (Otago), in which some Anglican services were held.
Hall, pews and attendances:
The first
parish hall was erected in 1884, and the present Vicarage in
1912. Some pews were reserved by renting until about 1900. The peak
of Sunday School attendances was on 8 September 1959: Saint Peter’s
101, Saint Peter the Less 93 and Saint Alban’s 83, a total of 277
children.
Organ: Miss
Betty Favell was organist at Saint Peter’s for 43 years. “She got more
out of that old organ than anyone else who ever played it. She would
not sit on the organ seat during the whole service – not she! When
not playing, she would vault the seat and use it as her prayer
desk.” The organ had been installed in 1902, but was extended with
the help of a bequest by Miss Favell. Even so, it was still a
rather small chamber organ not really large enough for its task. By
the turn of the century it was getting beyond repair, and in 2005
was replaced by a new three manual Johannus digital organ
from the Netherlands.
Drama: Saint
Peter’s had a Drama Club from 1951 to about 1961. In the early days,
a lamb was kept in the Church grounds to keep the grass down, and on
one occasion it got into the Church and walked down the isle.
Women: At the
annual meeting of 1891, women were given the right to vote at parish
meetings.