Restoration work to begin on historic stone chapel

Work is about to begin on the repair and restoration of an historic stone chapel that was severely damaged in the February 2011 earthquake.

The heritage-listed Rose Historic Chapel, formerly known as the St Mary’s Convent Chapel, was built in Colombo St in 1910 and was the first of six church designs the Luttrell brothers, Alfred and Sydney, undertook as the unofficial Diocesan architects for the Roman Catholic Church.

The chapel, which featured an outstanding collection of stained glass windows, was bought by Christchurch City Council in 1996 to ensure its retention.

It was severely damaged in the February 2011 earthquake when part of the gable walls collapsed.

Higgs Construction Ltd has now been engaged to begin the 12-month process of repairing and restoring the historic chapel to its former glory.

They will rebuild the collapsed gable walls, strengthen the roof and foundations, and reconstruct and re-install all the stained glass windows.

The aim is to have all the work completed by mid 2017.