The Church on the Hill : St James Presbyterian Church, Newtown, 1882 - 1982

St James' Church has been a notable building on the Newtown skyline since 1900. It has gone through many changes which reflect the shifts in the demographics of its suburb. The church was also once the 'home' of the theologian Rev. Prof Sir  Lloyd Geering  who was minister at St James from 1950 to 1956 before entering academia (and later being accused and tried for heresy).

In 2011 the building had fallen into disrepair and was declared earthquake prone. The English-speaking and Niuean-speaking congregations left to different churches and the building was deconsecrated. In 2015 a project began to convert the church into five apartments which was completed in April 2016.

You can read more about the history of the building at the link below.

The 1932 50th Jubilee publication for St James' Church has also been digitised and can be read here.