Church of St John the Evangelist, Westport
The Church of St John the Evangelist in Westport, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, is an Anglican parish church built in timber. Completed in 1924, it received a category 2 heritage listing from Heritage New Zealand in 1989. Background. The first Church of St John the Evangelist in Westport was consecrated on 28 August 1869 by the Bishop of Nelson, Andrew Suter. However, by 1911, the church was considered to be too small, and plans were drawn up for a replacement church, designed in brick by noted ecclesiastical  architect Frederick de Jersey Clere. However, World War I intervened and the scheme did not proceed. Bricks that had been purchased for the construction of the new building were sold in 1923. Construction and architecture. The present Church of St John the Evangelist was built in 1924 on the site of the previous church. Constructed in timber with weatherboard cladding, the church is designed in a simplified Gothic revival style with minimal exterior ornament. The building features a steeply pitched gable roof, lancet windows (either singly or in groups of three), and buttresses to provide lateral stability. Current status. On  21 September 1989, the Church of St John the Evangelist was designated as a category 2 historic place by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand). The building remains in use as one of three parish churches within the Buller Anglican Parish.