Story: Presbyterian Church

Dunedin: First Church of Otago (3rd of 3)

Dunedin: First Church of Otago

An image of the First Church of Otago was included in a series of postage stamps marking the centenary of Otago in 1948. The name 'First Church' refers not to the building but to the congregation, which occupied a number of buildings before the construction of this building on (a flattened) Bell Hill. Designed in neo-Gothic style by the architect Robert Lawson, and opened in 1873, it is regarded as Lawson's masterpiece. It remains both a memorial to Thomas Burns's mission – he was the congregation's first minister – and a significant Dunedin landmark.

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New Zealand Post
Reference: 1948 Centennial of Otago stamp issue

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How to cite this page:

Ben Schrader, 'Presbyterian Church - Church building and missions', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/31073/dunedin-first-church-of-otago (accessed 20 March 2024)

Story by Ben Schrader, published 5 May 2011, updated 1 Mar 2017