Community Contributed
St Aiden's, Tokomaru - 1902
Kete Horowhenua2020-03-23T16:51:55+00:00| Construction date | 1902 |
| Other owners | , , , , |
No longer used as a church.
In her book The Churches of Frederick de Jersey Clere published in 2003, Susan McLean describes the church:
'The small farming community of Tokomaru in the Manawatu was given a section of land for a church site by G.J. Browne in early 1900, and the subsequent negotiations between the church committee and Clere & Swan say something of the firm's (and therefore Clere's) philosophy.
Clere & Swan wrote on 6 May 1901 to the Reverend JA McNickle, vicar of Levin and Shannon, obviously in reply to a request for a cheap church plan to seat 100. They offered to copy for the price of £1/11/6 the drawings of any small church they had designed, but we do not like to see two churches from one design and would prepare a new design, specifications and necessary copies for pounds 4/14/6". Mr McNickle felt rather as they did about repeating a design that had been used elsewhere, but the offer of a new design to seat 100 was beyond the means of the people at Tokomaru, who did not want to spend more than £150. They settled after some correspondence for the Kaponga plan. The amended drawings show a nave measuring 30 by 18 feet, with no additions, the door opening directly into the west end above two steps. On McNickle's recommendation a lean-to porch with north facing door was added for shelter `as the district is a bleak one and the church would be exposed to much wind'.
The present vestry on the south-east corner appears to be a later addition, and St Aidan's never acquired a chancel or belfry like those later added to St Mark's at Kaponga.
The successful tender for St Aidan's, including the prayer desk and seats drawn by Swan in the specifications, plus altar table and altar rail, was for £168. This was from Messrs Arcus & Douglas who had built the Clere church at Ohau.
As one would expect for its cost, St Aidan's in its rusticated weatherboarding is a humble building, its Clere lineage uncontaminated by any later additions. When viewed recently it was spick and span in new paint.’