Both St James church, built 1876, and Clark Hall, built 1905, are listed as Category 1 buildings with Heritage NZ.

A section on Tiverton Street was gifted to the congregation in 1875, with  prominent Dunedin architect David Ross engaged to design the church building in Gothic Revival style using local Waihemo stone.  This new building replaced the earlier and smaller Presbyterian church on Gilligan St. St James church opened in December 1876, but the Arkle Memorial window on the west wall was not installed until 1925.  The interior of the church was modernised in the 1960s, with alterations to the seating and front of the church, a new entrance way and foyer on the west wall, and the new Burning Bush window designed by John Brock installed on the east wall.

In 1903 Margaret Clark, widow of Rev James Clark, offered to fund half the cost of a Sunday School Hall.  Her offer was accepted with prominent architect John Burnside designing Clark Hall which opened in May 1905.

“The focus of Presbyterian worship and religious education in Palmerston for 135 years, St James Church and the Clark Sunday School Hall speak to the indomitable rural community spirit which ensured the Church’s aesthetic, historical, architectural, social and spiritual values remain a compelling story today.”  https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/3247/St-James-Church-and-Clark-Sunday-School-Hall-Presbyterian

St James church is a focal point of the Palmerston township, and caring for  our buildings is an important responsibility, acknowledging the foundations of the past while preserving the buildings for our congregation and community to use now and in the future.

Following advice from Heritage NZ that we appoint an experienced professional heritage consultant to conduct a survey and condition report for St James church and Clark Hall, Salmond Reed Architects presented their ‘Conservation Statement, Condition Assessment and Recommendations for Repair’ for both buildings in July 2020.

This has given a clear and comprehensive guide to work from, and we are working through this itemised list of recommendations as funds allow.  This report identified the church spire as being in urgent need of conservation, repair and seismic strengthening, which has been completed with funding from the Synod Heritage Fund and Waitaki District Council Heritage Fund.  In 2023 new spouting and drainage has been installed which will help to dry out the church walls making the church warmer and preventing further damage to the stonework.

The next part of the project is replacing the broken glass in the Clark Hall windows in a manner that is sympathetic to the historic nature of the building, and preparing costings for re-tiling of the church roof.  We are grateful for grants received from the Synod Heritage Fund and Waitaki District Council Heritage Fund, and thankful for the advice and support received through our membership of the Synod Heritage churches workgroup.