More Teutenberg heads

I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs about the marvellous sculptures of Prussian immigrant Anton Teutenberg that he was also responsible for the adornments to be found on the Pitt Street Methodist Church here in central Auckland.

The church, c.1898

The church, originally known as the Pitt Street Wesleyan Church, was built in 1865-66 and was much admired at the time. I defer for a fulsome description to the eloquent, if rather verbose writer of this article in the Daily Southern Cross of 13 October 1866 (I have deleted a lot of this piece):

PITT-STREET WESLEYAN CHURCH. OPENING SERVICES.

The foundation-stone of the Wesleyan Church, Pitt street, was laid on the 15th November, 1865, with befitting ceremony. The church has now been completed, and will be opened for public worship to-morrow (Sunday), with, appropriate religious services. We purpose giving some details of the building, in order that our readers may form an estimate of its architectural character. It was constructed from designs prepared by Mr. P. Herapath, architect, Queen-street. The style of architecture adopted is the Gothic of the second period. The site chosen is eligible in every respect, as being more central for the increased population of the southern and western suburbs of the city. It is in close proximity to the Karangahape Road and from its elevated and commanding position the building presents a noble and imposing appearance, viewed from any direction.

… The structure is 78 feet by 48 feet, clear of the wall, the outer dimensions being 82 feet by 52 feet. On the flank walls are four massive buttresses, with two on the back wall, and one on each angle. … We may here remark, in justice to the contractor, Mr. Kaye, Parnell, that this piece of scoria masonry is considered by all competent judges to be one of the best specimens of scoria mason-work in the province.

… The whole of the brick walls are faced with pressed bricks, manufactured by Mr. Henry Holland, North Road, set in putty. The facade of the edifice has two hold buttresses running up the entire height, and which above the hue of intersection with the gable are surmounted with masonry of an ornamental character. The apex of the gable is finished with four gablets crocketed, from the centre of which springs a pinnacle surmounted with a boldly-carved finial. There are, also, two corresponding buttresses on the angles, terminating at the base of the gable. A freestone string course runs across the front at the height of the springing of the arches of the doorways, and intersecting them. Between the two central buttresses in the facade is a large and handsome traceried window, 28 feet high and 13 feet wide, in three lights, the head of which is filled in and enriched with elaborate tracery. On each side, between the central buttresses and those on the angles, are two single-light windows, 16 feet high and 2 feet wide, Gothic-headed, and filled in with trefoil tracery. Over the central window is a trefoil louvred opening for ventilation. The heads of all the windows in front have hood moulds around, terminating in masks.

… The cost of erecting and completing the building will be about £7,000. In concluding our notice, we have only to add the expression of our opinion that the building, for architectural beauty, uniformity of design, consistency of details, and solidity of construction, is unsurpassed if, indeed, equalled by any ecclesiastical edifice in any city of the Southern hemisphere, and redounds to the credit of Mr. Herapath, and those who had the carrying out of the designs under his careful supervision.

As we have stated, the opening services will be held to-morrow, as notified by advertisement. There will be a public prayer-meeting at 7 o'clock, a.m. The service in the forenoon will be conducted by the Rev. J. Warren. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon the Rev. James Hill will conduct public worship and the Rev. J. Buller at half-past 6 in the evening. At the close of each service, which no doubt will be largely attended, a collection will be made in aid of the building fund. On the following Wednesday evening, a musical soiree, which promises to be an attractive and successful entertainment, will be held, the proceeds of admission tickets to be devoted to the building fund.

Surprisingly, given the detail of this report, Teutenberg’s work on the church’s decoration is not mentioned but it has since been recognised and acknowledged. Only two of his carved stone heads have been identified; those on either side of the large traceried window on the main façade depict, appropriately enough, John and Charles Wesley, the founders of the Methodist faith.

As can be seen from the old and recent photographs, there have been some structural changes to the church since its initial construction (the NewZealand Historic Places Trust website provides more information). The bricks may have disappeared beneath a coating of paint but this remains one of Auckland’s most impressive heritage buildings and boasts fine examples of Teutenberg’s magnificent sculptural work.

Three go mad in Piha

Piha beach is about 40 kilometres from central Auckland city, on the west coast. The mighty Tasman Sea rolls – sometimes thunders – onto this long stretch of black iron-sand, which is divided by the huge and iconic Lion Rock. Though the rock is looking less and less like a lion as water and wind erode its leonine profile, it is still an easily-recognisable feature of what is, arguably, New Zealand’s best-known surf beach.

Surfing and swimming here can be dangerous, as the beach has rips and currents that can pull your feet out from under you in an instant so, in summer, it’s always best to swim between the flags. In the winter, the volunteer lifeguards leave those crazy enough to swim the cold waters to guard their own safety and there are usually only a few hardy surfers braving the waves.

On Saturday it was wonderfully warm, considering it’s mid winter, and the forecast rain had not yet arrived, though the clouds rolling in from the north east hinted at a few showers later – and also made for some dramatic skies. We had a mouth-wateringly delicious lunch at the Piha Café before our walk – their Ginger Steamer was divine – then walked that off along the sands.

It’s a great place for a walk, especially in winter, when the black sand hasn’t been heated by the sun’s rays to sole-scorching temperatures. You can climb up part of the Lion – the path to the very top has now been closed due to crumbling rock – as my friends Sue and Rosie did yesterday, leaving me to stroll the shore looking for photo opportunities. 

We didn’t exactly go as mad as my title implies, but we did come away invigorated by the refreshing blast of sea air. A superb afternoon!

Teutenberg's gargoyles

Prussian immigrant Anton Teutenberg’s work on the heads of British and local VIPs that decorated Auckland’s new Supreme Court, constructed in Waterloo Quadrant in 1866, so pleased the architect Edward Rumsey that Teutenberg was then given free reign with the design of the gargoyles that were to decorate the rest of the building. And they are glorious examples of the Gothic grotesque!

Though common on the churches and cathedrals, houses and halls of medieval Western Europe, gargoyles are not so frequently seen in Antipodean latitudes, which is one reason why these are so very eye-catching. The other is their weird and wonderful shapes: two-headed scaly beasts with sharp talons and even sharper teeth, ugly flying dragons, cloven-hooved monsters, roaring fish, and what looks like a flying sheep with eagle-like beak and claws. Their sculptor obviously had a very vivid imagination and could quite easily have won a job making orcs and aliens with today’s blockbuster movie designers.

As well as decorating a building, some gargoyles also perform the practical function of funnelling water off rooftops. This concept apparently dates back to the ancient Greeks, who placed terracotta or marble lion heads on roof cornices to channel water away to the street. Wikipedia has some fascinating information about the history of gargoyles and some wonderful photos.

The early rain-heads also helped protect masonry walls from water erosion, so were typically quite long and projected out from the sides of buildings. On the more modern High Court building, which had guttering fitted, this idea has been adapted to produce the comical creatures with wide open mouths that divert water into the down pipes.

In medieval times, gargoyles had other functions. The frightening demons were a graphic illustration of evil, and could be used by the clergy to warn their parishioners of the horrors of hellfire and damnation. These grotesque creatures were also believed to ward off the evil spirits that might attempt to invade castles, buildings and churches.

The High Court gargoyles show a fascinating mix of characters. As an Auckland Star article, dated 15 February 1936, explains, Teutenberg has produced ‘a Puckish warning against evil spirits’ by carving personifications of ‘the morning after the night before’ in two of his designs:

Two of them merit more than the attention of a passing glance. They are set at the corner pieces of a polygonal bay window below the battlemented tower. On the right is portrayed the tortured face of a gentleman (adorned with the “belltopper” [top hat] of the fifties) who is apparently suffering some of the more violent agonies of alcoholism. A hand clasps his fevered brow. A somewhat similar figure adorns the opposite side of the window, except that a bandage replaces the hat and hand. The intrinsic meaning is the same.

Though Teutenberg had never carved in stone prior to producing the heads and gargoyles that embellish Auckland’s High Court, his fertile imagination and skilful hands have produced the most extraordinary examples of the sculptor’s art. If you ever visit Auckland, you simply must see these for yourself.