Baptist Tabernacle

Baptist Tabernacle The “non-conformist” or “dissenting” denominations (although the terms cannot strictly be applied in New Zealand where there has never been an Established Church) differed from the Anglicans in sometimes using classical styles for their church buildings.

The Anglicans never deviated from Gothic, but the Baptists and Presbyterians (among others) occasionally built in classical styles to assert their difference. Auckland’s Baptist Tabernacle, designed by Edmund Bell in the mid1880s, has a very fine portico, which is a commanding presence on its street.

The interior is spacious with a handsome curved balcony above the main floor and a particularly fine vaulted ceiling above the whole area.

Location: Upper Queen Street, just below Karangahape Road