St Mary’s Old Covent Chapel was designed by Edward Mahoney and built in Ponsonby in 1865-66 as the first purpose-built chapel by the Sisters of Mercy in New Zealand. Salmond Reed Architects led a full external restoration of this Category A Gothic Revival chapel, working alongside specialist craftsmen to undertake numerous timber repairs, restoration of the beautiful lead light stained glass windows and reinstating the heritage colour scheme.
The cast iron structure is 35 feet (11.5 metres) in height and was manufactured by Chas. Judd Ltd. Iron Foundry and Engineers in Thames. The lens is a rare example of a first order Fresnell lens, and the prisms were made in The Chance Brothers Glassworks, Birmingham.
Maintaining the lighthouse in good condition is a constant challenge due to difficulties with access and the extremely exposed location. The lighthouse keeper’s cottage (now utilised as a tramping hut) was repaired and repainted in 2023, and the lighthouse exterior was repainted in 2024 and over the next few years the aim is to repair and conserve the interior of the lighthouse, including the lantern under the guidance of Salmond Reed Architects.
