Erskine College, Wellington
Introduction '''Erskine College''' was a collection of historic buildings and landscapes (including the Chapel of the Sacred Heart and Main Block Convent) in Wellington, New Zealand. The four storied main buildings were constructed between 1904 and 1906.More buildings were built as the school roll increased. The Gothic interior of the Chapel is regarded as one of the finest examples in New Zealand. The Save Erskine College Trust was formed to protect the site in 1992, the first non-government heritage protection authority in New Zealand.Built in 1905 by the Society of the Sacred Heart (Sacré Coeur), the buildings served as a Catholic girls' boarding school (Convent of the Sacred Heart at Island Bay) until its closure in 1985.The name was changed to ''Erskine College'' in the late 1960s to avoid confusion with Sacred Heart College, Lower Hutt; being named after Mother Janet Erskine Stuart, the fifth Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart.The buildings and grounds were classified as a "Category I" ("places of special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value") historic place by Heritage New Zealand.An arts college, The Learning Connexion was resident at Erskine College from 1996 to until 2009 after it ceased being a school. Peter Jackson's 1996 film The Frighteners used Erskine College as one of their locations. The college buildings, with the exception of the chapel, were controversially demolished by its owners The Wellington Company in 2018, to make way for 96 townhouses. Award-winning CoLab Architecture used the French-Gothic style of the original college and chapel as inspiration for the new development.
Old Girls * Margaret Mary Barry* Dame Luamanuvao Winifred "Winnie" Alexandra Laban* Ginette McDonald* Belinda CordwellThe Erskine College building being demolished in October 2018
References
External links * Erskine College's main block on Wellington City Councils Heritage List* Erskine College chapel will finally be strengthened* Erskine College's Chapel of the Sacred Heart on Wellington City Councils Heritage List* Erskine College Chapel, plan by John Swan * video about Erskine College on YouTube* Erskine College Conservation Plan 2015