Invercargill’s first Presbyterian “Divine Service” was held on 10 November 1863, led by the Rev. Alexander Bethune on the corner of Tay and Dee Street, where the Bank of New South Wales presently stands. With a growing population, many of whom were of Scottish origin, and the ordination of Rev. Andres Hamilton Stobo as Invercargill’s Presbyterian minister, there was a recognized need for a church to be built. The original pit-sawn timber construction, designed by local architect E.J. Clarke, was built at a cost of £2,600, opening on 15 March 1863. It was considered to be one of the largest buildings in Invercargill, and was provided with a bell-tower. The church was enlarged in 1872, and again in 1881 by architect Angus Kerr. In 1889 a fund was initiated to construct a new brick church, which was completed in 1915 on the same site.

Sources: Heritage New Zealand website. ‘First Presbyterian Church – (1914) Tay St Invercargill’ by Colin Kerr, REF: LC 726.5 FIR. ‘First Church Invercargill 150 Years On’ by Peter Muller, REF: LC 285.2 MUL