What it is
The church was built for the Presbyterian congregation of the Free Church settlers who founded Otago in 1848. Robert Lawson won the design competition in 1862, and the foundation stone was laid in 1868 by the Reverend Thomas Burns, the settlement's first minister. Work was delayed while Bell Hill, on which the church stands, was cut down by about 12 metres, and the church opened on 23 November 1873.
The building is in the Decorated Gothic style, of Oamaru stone on basalt foundations, and its slender spire reaches 56.4 metres. Carved stone details decorate the facade and the tower. It is listed as a Category I historic place, and a heritage centre in the grounds tells the story of the congregation and early Dunedin.
Getting there by bus
Princes St, 138 (stop 770), about 190 m away, and Princes St, 151 (stop 769), around 210 m away, are the closest stops and are served by routes 5, 8, 10, 18, 19, 30, 33, 35, 44, 55, 61, 63, 77 and 78.
Rattray St, 150 (stop 792) and Rattray St, 145 (stop 793), about 4 minutes' walk, are served by routes 61 and 63, and the Bus Hub on Great King Street, around 4 minutes away, links to every other route in the city.
