St Barnabas' Chapel

This page contains information about the St Barnabas Chapel on Norfolk Island. The information was obtained from a booklet produced by the locals on the Island. The photos are from my personal collection, taken while on Holidays on the Island in June '98.

St Barnabas' Chapel - Background

St Barnabas' Chapel, also known as the Melanesian Mission Chapel or the Patteson Memorial Chapel, is loved and valued by both residents of and visitors to Norfolk Island.
It has such an ornate and intricate beauty to be found on a small Island in the South Pacific. St Barnabas' Chapel was originally built for the "Melanesian Mission", whose school and headquarters were based on Norfolk Island between 1866 and 1920.
Established as a memorial to John Patteson, who was ordained as Bishop of Melanesia in 1861. The building, which has been used as a place of worship since 1880, has a fascinating history. It is well worth the visit to the Chapel, while holidaying on Norfolk Island.

The Building of the Chapel

St Barnabas' Chapel was designed by Sir Thomas Graham Jackson of London. The foundation stone, which is unmarked, was laid by Dr Robert Codrington, the Administrator of the Diocese of Melanesia, who had chief oversight of the construction project.
The building work was carried out by the Mission workers and the Melanesian students, with assistance from the Norfolk Island community, who had settled on Norfolk Island from Pitcairn Island in 1856.
The work took five years to complete, due to delays waiting for supplies to arrive by ship from England. Imported materials were supplemented by the use of Norfolk Pine and stone quarried on the island. The Chapel was consecrated on 7th December 1880.

The Mission Complex

St Barnabas' Chapel was part of a large complex, with mission buildings, gardens and agricultural areas. The Bishops home, homes of other Mission workers, dormitories, dining hall, workshops and stores.
The mission station was named St Barnabas' ("son of encouragement") after St Paul's missionary companion. It was appropriate that this name be given to the new chapel which had been built to honour one who had displayed outstanding nurturing and encouragement of those people entrusted to his pastoral care.

The Chapel Today

Mission headquarters were moved to Honiara in the Solomons in 1919-20, at this time, most of the timber buildings were dismantled. The Chapel was handed over to the Norfolk Islanders, and is today still used by the Church of England as one of their places of worship.

Chapel Detail

The Roof

The roof is designed like the keel of a ship. The large supporting beams are of Norfolk pine, treated with whale oil. The design is a factor in the excellent acoustical qualities of the Chapel, often used as a venue for musical performances. The roof looks like a ship's hull.

Click on the thumbnails for a larger view.

The Floor

The tiles of the floor are marble, quarried near Torquay in Devonshire, England. An area home to many of the Mission workers, including Bishop Patteson.

The West Window

The window, above the entrance, was given by the members of the Mission in memory of the workers who had given their lives in the islands. Beneath the Rose Window, with its many hues, is Philip the Deacon baptising the Ethiopian eunuch.
The five stained glass panels commemorate the five workers martyred, one being Bishop Patteson, and two Norfolk Islanders

The Organ

A Willis pipe organ, which has a particularly beautiful sound, with one manual of four and a half octaves, seven stops and 350 pipes. It was a gift from a lifelong supporter of the Mission, Miss Charlotte Yonge, who was a cousin of Bishop Patteson.
The organ made a risky and costly sea voyage from England, and arrived in Norfolk in 1876. It was temporarily housed in the old Chapel, attached to the Bishop's house.
In August 1880, it was installed in its present position by Mr George Bailey, the Mission blacksmith, who also had a strong musical background.
In 1985, Henry Willis IV, great-grandson of the founder of the London firm of Willis and Son, who built the organ, came to the island to carry out important restoration work on this fine instrument.

The Cemetry

The burial ground for workers and pupils of the Mission used to be a short walk to the north of the Chapel. By the 1970's, the site became overgrown, access difficult, and the headstones badly damaged and trampled by cattle.
In 1980, the headstones were re-located to a special Memorial Cemetery, near the Vestry.

Norfolk Island - a worthy holiday location of great interest and history - Australian history.
Please take the time to visit the Norfolk Island homepage, and consider a holiday experiencing the Norfolk Island history, the Norfolk Island folk and their amazing and outstanding hospitality.

Contact "The Friends of St Barnabas" on Norfolk Island. The Friends of St Barnabas is an organisation whose aims are to promote interest in, and to work towards the maintenance and restoration of their beautiful, historic building.