St Alban the Martyr, New Zealand

The Church of St Alban the Martyr is a late 19th century Anglican Church located in Balmoral, Auckland, New Zealand listed as a Category II building by Heritage New Zealand.

Description
The brick chancel was designed by reverend Wingfield. It is 27 ft long, 25 ft wide, and 18.5 ft high. The roofing of the apse uses fibre cement slates. The foundation stone bears the inscription: 'Ad majorem die glorian. This stone was laid by Moore Richard, Bishop of Auckland. August 5th, 1905. Except the Lord build the house, their labour is but lost that build it (Psalm cxxvii).' The original wooden Church is the nave of the current Church.

History
The Church of Saint Alban the Martyr was built in 1885–1886 on land donated by James Paice, a wealthy land owner in the County of Eden, with funds raised by Captain H.G. Ewington. A P Wilson was the architect and it was finished on the 13th of February, 1886. Wilson had initially designed a Gothic revival Church but this was not carried out. In 1901 the hall attached to the Church was enlarged, with a capacity to seat 400 people.

In early 1905 the Reverend of the Church, Henry Barnard Wingfield, designed a Romanesque brick chancel. Wingfield had studied architecture before his appointment to St Albans. On the 6th of August, 1905, the first brick of the new chancel was laid by the Bishop Neligan. On the 20th of December, 1905, the brick chancel was finished and the Church reopened. The brick apse was completed in c. 1905. Originally part of the parish of the Holy Sepulchre, in November, 1909, it was constituted as St Alban's parish. Further work converting the rest of the Church was planned to be carried out but due to funding constraints it was only partially carried out. This work finished in May, 28, 1912.

The wooden front was originally intended to also be replaced with brick.

In early 1919 it was proposed that a monument be constructed following peace after the end of the war. Later in 1920 the construction of a tower was proposed. Later the Norman style tower would be constructed c. 1922 and in 1923 would be dedicated to the memory of servicemen who passed in the Great War and later would include servicemen who died in World War II. The tower continues to be a part of Armistice Day celebrations.

On November, 1934, the Church celebrated the silver jubilee of the parish.

Since 1950 the Church has allowed other congregations to use the building, including a Russian Orthodox Church.

In March, 2011, the General Trust Board of the Anglican Diocese of Auckland issued a notice ordering the closure of the building by the end of April that year over alleged concerns of safety. The priest in charge, Mark Beale, claimed the building passed council safety standards and that the closure was an attempt to sell off the valueable property. As of 2024 the Church is still hosting services.