Memorial to Frederick Thatcher in Lichfield Cathedral

The Reverend Frederick Thatcher (1814 – 19 October 1890) was an English and New Zealand architect and clergyman. He was born at

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

to a long-established Sussex family. He practised as an architect in London from 1835 and was one of the earliest associates of the Institute of British Architects, being admitted in 1836. He designed the

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

Battle, East Sussex Battle is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Districts of England, district of Rother District, Rother in East Sussex, England. It lies south-east of London, east of Brighton and east of Lewes. Hastings is to the south- ...

, in 1840. With his dead wife's brother Isaac Newton Watt, (1821–1886) he sailed from

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

on the barque ''Himalaya'', and landed in

New Plymouth New Plymouth () is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...

, New Zealand, on 23 December 1843. Thatcher worked in New Plymouth then

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. He entered St John's College, Auckland to train for the ministry in 1848, and was ordained deacon the same year and priest in 1853. He designed the college's chapel, consecrated in 1847. He was the first incumbent of St Matthew's, Auckland, and at the same time was Chaplain to the Forces. In December 1856 he was obliged to leave on account of ill health. The next four years he spent in England, and from December 1859 he was curate at Winwick, Northamptonshire. He returned to New Zealand in July 1861 and was appointed to St Paul's parish,

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, where he remained until 1864, when he had to resign again for health reasons. He designed St Paul's Church (1866), now Old St Paul's, Wellington, and Kinder House on Ayr Street, Parnell. He returned to England in 1868, and settled in

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

where he became secretary first to Bishop George Augustus Selwyn and then to Bishop William Maclagan. He retired in 1882 and in the following year was made a

prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic or Anglicanism , Anglican clergy, a form of canon (priest) , canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in part ...

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

. He was associated with Bishop Selwyn and the founding of

Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Selwyn (bishop of Lichfield), Georg ...

. He died at

Bakewell Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known for Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, Derbyshire, River Wye, 15 miles (23 km) south-west of Sheffield. It is the largest se ...

, Derbyshire, where his son Ernest Grey Thatcher was curate, in 1890. He designed many New Zealand churches, which were constructed of wood in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style, as well as hospitals and schools. One of the notable hospitals he designed was The Gables Colonial Hospital in

in 1848. He was associated with the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand, George Augustus Selwyn in planning several "Selwyn" churches in New Zealand, among them St Stephen's Chapel in Parnell and All Saints Church, Howick. He married, first, in 1840, Elizabeth Watt (died 1842), and second, in 1849, Caroline Wright of New Plymouth. One son, Ernest, was born of the second marriage.

References

Biography in the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand

by Margaret Alington (2007, Polygraphia, Auckland) 1814 births 1890 deaths New Zealand architects Gothic Revival architects 19th-century New Zealand Anglican priests English ecclesiastical architects New Zealand ecclesiastical architects 19th-century English architects English emigrants to New Zealand Architects from Sussex {{NewZealand-Christian-clergy-stub