In Broad Bay, just off PortobelloRd, sits a little gem. A picture-perfect church that, for the past 75 years,has been content to play host to views across the harbour.
But there is more to the church than meets the eye. It was in fact built earlier, in 1899, in Waihola and was moved 75 years ago to the site at Broad Bay. The Gothic architecture of the most southerly Polish church in the world, and it was in need of repair and an updated colour scheme.
The Polish Heritage Trust made contact with us, and we set about getting to know more about the church and the Trust. It was evident how much they valued their cherished church and its rich history. The simple interior of the church had been painstakingly restored by members of Dunedin’s Polish Catholic community but more work needed to be done. A local building firm made the necessary woodwork repairs, then we set about sanding, polyurethaning and painting.
The pictures will help tell the story of work completed to this stunning church, We were so happy with the end result that we decided, with the permission of the Trust to enter it into the Master Painters 2023 awards. ....
And .....WE WON
Have a wee look at the journey through the pictures below, we are so grateful to now be a part of the church's colourful history.
Before - Some repair work neededThe Trust wanted to brighten the interior with colour without losing the historical character and integrity of the building. The decision was made to involve Resene's Dunedin Colour Consultant, Jill Marsh. The beautiful stained-glass windows were the perfect choice to draw the palette from and created the look and feel they were hoping for.
The colours used were Zylone Sheen - Jordy Blue, Lustacryl Deep Base - Cobalt Blue, Decorator Alkyd Satin - Half Pearl Lusta.
The beautiful stained glass windows that were originally made by a Mr Robert Fraser of Dunedin. They were damaged by stones being thrown at them in the 1960's and were authentically recreated in 2002 to dominate the beauty of this small historic church once again.Work under wayThe floors had seen better timesThree coats of Resene Qristal Poly Gloss were applied to the floor of the Altar, which first had to be sanded, removing all the previous varnish and marks. This gave the Altar floor a brilliant sheen which was further enhanced with the light of the stain glass windows reflection. 
