Margaret Alington

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Margaret Hilda Alington, ONZM,[1] née Broadhead (30 September 1920 – 15 October 2012) was a New Zealand librarian, historian and author.

Life and career

Alington was born and educated in Christchurch, New Zealand. She worked as a librarian in the Canterbury and Auckland University College libraries, Leeds University Library, University of Illinois library (Urbana, USA), and the Alexander Turnbull Library (part of the National Library of New Zealand).

Much of Alington's research centred on the life and work of the Revd Frederick Thatcher, architect of New Zealand buildings including St Mary's Church (New Plymouth), and Old St Paul's (Wellington). The culmination of this investigation was Alington's book, An Excellent recruit: Frederick Thatcher, architect, priest and private secretary in early New Zealand, published in 2007. Alington gave an annual lecture on the history of Old St Paul's at the School of Architecture at Victoria University of Wellington from 1978 to 2005.[2]

In 1977, Alington was largely responsible for the formation of The Friends of Bolton Street Cemetery,[3] now Bolton Street Memorial Park, which restored the grounds, buildings and the many grave-sites of well known historical people. She also wrote a detailed history of the cemetery called Unquiet Earth.[3] Alington guided visitors around the cemetery for many years and gave many talks on it.[4] She also wrote a history of the church (St Mary's Church), called Goodly Stones and Timbers, in 1988.

In the 1999 New Year Honours, she was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to local history.[1][5] Alington was a contributor to the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.[1]

She was the wife of New Zealand architect Bill Alington. Their former home, now called Alington House, has been classified as Category I by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.[6][7] It is "an important New Zealand example of Modern Movement architecture."[7]

She died at her home in Wellington, New Zealand on 15 October 2012.[8]

Works

Books
  • Frederick Thatcher and Old St Paul's (1965)
  • Margaret Hilda Alington; William Hildebrand Alington, Dallas James Moor, Friends of Old St. Paul's Society (1968). Old St. Paul's, Wellington: a pictorial record. Friends of Old St. Paul's Society. 
  • Margaret Hilda Alington (1978). Unquiet Earth: A History of the Bolton Street Cemetery. Wellington City Council. ISBN 978-0-477-06250-3. 
  • Good Stones and Timbers: A History of St Mary's Church, New Plymouth (1988)
Articles
  • Alington, Margaret "Commanding a high point" New Zealand Historic Places (May 2001) n. 81, pp. 35–37 [history of St Mary's Church, Karori]
  • Alington, Margaret "Peace for troubled ground" New Zealand Historic Places (Aug 2001) n. 82, pp. 11–12 [history of the organisation set up in 1977 to preserve and protect the Bolton Street Cemetery]
  • Alington, Margaret "Mortuary chapel, Karori Cemetery" Stockade (1999) n. 32, pp. 3–5 [history of the chapel, built in 1891]
  • Alington, Margaret "Church and community" New Zealand Historic Places (Sep 1996) n. 60 pp. 28–30. [history of the 150 year old St Mary's Church, New Plymouth]
  • Alington, Margaret "St Mary's homes" Stockade (1994) n. 27, pp. 7–13. [history of the children's home that operated in Messines Road, Karori]
  • Alington, Margaret "Place also of life" New Zealand Historic Places (Sep 1991) n. 34, pp. 22–23. [history of the Bolton Street Cemetery. Abridged and edited version of a speech]
  • Alington, Margaret "How I came to Karori" Stockade (1989) n. 22, pp. 9–10.
  • Alington, Margaret Bibliography of material relating to Surville's voyage to New Zealand, 1769-1770 compiled by Margaret H. Broadhead. ([Wellington, N.Z.]: Alexander Turnbull Library, 1956)
  • Alington, Margaret Christ Church Taita: notes giving some reasons why it could not have existed in 1845 Held: Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of NZ.
  • Alington, Margaret An Excellent recruit: Frederick Thatcher, architect, priest and private secretary in early New Zealand (with architectural assistance from William H. Alington) (Auckland, N.Z.: Polygraphia Ltd., c2007)
  • Alington, Margaret Frederick Thatcher and St. Paul's: an ecclesiological study (with drawings and an appendix by William H. Alington.) (Wellington, N.Z.: Government Printer, 1965)
  • Alington, Margaret Goodly stones & timbers: a history of St. Mary's Church, New Plymouth (New Plymouth [N.Z.]: The Church, 1988)
  • Alington, Margaret High point: St Mary's Church, Karori, Wellington, 1866-1991 (Wellington, N.Z.: Parish of St Mary: Karori Historical Society, 1998)
  • Alington, Margaret Niue Island: a bibliography compiled by M.H. Broadhead. ([Wellington, N.Z.]: Alexander Turnbull Library, [1954])
  • Alington, Margaret Old St. Paul's, Wellington; a pictorial record (prepared by Margaret and William Alington with the help of Dallas Moore) (Wellington, Friends of Old St. Paul's Society, 1968)
  • Alington, Margaret Old St. Paul's, Wellington [edited by Margaret Alington and Tony Murray-Oliver; colour photography by Gavin Woodward]. (Wellington, N.Z.: Published and distributed by Friends of Old St. Paul's, 1988)
  • Alington, Margaret St. Mary's Church, New Plymouth: building research report (prepared for the New Zealand Historic Places Trust by Margaret Alington between March 1979 and January 1982).([Wellington, N.Z.] : New Zealand Historic Places Trust, [1982])
  • Alington, Margaret Unquiet earth: a history of the Bolton street cemetery (Wellington: Wellington City Council, 1978)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Historical work brings reward", The Dominion Post, 12/31/1998, p2. Quote: "MARGARET ALINGTON, a Wellington woman who has dedicated her life to writing the history and preserving parts of the region, has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit."
  2. ↑ "New Victoria Legacy Club Members 2012". Victoria Benefactors' Circle (Victoria University of Wellington Foundation). 2012-07-25. Retrieved 2012-11-17. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Warren Barton, "Cemetery's new lease of life." The Dominion Post, Aug 14, 1999. Quote: ""Today it has another life," says Margaret Alington, who in the 1970s wrote Unquiet Earth, a complete and detailed history of the cemetery, and who in 1977 was largely responsible for the formation of The Friends of Bolton St Cemetery, now Bolton St Memorial Park."
  4. ↑ Diana Dekker. "A Lively Place." The Dominion Post, Aug 14, 1999.
  5. ↑ 1999 New Year Honours List, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  6. ↑ Wood, Peter (8 February 2011). "Letter: Alington House in good hands". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Alington House". Register of Historic Places. New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  8. ↑ "Margaret Hilda Alington Obituary". The New Zealand Herald (APN News & Media). 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2012-11-16. 

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