The present St. George's Anglican appeared on the scene nearly two decades after the other two churches on the corner, Central United, built in 1916, and the First United Baptist Church, built in 1914.
St. George's was built in 1932 on the site of the two previous St. George's churches, both of wood frame construction, explaining the fate of the
First Church, which held its first service on August 12, 1852 and burned to the ground in 1873. It was replaced by the
Second St. George's Anglican, construction of which began in 1875 with consecration taking place in 1878. The second St. George's was demolished in 1932 to make way for this church, which seems to be the penultimate stone church to have been built in Moncton. That we know of, there are no less than five large stone churches in the city, the last, the Roman Catholic Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l’Assomption, being built in 1939.
The first Anglican Church to be built in the area was St. Martin-in-the-Woods, which opened for services in 1823 in Shediac Cape. At the same time the Free Meeting House was built in Moncton to be used by all denominations. The Parish of Moncton was constituted in 1848 in the Free Meeting House, with Moncton's first Anglican Church, St. George's, following four years later.
St. George's Anglican Church
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
St. George’s Anglican Church is located on 51 Church Street in Moncton, adjacent to two other prominent stone churches. It consists of a Gothic Revival cruciform sandstone church.
HERITAGE VALUE
St. George’s Anglican Church is designated as a Local Historic Place for its well-preserved religious Gothic Revival architecture with a prominent square bell tower on its southwest corner. It was erected on the same site as two previous churches.
When construction plans began in 1932, Archdeacon J. J. Alexander and the congregation commissioned C. A. Fowler of Halifax as architect and Moncton's Ambrose Wheeler as the contractor. Completed in 1935, the church was the 3rd stone religious structure at the intersection of Church Street and Queen Street.
St. George’s Anglican Church is also designated for its importance in the religious history of Moncton. The congregation of St. George’s Anglican Church first held service in 1852. The 2nd church structure on this site was razed to make room for the current stone structure and was the oldest place of worship in Moncton besides the Free Meeting House.
In 1996, St. George’s Anglican Church was designated a Heritage Property through the City of Moncton Heritage Preservation By-Law #Z-1102.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The character-defining elements that reflect the heritage value relating to the architectural elements of the exterior of St. George’s Anglican Church include:
- square bell tower;
- lancet and Gothic arch windows;
- stone window and door trim;
- eloborate window tracery;
- rose window;
- stained glass Gothic arch transoms over paneled double doors;
- inscribed marble corner stone;
- round turret on northeast corner;
- buttresses;
- Sackville and Shediac sandstone walls;
- cruciform layout;
- steeply pitched gable roof with squared parapets.
The character-defining elements relating to the interior elements of the structure include:
- door and window openings;
- moulded and coffered wood details throughout;
- spiral bell tower staircase;
- original pews with Maltese cruciform details on ends;
- arcaded aisles with octagonal pillars;
- boat-like false rafters and corbel vault stops;
- original stained glass windows, organ and bells from second church;
- stained glass of lost “burnt glass” technique in Chapel created from panes retrieved from ruins of 1st church;
- cathedral glass panes in main door and baptistery doors;
- Binney memorial window in chancel;
- altar, altar cloths and frontals from 2nd church in morning chapel.
From Historic Places Canada