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 Christ Church Anglican Church - 100 - St Stephen, New Brunswick Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 45° 11.629 W 067° 16.306
19T E 635751 N 5005934
On Canada's 100th birthday (1967) the province of New Brunswick presented churches in the province which had celebrated their 100th anniversaries by 1967 these plaques to commemorate the achievement.
Waymark Code: WMRZ3V
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Date Posted: 08/25/2016
Views: 1
The congregation itself is even older, as the present wood frame church was built on the site of two previous churches, each in their turn burning down. Gothic in wood, as opposed to Gothic in stone, this was the largest and most ambitious of the churches built during the episcopate of Bishop John Medley. The building was designed by Edward Medley, son of Bishop John Medley, who, like his father, was a strong proponent of Gothic revival design for religious buildings.
Altogether this is a fine looking church which has the obvious appearance of thorough and meticulous maintenance through the years. The church bears a Province of New Brunswick heritage plaque, which reads:
Christ Church
1864
Bishop John Medley consecrated
his third Christ Church. Both
previous churches were
destroyed by fire. Designed by
his son, the Reverend Edward
S. Medley, it is a grand
expression of the Gothic style
using wood instead of stone.
Provincial Historic Site Christ Church Anglican Church
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
Christ Church Anglican Church is a wooden church building with elaborate Gothic architectural detail overlooking the St. Croix River at 30 Prince William Street, near the centre of the Town of St. Stephen.
HERITAGE VALUE
Christ Church Anglican Church Provincial Historic Site was designated primarily because of its historical association with the architectural ideas of Bishop John Medley and those of his son, Edward Medley. Both father and son were strong proponents of the Gothic Revival [style] in New Brunswick church architecture and both sought to employ Gothic Revival forms to further the mission of the Anglican Church in the province.
Constructed in 1863-64, this is one of the largest churches built in New Brunswick during the 47 year episcopate of Bishop Medley (1845-1892) and serves as a noteworthy example of the more than 100 Neo-Gothic churches erected under the bishop’s supervision.
Christ Church is also significant as one of the most architecturally ambitious of the several New Brunswick churches designed by the younger Medley, with elaborate Gothic architectural symbolism incorporated into the church exterior and interior detail.
The chancel windows were designed by prominent English Gothicist, William Butterfield, Edward Medley’s architectural mentor.
This church is also noteworthy for its historical associations with the "Carpenter Gothic" style in nineteenth century church architecture. It is an example of the application of formal British Neo-Gothic theory developed by the Ecclesiological Society to the design and construction of a vernacular wooden church in the colonies. Originally, Christ Church had a massive 90 foot Gothic tower, an essential element, attached to the front of the nave. It was a casualty of an 1869 hurricane, known as the Saxby Gale.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
Character-defining elements of Christ Church Anglican Church associated with the architectural ideas of the Medleys, the historical associations with the "Carpenter Gothic" and the application of formal British Neo-Gothic theory to the design and construction of a vernacular wooden church in the colonies include:
- blend of complex Neo-Gothic architectural elements, tall aisles, six-bay nave and clerestory on the north and south sides, a distinctive chancel extension and a steeply pitched roof;
- exterior decorative detail including vertical board and batten panels, elaborate bargeboards featuring Gothic symbolic motifs, and along the length of the church, a combination of double lancet windows below and round, star-shaped motif windows in the clerestory above;
- large rose window in the Gothic manner located above the front entrance, facing the St. Croix River;
- in keeping with the fashion of Gothic Revival aesthetics, the church’s woodwork and decorative detailing accentuated by a contrasting light and dark grey painted exterior, with the heavier framing of the church in the dark colour and the board and batten panels in a lighter shade;
- interior structural elements marked by elaborate woodwork of pine, cherry and walnut construction;
- steep angles of the imposing wooden rafters and bracing dominating the upper sections of the nave;
- characteristic Gothic motifs in wood throughout the church including a series of octagonal columns on either side of the nave, the pointed-arch motif in the Gothic arcades and elsewhere, rich vertical wall panelling, sweeping circles and quatrefoils designs in the woodwork;
- flowing window tracery.
From Historic Places Canada
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Anniversary Year: 1967
Year of Event, Organization or Occurance: 1867
Address:
30 Prince William Street
St. Stephen, NB Canada
E3L 1S1
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
1. Original photo if possible. A narrative of your visit.
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