In the Year 2007 Sterling Stratton put together a picture book entitled
The Complete Book of Island Churches At The Turn Of The Century. It included 302 Pen & Ink Sketches done in 2000, including all churches in Prince County, Queens County, Kings County, Summerside & Charlottetown, in other words, all the churches on the Island. This sketch can be found in the top left corner of
Page 19 of that book.
Quite "busy" in its design, this Island sandstone church may be recognizable to the aficionado of architecture as a
William Critchlow Harris design. Harris was the most noted and likely the most prolific Island architect of his time, having designed a great many of the interesting edifices on the Island, including private homes, commercial and public buildings, and of course, his famous churches.
The first St. Paul's Anglican was constructed beginning in 1795 and was used by both the Church of England and the Church of Scotland until 1833, when a new church was constructed. A windstorm blew it down before it was completed, only to be reconstructed and consecrated on August 21, 1836. The present French Gothic styled St. Paul's, with a capacity of about 450 people, replaced that church in 1896. Built of Island sandstone with what appears to be fieldstone trim, the church has an interesting touch on the front facade. At the peak of the gable end is a trio of arched openings framed with fieldstone and surrounded by rubble stone mortared in place.
The church is one of a great many which house a Casavant Frères organ,
Opus 1518, installed in 1936 and rebuilt in 1996. Harris, through his innovative and imaginative design, was able to achieve great acoustics in the nave, a perfect accompaniment to a magnificent organ.
The stained glass window [from the 1836 church], enlarged to seven panels, together with the rose windows, were installed in the south transept of the present church in 1896...
...When you stand at the church entrance, you will note the harmonious proportions of all parts of the building with its beautiful stained glass memorial windows. The wooden groined ceiling, stained almost to a mahogany brown, adds to the warmth of the interior. It is not a large church (its capacity is about 450 people) but its architecture gives it an air of spaciousness. The chancel is constructed in such a manner that the sounds of the organ, singers, and speakers are reflected into the body of the church.
The organ, with its console to the north side of the chancel, is a three manual instrument constructed by Casavant Frères of Quebec, installed in 1936, and rebuilt in 1996.
There are many memorial tablets on the walls, some of which were transferred from the two previous churches. One to the memory of the first rector, the Rev. Theophilus Desbrisay, and another to his daughter, Penelope, who married the Rev. L.C. Jenkins, are high up on the west wall. A memorial to Lieut. Governor Edmund Fanning and his son and another to Lieut. Governor Sir Aretas W. Young are on the south wall.
The oaken communion table was designed by Mr. W.C. Harris as was the pulpit which is constructed of oak with mahogany carvings.
There are two crypts near the front door of the church. They contain the remains of two former Lieut. Governors of the Island, Sir Aretas Young and Sir Donald Campbell...
From St. Paul's Anglican