Home / Accueil

St. Barnabas Anglican Church

Flower's Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador, A0K, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1997/04/10

St. Barnabas Anglican Church, view of the bell tower/main entrance, Flower's Cove, Northern Peninsula.; HFNL 2005
St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Flower's Cove
No Image
No Image

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1919/01/01 to 1921/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2005/01/11

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

St. Barnabas Anglican Church is a Gothic Revival, wooden church prominently located near the harbour in Flower’s Cove. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The St. Barnabas Anglican Church was designated a registered heritage structure because it has historic and aesthetic values.

St. Barnabas Anglican Church is historically valuable because it is associated with Canon J. T. Richards and his tireless attempts as a missionary. His ties with the coastal people of Newfoundland and Labrador were forged through his mission work and it was Canon Richards who recognized the people of his mission were skilled and capable of curing and tanning seal skins, as well as producing quality seal skin boots. St. Barnabas Church is locally known as the “Skinboot Church” because Canon Richards commissioned the local people to make skin boots to sell and raise money for the construction of the church. In the days before government funding for such projects and in an area where money was scarce Richards set about raising funds to build a proper church through the efforts of him and the parishioners. The motivation to have a place of worship launched an industry to make seal skin boots and it became a $15,000 a year project. A secondary goal was to provide employment for the coastal people. St. Barnabas was begun in 1919 and through this new industry, as well as the generosity of parishioners in the forms of money and labour the church was completed in 1931.

The St. Barnabas Anglican Church has aesthetic value because it is an excellent example of Gothic Revival style architecture. The simple composition, careful massing of components and the considered use of detail help construct a singularly well-proportioned and handsome church. The church reflects a simple basilica format without a transept and the main nave is flanked by two lower six-bay aisles. Included in these are stained glass clerestory windows. The remaining Gothic arch windows also contain stained glass. The use of an apse-like bay on the western end is repeated on the eastern end in a second apse. The prominent tower steeple with its flared base and four small corner spires caps a louvered bell tower section with its own base containing the entire vestibule. The simplicity of design and the clean lines contribute to the overall pleasing look of this church.

Source: HFNL unnumbered designation file "Flower's Cove - St. Barnabas Anglican Church"

Character-Defining Elements

All those features that are representative of a rural Newfoundland interpretation of the Gothic Revival style including;
-Fenestration and doorways with pointed Gothic arch design;
-Simple basilica format without a transept;
-Six bay main nave;
-Two flanking, lower roofed, six-bay side aisles;
-Clerestory with stained glass windows;
-Apse-like bay on western end;
-Apse on faceted eastern end;
-Steeply sloping gable roof;
-Tall tower steeple with flared base and four small corner spires;
-Louvered bell tower with flared base containing vestibule;
-Arched, main doorway crowned with torus moulding;
-Stained glass windows;
-Hand carved interior features; and
-Shiplapped ceiling surfaces.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Newfoundland and Labrador

Recognition Authority

Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador

Recognition Statute

Historic Resources Act

Recognition Type

Registered Heritage Structure

Recognition Date

1997/04/10

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Extraction and Production

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Religion, Ritual and Funeral
Religious Facility or Place of Worship

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, 1 Springdale Street, St. John's, NL

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

NL-1537

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

SEARCH THE CANADIAN REGISTER

Advanced SearchAdvanced Search
Find Nearby PlacesFIND NEARBY PLACES PrintPRINT
Nearby Places