Home / Accueil

St. James' Anglican Church

65 Edgewater Street, Mahone Bay, Nouvelle-Écosse, B0J, Canada

Reconnu formellement en: 1994/02/08

Detail of tower windows, St. James' Anglican Church, Mahone Bay, NS, 2009.; Heritage Division, NS Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2009
Tower Windows
East and south elevations including the steeple, St. James' Anglican Church, Mahone Bay, NS, 2009.; Heritage Division, NS Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2009
East and South Elevations
Detail view of the east window and hole-drilled bargeboard, St. James' Anglican Church, Mahone Bay, NS, 2009.; Heritage Division, NS Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2009
Window Detail

Autre nom(s)

St. James' Anglican Church
65 Edgewater Street, Mahone Bay

Liens et documents

Date(s) de construction

1885/01/01 à 1887/12/31

Inscrit au répertoire canadien: 2009/04/02

Énoncé d'importance

Description du lieu patrimonial

St. James' Anglican Church, built between 1885-1887, is situated at 65 Edgewater Street in Mahone Bay, NS. Designed by William Critchlow Harris, St. James' Anglican Church is built in the High Victorian Gothic Revival style with an imposing mass and is painted in a striking scheme of yellow ochre, brown and red. It is part of a group of eight heritage properties that line Edgewater Street facing the harbour. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and building at 65 Edgewater Street.

Valeur patrimoniale

St. James' Anglican Church is valued as a community landmark; for its association with architect William Critchlow Harris; for its High Victorian Gothic Revival style; and for its continuous use as a place of worship and centre of community life.

In its commanding position at the head of Mahone Bay harbour on the main road from the east, St. James' Anglican Church is visible from land and sea. For many years, its thirty-metre steeple was marked on marine charts. Mariners lined up the steeples of the three churches on the shore – Anglican, Lutheran and Presbyterian/United – as a navigational aid. St. James' Anglican Church is the most southerly of these churches which are known collectively and well-recognized as Mahone Bay’s “Three Churches.” Together with five other heritage properties on Edgewater Street, the three churches comprise a significant representation of Mahone Bay’s history during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The first St. James' Anglican Church, consecrated in 1835, was built off Clearland Road, on the hill above the old Mush-a-Mush burial ground (currently known as Bayview Cemetery). It was joined on the hill in 1863 by the Presbyterian Church which was later moved to the waterfront. The current waterfront location of St. James' Anglican Church was purchased in 1848 from John Mader who owned a section of what had been the original Maughers Mill Grant. The wedge-shaped lot, with the Rectory marked, is shown on the 1860 Plan of Division in the name of Reverend Snyder. Rev. William Henry Snyder was the first Rector of St. James' Parish, serving in that capacity from 1858 until his death in 1889.

In his letters to his family Edward Alexander Harris, then the new Curate for St. James' Parish provides an informative and entertaining account of how the church community built the church which was designed by his brother William Critchlow Harris, an eminent church architect. Construction was supervised by John E. Inglis, a member of the congregation. After the new church opened in 1887, Ned Harris became Rector in 1889, and served the parish until his death in 1931.

St. James' Anglican Church has played a continuous role in the community for almost two centuries. An active congregation continues to worship there and engage in community projects. The church is the site of many musical events including “The Three Churches” concert series each summer. The Rector and congregation of St. James' Anglican Church collaborate with Mahone Bay’s other churches to hold four ecumenical services annually, and share resources and outreach projects such as the Food Bank. The tower chimes, installed in 1986, are heard throughout the town as they ring out the hours.

St. James' Anglican Church is built in High Victorian Gothic Revival style with an imposing mass. The board and batten siding was originally grey and was later painted yellow ochre with red and brown trim. In the choice of interior construction materials and style, particular attention was paid to sound quality and resonance. The bell was cast in 1879 at the McLeod Foundry in Mahone Bay.

Source: Town of Mahone Bay Heritage File #MBHG009

Éléments caractéristiques

Character-defining elements of St. James Anglican Church, Mahone Bay, relate to its location, function, and High Victorian Gothic Revival architecture and include:

- location at head of harbour near other heritage properties;
- original imposing massing;
- buttresses;
- steeply pitched roof;
- double and triple-light arched windows on sides and five-light east window with tracery;
- gently arched windows that are wide in proportion to height;
- label moldings over windows;
- steeple tower with 30 metre spire set at northeast corner near the street;
- hole-drilled bargeboard on gable eaves characteristic of W.C. Harris’ designs;
- board and batten siding;
- tower and steeple at shoulder of building;
- exterior colour scheme of yellow ochre with brown and red trim details including the distinctive colour bands on the shingled steeple;
- original and historic interior features such as use of softwood backed by hardwood in sanctuary to intensify sound produced in chancel; use of native ash for finishing; and carefully preserved original colour scheme of moss green, rose, blue and grey.

Reconnaissance

Juridiction

Nouvelle-Écosse

Autorité de reconnaissance

Administrations locales (N.-É.)

Loi habilitante

Heritage Property Act

Type de reconnaissance

Bien inscrit au répertoire municipal

Date de reconnaissance

1994/02/08

Données sur l'histoire

Date(s) importantes

s/o

Thème - catégorie et type

Établir une vie sociale et communautaire
Les institutions religieuses
Exprimer la vie intellectuelle et culturelle
L'architecture et l'aménagement
Un territoire à peupler
Les établissements

Catégorie de fonction / Type de fonction

Actuelle

Religion, rituel et funéraille
Centre religieux ou lieu de culte

Historique

Architecte / Concepteur

Harris, William Critchlow

Constructeur

Inglis, John Edmund

Informations supplémentaires

Emplacement de la documentation

Town of Mahone Bay Heritage File # MBHG009

Réfère à une collection

Identificateur féd./prov./terr.

38MNS0009

Statut

Édité

Inscriptions associées

s/o

RECHERCHE DANS LE RÉPERTOIRE

Recherche avancéeRecherche avancée
Trouver les lieux prochesTROUVER LES LIEUX PROCHES ImprimerIMPRIMER
Lieux proches