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St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 1 Drummond St. W. Many of the early settlers in Perth were Scottish Presbyterians, and in July 1819 Perth’s first church was opened for services. This frame structure, known as First Presbyterian Church, could seat 400 and was ministered by Rev. William Bell. He had been sent by the British Government to minister to the emigrants in the new Town of Perth. Reverend Bell and his family sailed from Scotland in the spring of 1817, arriving in Quebec on June2. From Brockville he walked to Perth, leaving his pregnant wife and six young children, ages three to 11, with their few possessions, to come by wagon the following day, June 24, 1817. Reverend Bell ministered to his congregation for over 40 years and shortly before his death in 1857, the congregations of First Presbyterian and St. Andrew’s amalgamated. The first St. Andrew’s Church, built in 1833 at the corner of Drummond and Craig Streets, was destroyed by fire on March 11, 1923. The new church built on the corner of Drummond and North streets in the Gothic revival style has an exterior of period stone construction. The church has fine stained glass windows, gifts which were subscribed by individual members in keeping with its gothic revival style. The interior has a nave, transepts, gallery and choir loft, with a total seating capacity of 636. The interior finish is of rough plaster, with open truss roof and purlins and trusses stained in chestnut brown. The cornerstone was laid on July 19, 1927 and the church completed for dedication on March 11, 1928, five years to the day from the fire. Pledges were raised to pay for the new church, but with the onset of the Depression, many of the members were unable to honour those pledges. When the First Presbyterian Church was destroyed by fire in 1867, the church bell was rescued. The great-grandchild of the Reverend Bell presented it to St. Andrew’s Church in 1930, to be hung in the bell tower, and it is still rung on special occasions.
Photograph, c1928, from the archives of the Perth
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