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St. James the Apostle Anglican Church In 1819, the Church of England appointed Rev. Michael Harris rector of the Perth military settlement, and by 1820, a plain wooden structure was erected in the community for worship. This Garrison Church sat on some 400 acres of land and included Inge-Va (1824) as the original rectory. In 1836, King William IV granted a Royal Charter to St. James the Apostle Church, one of a few in Canada. By the 1850s, plans for a new church of “stone, pine, and oak” were drawn up for the site. St. James the Apostle Anglican Church was built at the site between 1856 and 1861 in a cathedral style, since it was thought that Perth, rather than Kingston, Cornwall, or Brockville would become the large commercial centre of the region. The structure was first designed by William Thomas of Toronto in 1856 and built to his plans up to the window arches. At this point, sometime around 1860, his plans were scrapped and the building was completed by Messrs Fuller and Jones of Ottawa, architects of Parliament’s original Centre Block. In keeping with its image as a garrison church, the side walls were prominently buttressed for added strength, and a tunnel was constructed to connect the church to the adjacent Bathurst District Court House. The stunning edifice was constructed with stone, typical of the period and area. The roof is supported by massive pine pillars, which culminate in typical gothic style arches and wooden cross members. In 1888, a spire and tower were added as a gift from Senator Peter McLaren. Pine pews seating 800 worshippers were originally numbered and rented. Two massive oak doors open to a tiled foyer surrounded by solid oak embellishments. The eye is attracted to the fine detailed stained glass windows and the massive pine pillars that support the steep pitched roof 40 feet above. Military regimental flags add their own sense of history. In 1883 a handsome reredos was placed in the sanctuary, along with an attractive altar frontal cloth reputed to be the finest embroidery yet produced in Canada. In 1887 an ornately tooled pulpit and two chancel screens were added. The mariner’s compass along with the scallop shells in the plasterwork over the altar, reflect on the patron saint of the church, Saint James.
Photograph, c1910 from the archives of the Perth
Museum, Don Little Collection |