Description of Historic Place

The building at 118 Hunter Street West in Peterborough, known as the Church of St John the Evangelist, was built between 1834 and 1836 in the Early English Gothic Revival style.

The exterior of the church, the roof framing on the interior and the scenic and aesthetic character and condition of the property are protected by an Ontario Heritage Trust conservation easement (1994). The church is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act by the City of Peterborough (Bylaw 1977-78).

Heritage Value

St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church is significant for its association with the establishment and development of the Anglican community in Peterborough and with the wave of Irish immigration that settled in the area, in 1825. In 1826, the Anglican minority pressured the Diocese of Quebec for a visiting clergyman and a mission church to support their spiritual needs, in what was a predominantly Irish Catholic settlement - Scott's Plains (now Peterborough). The congregation of St. John the Evangelist started under the direction of Deacon Samuel Armour, the headmaster of the government school. In 1833, the congregation petitioned Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Colborne (1778-1863) for a landmark property for their church. In 1834, the congregation was awarded four one-acre lots on which to build a permanent church. Following substantial fundraising in England, Ireland and locally, construction commenced in 1834. The cornerstone was laid in 1835 and the first service was held in the unfinished building in June 1836. Regular services began in February 1837. The first rector was the Rev. Richard H. D'Olier, originally from Dublin, Ireland. The church was designed by Toronto architect John Howard (1803-1890) and Kingston architect William Coverdale (1801-1865), both newly arrived in Upper Canada in 1833 and 1834 respectively. The church is also associated with provincially significant architect, Kivas Tully, who stabilized and renovated the church in 1852. St. John is the oldest church and one of the oldest buildings in Peterborough County, and has been in continuous use since 1836.

St. John the Evangelist Church is one of the earliest examples of an Anglican church in Upper Canada to be built in a Romantic interpretation of the Early English Gothic Revival style. This style attempted to emulate the simple massing and plan, austere decoration, and the overall symmetry of village churches erected in England, in the 12th and 13th centuries. St. John the Evangelist has many of the basic attributes of the Early English Gothic Revival style, while the later additions and renovations generally contribute later Gothic Revival features. The church was constructed by Kingston contractor, Joseph Scobell, from plans prepared by Toronto architect John Howard, but subsequently revised by Kingston architect William Coverdale. In 1852, Kivas Tully (1820-1905) repaired and renovated the Church, adding new buttresses to repair the buckling walls. In 1875 the school annex, on the Brock Street side, was replaced by a separate building. In 1882-83, the church was extensively redesigned by local architect John Belcher according to changing liturgical and design expectations in Anglican architecture. The redesign added the chancel and new stained glass windows by William Elliott of Toronto; pews, a stencilled oak ceiling and raised nave floor were also added about this time. Further renovations were carried out in 1907 and 1926-27. In 1957, a chapel was added to the west of the church and a large parish hall complex was created on Brock Street. Noted architects such as William Blackwell, and the firm of Craig and Zeidler worked on the church in the 20th century.

Located between the Otonabee River to the east and the commercial core of Peterborough to the west, the church overlooks Hunter Street to the south and is located on high ground, making it a prominent landmark in downtown Peterborough. On the north side of the property the church complex faces the green space of Victoria Park, around which are located many other significant 19th century heritage properties, such as the Court House, Schoolhouse and Presbyterian Church. The property is an integrated Anglican campus that has evolved and expanded to include the brick guild hall (1875), brick rectory (1909), and parish hall and additions on Brock Street (1901, 1926 and 1957).

Sources: OHT easement files

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Church of St. John the Evangelist include its:
- continued use as an Anglican church and subsequently the oldest remaining church in Peterborough County and one of the oldest masonry buildings and heritage properties in the region
- early use of the Romantic Early English, Gothic Revival Style in an Anglican church in Upper Canada
- simple geometry and massing of the tower and nave
- square bell tower projecting from the centre of the front (south) wall
- three-bay south façade which reflects the symmetrical nave and side aisle plan
- simple stepped buttresses (built in 1852, altered 1883)
- lancet windows in the chancel and transept of the north end of the church
- louvered lancet windows of the upper tower
- evolved quasi-cruciform plan
- crenellated tower (altered in 1883)
- stone entrance portico with large wood doors located on the south side of the tower (1883)
- four main windows on the side walls with flattened arches (1883)
- square headed window in the tower (1883)
- stained-glass windows on all elevations
- gable roof, clad with wood shingles
- masonry walls made of locally quarried dark gray limestone and trimmed with fine light gray limestone sills, voussoirs, jambs and cornice
- dark limestone (locally quarried) buttresses accented with fine double-stepped white limestone coping along the east and west sides of the church
- heavy-timber framing (hidden in the attic) that supports the nave roof
- prominent setting on high ground
- landscaped setback from the southern side of the property
- spatial relationship with the other religious buildings on the property (e.g. rectory, guild hall, parish hall)
- proximity to the Otonabee River (east), to Peterborough's downtown (west), and Victoria Park (north)