Description of Historic Place

Situated at the top of the hill facing Hunter Street in Peterborough, St John’s is an early English Gothic Revival style church built of local stone. It is recognized for its heritage value by City of Peterborough Bylaw 1977-78. It also is governed by an Ontario Heritage Foundation conservation easement.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church is as the oldest church in Peterborough, being in continuous use since 1834. It is among the earliest Anglican churches in British North America that were built in stone using a Gothic Revival design. Using stone from a local quarry, it is an excellent example of an early English Gothic Revival structure. Construction commenced in 1834 and the first service was held in the unfinished building in 1836. The first rector was the Reverend R.H. D’Olier, a native of Dublin, Ireland. Architect John W. Howard’s standard design for a small church was customized for Peterborough by Kingston architect, William Coverdale.The building underwent extensive renovations in 1852 and 1882 under the directions of Kivas Tully and John E. Belcher, respectively. Other noted architects such as William Blackwell, and the firm of Craig and Zeidler have done work on the church throughout the century. Source: City of Peterborough Bylaw 1977-78 and background report.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that contribute to the heritage value of the early English Gothic Revival style of St. John's church include: -cruciform plan with a square bell tower projecting from the center of the front, three bay façade;-main entrance through the tower, surrounded by a shallow dressed stone portico;-parapet gabled roof;-four original windows on each side of the nave with ogee arches;-buttresses decorated with dressed stone quoins;-battlement or crenellation tower top;-People’s Chime, a set of 13 bells; -stained glass windows on all façades