Description of Historic Place

Britannia United Church and Cemetery is located at 5961 Hurontario Street on the east side of Hurontario Street, south of Britannia Road West in the City of Mississauga. The one storey red brick church was constructed in 1843 and the cemetery was established in 1830.

The property was designated by the City of Mississauga in 1981 for its heritage value under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 100481).

Heritage Value

Britannia United Church and Cemetery are associated with the Wesleyan Methodist congregation. The land on which the building and graveyard are located was donated by Joseph Gardner in 1830. The church was originally called Gardner's Chapel or Gardner's Methodist Church. The current building replaced a log structure, built in 1821 on the north corner of where the present church sits. Britannia United Church is believed to have been built in 1843, as its datestone under the front entrance gable indicates, however the structure only acquired its current appearance after extensive renovations in 1864 and again in 1897 to accommodate its growing population. During the later renovation, a basement was excavated and the interior was updated.

Established in 1830, the first burials in the cemetery are recorded as having begun in 1837. The cemetery was enlarged in 1910 as well as in 1933; to date there has been 230 burials. The cemetery is under a perpetual upkeep plan which makes it one of the best kept cemeteries in the area.

Britannia United Church is a good representation of the rural interpretation of High Victorian Gothic style. Some of the High Victorian Gothic features include its dichromatic brickwork, non-structural buttresses, pointed arch openings and distinct chancel oriented towards the east. The corbel frieze, in the form of polychromatic arcading of yellow-brick, was added circa 1860, making the facade quite distinct. The building is one storey with a shorter one storey addition on the north elevation and the central facade entrance is flanked by two buttresses. The red brick side walls are divided into three bays by buttresses and true to the Gothic style, the windows are multi-paned with delicate wooden tracery and stained glass.

The cemetery is located to the east and south of the church. An iron fence was erected around the land in 1949. The gravesites are separated with individual markers.

Sources: City of Mississauga Heritage Register Report; Johnston, Charles. Review of History Since First Church in 1821; City of Mississauga By-law 100481.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of Britannia United Church and Cemetery include the:
- datestone
- one storey red and yellow brick exterior
- steeply pitched gable roof
- coursed sandstone foundation
- three bay west and east elevations
- non structural buttresses
- dichromatic brickwork
- pointed arch openings
- corbel yellow brick frieze
- multi-paned windows with delicate wooden tracery and stained glass
- windows with stone lintels and keystones
- central entrance with buttresses
- vertical plank door
- iron fence surrounding the cemetery
- individual gravestones