Description of Historic Place

Brithdir United Church is a Municipal Heritage Property located approximately eighteen kilometres south and nine kilometres west of Humboldt in the Rural Municipality of Wolverine No. 340. The property features a small one-storey, wood-sided church with an eyebrow window over the front entrance, constructed in 1909.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of Brithdir United Church resides in the property’s use as a place of worship for Presbyterian, and after 1933, United Church parishioners in the area northeast of Plunkett. The early British settlers held their Presbyterian services in schools in the adjacent Pilot Grove and Morven districts until 1908, when both congregations joined to build a church. This church became known as the Morven Grove Presbyterian Church, and local resident Morry Stewart supervised its construction. The church was completed by April 1909 but was closed during the early part of the First World War. In 1917, the church was moved south and west of the original site to land owned by parishioner Hugh McDonald, and the name changed to Brithdir Presbyterian Church. Brithdir is a Welsh word meaning “meeting place of many,” but no records exist about how this name was chosen. Brithdir United Church continues to serve the spiritual needs of the small congregation north of Plunkett. The Christmas service is one of the congregation’s annual highlights.

Heritage value also resides in the church’s vernacular architecture. The wood-frame construction with exterior walls finished in wood siding, and simple rectangular plan, are typical features of small rural churches constructed in Saskatchewan during the early years of the last century. The church’s location on a small hill amongst a stand of trees contributes to its landmark status in the community.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Wolverine No. 340, Bylaw No. 05-08.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Brithdir United Church lies in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that contribute to the property’s association with Presbyterian and United Church parishioners in the district, including its current location and its continued use as a place of worship;
-those elements that reflect the building’s vernacular church architecture, such as the rectangular windows, steeply pitched gable roof and simple rectangular plan;
-those elements which reflect the landmark status of the property, including its location on a small hill amongst a stand of trees.