Description of Historic Place

St. John's Anglican Church in Ellerslie is a provincially registered heritage place which is in the Gothic Revival architectural style and was built by Edward England and Harry Williams.

Heritage Value

St. John's Anglican Church in Ellerslie is valued as a fine example of the excellent craftsmanship of builder "Little" Harry Williams (1867-1934), for its connections with the Anglican church and the shipbuilding traditions of the area, and its importance to the community.

Construction of the St. John's Anglican Church began in 1894 when Edward England, who also donated the land for the church, erected the frame for the building. The majority of the construction and finish work was completed by "Little" Harry Williams of Poplar Grove who came from a family of distinguished master carpenters and shipbuilders. His grandfather was Edward Williams a ship carpenter at the Port Hill shipyards and his maternal Ellis relatives were long involved with shipbuilding in England and in Port Hill. "Little" Harry Williams apprenticed under builder George Gard of Alberton before moving to Massachusetts where he worked and studied architectural design. Williams later returned to Prince Edward Island and worked on several impressive buildings in western PEI including St. Peter's Church in Lot 11, St. James Parish Church in Port Hill and a number of private residences.

Direction of the church building was given by Rev. Henry Harper who had a 30 year ministry at Port Hill. The church was completed in 1899. The church has been maintained as it was built except for a small sympathetic addition to the south elevation. Two iron tie-bars span the interior of the church to prevent the weight of the roof from spreading the walls apart. The interior is a beautiful example of finely crafted woodwork.

St. John's Anglican Church is a well-maintained and fine example of the work of local craftsman "Little" Harry Williams which continues to be a landmark in the community of Ellerslie.

Source : Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE
File #: 4310-20/S35

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the church is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the intricate and complex shingle patterns on the body of the church, its tower and spire
- the lancet windows
- the door and window hood mouldings
- the dentil ornaments and bands of board and batten cladding
- the ornamented string courses
- the stained glass windows
- the pitch of the roof
- the roof finials
- the wood panelled doors
- the flag motif detail below the nave window