Description of Historic Place

This small Gothic Revival wood clad Chapel is located in the Union Cemetery on Toronto Road. Set just inside the Tempest Gates, it is surrounded by monuments and markers, and accessible from the winding road that loops through the cemetery grounds.

The Union Cemetery Chapel has been recognized for its heritage value by the Municipality of Port Hope By-law #3054 Schedule B, passed on February 11th, 1986.

Heritage Value

The Union Cemetery Chapel is representative of the many small cemetery chapels built in Ontario from the 1870's onward. It incorporates a number of Gothic Revival details including the symmetrical facade, steep gable roof with bargeboard trim, and long, thin pointed arch windows.

The Union Cemetery was established in 1874 to provide adequate burial space to all religious denominations in Port Hope. Soon after, Port Hope Town Council passed a By-law prohibiting any further burials within the town limits.

Built in 1891, the Chapel was constructed as a memorial to Patience Williams, the wife of noted 19th century Port Hope philanthropist, James “Yankee” Guest Williams. Williams, an immigrant from Tipperary, Ireland, was a well-known businessman.

The Chapel was used for committal services that took place during the winter when the ground was too hard for burials. During the service, the coffin could be lowered through an opening in the chapel floor, descending to a mortuary vault that could store up to sixty bodies.

Source: Heritage Designation for 114 Toronto Road: Union Cemetery Chapel, By-law #3054 Schedule B.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Union Cemetery Chapel include the:
- modestly sized rectangular frame structure, with wood-clad exterior walls
- steeply pitched gable end roof with bargeboard trim and matching hood over the front entrance
- symmetrical facades
- long, thin Carpenter's Gothic windows, and similar louvered vent in gable peak
- small bell cote perched on the roof, supported by exposed braced posts