Description of Historic Place

St. James United is a red brick Romanesque Revival church featuring sandstone decoration, two large stained glass windows and distinctive square towers. It is located on a slightly elevated lot at the corner of Green and Chapel streets in Woodstock.

Heritage Value

St. James United Church, formerly Woodstock’s Methodist Church, is designated a local historic place for its spiritual and historical value. It is also recognized for its architecture.

The history of the Methodists in Woodstock dates back to 1833. The growing congregation soon needed a larger facility; a wooden church was completed in 1869 on the present site. This structure was removed in 1907 and replaced with the present red brick building, designed by St. John architect H. H. Mott. In 1925 the Methodist Church joined the United Church of Canada. This building has continued to serve the congregation since that time. As such, the St. James United Church is a symbol of the long history of the Methodist and United denominations in Woodstock.

St. James United Church is also designated for its architectural value. The church is a good example of Romanesque Revival religious architecture in Woodstock. Its red brick exterior is unique among Woodstock’s ecclesiastical buildings, as is the architect’s use of sandstone as a decorative element. The overall effect is pleasing to the eye and gives the church status as one of the town’s landmarks. The balcony in the sanctuary was added in 1956 and in 1957 the Christian Education Centre was built to accommodate the growing number of congregants; both elements were incorporated sensitively in keeping with the original style of the building.

Source: Carleton County Historical Society, Historic Places Files, “St. James Untied Church”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe location of St. James United Church include:
- the location at the corner of Green and Chapel streets on the site of an earlier Methodist church.

The character-defining elements that describe the Romanesque Revival architecture of St. James United Church include:
- irregular massing;
- roof with multiple gables;
- southwest entrance (main entrance) with Romanesque arch of brick and sandstone;
- semi-circular stained glass window with quatrefoils and cusping;
- classical engaged columns flanking the double doors;
- southeast entrance in classical style including double doors with transom, pedimented hood, wooden dentils and sandstone decoration;
- double door east entrance with brick and sandstone decoration;
- red brick exterior with decorative brickwork elements at gables, roofline, and on towers;
- decorative sandstone elements;
- many narrow rectangular windows and small square windows, some with stained or coloured glass;
- square bell tower (now automated) with pyramidal roof and iron spire at southwest corner featuring windows with quatrefoils and cusping decorative sandstone;
- square tower at northeast corner with pyramidal roof and iron spire;
- large stained glass window on Chapel Street elevation;
- large stained glass window on Green Street elevation.