Description of Historic Place

The All Saints Anglican Church is a Gothic Revival church with a front-gabled roof and a large flat-topped square tower ornamented by pinnacles. Built in 1867, it is located on King Street in St. Andrews.

Heritage Value

All Saints Anglican Church is recognized as a Local Historic Place through its splendid architecture and its association with the rich Anglican heritage of St. Andrews.

The heritage value of All Saints Anglican Church lies in its being a good example of wooden Gothic Revival religious architecture. The Gothic Revival style of this church is expressed through its steep gabled roof, Gothic and trefoil windows and handsome arched door. It displays four unique buttresses on each side of the flat-topped square tower which rise to the 3/4 mark of the tower. The size of the buttresses diminishes at four separate symmetrical intervals as they ascend vertically. The tower is crowned by four distinct pinnacles at each corner connected by an ornate balustrade. The vestibule gable is crowned by a crucifix finial and a trefoil pattern is displayed within the gable face. The roof in the interior is made from the pews of the first Anglican church and the design resembles an upturned boat. The pews in the nave of this church were constructed of butternut. The architect of All Saints Anglican Church was George Snell of Boston, an architect that built many beautiful buildings in that city. It is interesting and important to note how the style of this church came to be. Elaborate and beautiful designs for a stone church were submitted by Mr. Snell but the enormous cost of the stonework made it impossible to carry out these plans. It was decided to construct the church out of New Brunswick spruce and pine, painted and plastered to look like stone. The plaster and paint aspect of this design may now be lost but this may account for the presence of buttresses which were used primarily for stone churches.

The heritage value of All Saints Anglican Church also lies in its association with the Anglican history of St. Andrews. For many years the Anglican denomination was the only religion practiced in St. Andrews. This was partly due to the background of the initial settlers but a large part is due to Rev. Samuel Andrews. The present church displays a large plaque and a portrait of Rev. Andrews who was held in high esteem by the residents of St. Andrews. It was only after his death in 1818 that other denominations formed churches. This church was built in the year of Confederation (1867) after the discontinuation of the services in the old Anglican church which was built in 1788. In 1983 a congregation of 350 and more than 60 Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada celebrated this town’s loyalist heritage while commemorating the landing of United Empire Loyalists in 1783.

Heritage value is also recognized through the church's collection of historic artefacts, many of which are associated with the first St. Andrews Church. When this church was consecrated on Halloween (All Hallow’s Eve) night in 1867 a formal procession was led up King Street carrying various furnishings from the old church to the new. The baptismal font is made of marble and the tiles upon which it stands depict the symbols of the four writers of the Holy Gospel: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Both font and tiles came from the old church. The Crown and Royal Coat of Arms displayed in this church was brought to St. Andrews from Connecticut by Rev. Andrews. Made of wood, the Crown and Royal Coat of Arms date from around 1689 and are believed to be one of only six to have survived the American Revolution.

Source: St. Andrews Civic Trust – Charlotte County Archives, St. Andrews, NB.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements relating to the exterior of All Saints Anglican Church include:
- two-storey rectangular nave flanked by single-storey aisles;
- steep gabled roof;
- flat-topped four-storey square tower crowned by four pinnacles connected by a balustrade;
- vertical plank siding;
- lancet windows;
- slim buttresses capped with gables extend to the 3/4 mark of the tower;
- Gothic church window with quatrefoil design;
- crucifix finial above the vestibule;
- circular window;
- metal gothic arched door;
- large hinges on the front door;
- windows with trefoil design along the sides of the church below the roof-line.

The character-defining elements relating to the collection of religious artefacts and the interior design of All Saints Anglican Church include:
- baptismal font made of marble predates the church;
- tiles on which font stands depicting the symbols of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John;
- stained glass windows imported from Britain in late 1800’s;
- pulpit from the old Anglican church;
- portrait of Samuel Andrews, first Anglican minister in St. Andrews;
- Crown and Royal Coat of Arms dating from around 1689 brought from Connecticut during American Revolution;
- roof design resembling an upturned boat made from pews of old church;
- original pews made of butternut.