Description of Historic Place

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Sandwick, is a simple, one-and-one-half storey gabled-roof structure located at the top of Mission Hill. Situated on its original site, the church is surrounded by a substantial grove of Garry oak trees and features a civic cemetery and stone cairn adjacent to the church building.

Heritage Value

The significance of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Sandwick, lies in its historic and aesthetic values, particularly for its role in the establishment of the Presbyterian faith in Courtenay, its unique vernacular architecture and Garry oak trees.

Constructed in 1877, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is valued as one of the oldest surviving pioneer structures in Courtenay and is a symbol of the establishment of the Presbyterian faith in Courtenay and surrounding area. It is significant that the construction of the church was a community effort and was built by several pioneer Presbyterian families on donated land.

Architecturally, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is valued as an exceptional example of early local building construction, evidenced by the use of indigenous building materials which were processed on the site. The church’s simple symmetry and modest detail and style demonstrate the practicality of Courtenay’s earliest Presbyterian pioneers.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is important aesthetically because it contains an impressive stand of mature Garry oak trees and a cemetery which has been used since the inception of the church. It is significant that the church and cemetery grounds are situated in a predominantly urban and commercial area, and provide a tangible reminder of the contribution of Courtenay’s earliest Presbyterian pioneers to the development of faith in Courtenay and surrounding area.

Source: City of Courtenay Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements which define the heritage character of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Sandwick, include its:

Siting
- situation of the church on its original site
- prominent setting in a predominantly urban area

Architectural Features
- modest one-and-one-half storey scale, rectangular massing, and symmetrical form
- elements that reflect vernacular construction materials and methods, including wood planking at the base of the building, original hand-planed spruce log flooring, plaster derived from clam shells, and cedar shingled roof
- exterior features such as wooden drop siding, and original single-paned double-hung wooden-sash 6-over-6 windows with wooden shutters
- brick chimney

Landscape Elements
- stand of mature Garry oak trees surrounding the church building
- church cemetery
- Piercy family cairn commemorating the contribution of the Piercy family to the community