Description of Historic Place

This English Gothic style church is the second Prince Edward Island church designed by the noted Island architect, William Critchlow Harris. It is also a rare surviving example of a board and batten clad church in the province. It features a square corner tower with faux buttresses and an octagonal spire topped with a cross. The nave and chancel have steeply pitched gable roofs. Grouped lancet windows with Tudor hood moulding accent the church.

Heritage Value

The church is valued for its well preserved English Gothic architectural features; as an example of the work of Island architect, William Critchlow Harris; and for its contribution to the streetscape of Kensington.

Built in 1885, this is the second church in Prince Edward Island designed by William Critchlow Harris. The first was designed in 1880 for the Methodist (now United) congregation of Tryon.

Harris had just returned from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was also working on the brick Cameron and Newson commercial blocks in Charlottetown when St. Mark's was under construction.

This building replaced an earlier 1860 mission church which was associated with St. John's Anglican Church in St. Eleanors, PEI. Thomas Simms had donated the land for this mission church and the adjacent cemetery.

By 1885, the mission church was proving too small and Harris was employed to design a new one at a cost of $1375.00. It was consecrated on June 9, 1888. Harris chose a traditional English Gothic style for the church with strong Tudor influences. The square staged tower at the corner of the building is characteristic of Harris' style. The octagonal spire features eight triangular niches, each with a quatrefoil decoration.

An extensive renovation of the church happened in 1992-1994 when the building was moved twelve feet back from the roadway and placed on a concrete foundation. It was repainted using the original colour scheme to highlight Harris' architectural features. The congregation won a preservation award in 1994 from the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation for their effort.

Today, the church is both a landmark in Kensington and an important cultural resource.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/S37

Character-Defining Elements

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

- the wood frame and board and batten cladding
- the steeply pitched gable roof of the nave and chancel
- the square staged corner tower with octagonal spire topped with a cross
- the eight triangular niches of the spire with quatrefoil decoration
- the faux buttresses
- the grouped lancet windows with Tudor hood moulding
- the flagstaff near the church flying the banner of the Anglican Church of Canada