A church of firsts and superlatives, this 265 year old wood framed church and Pro-Cathedral stands opposite the city hall at the south end of the Grand Parade, a civic square in downtown Halifax.
The oldest Protestant church in Canada and the oldest building in the city of Halifax, this church opened for public worship the 2nd of September, 1750, making it also the first church of British origin built in Canada. Charles Inglis, D.D., was consecrated the first Bishop of Nova Scotia. This church was chosen by him as his first Cathedral when he arrived in the diocese on October 15th, 1767, making it the first cathedral of the Church of England outside the United Kingdom.
It is today a National Historic Site as well as a Provincial Historic Resource. Text from the third sign sign, A Hundred Years On, can be found below.
A Hundred Years On
A GROWING CHURCH
This 1853 daguerreotype by D. J. Smith is the earliest photographic record of the exterior of the church, as well as one of the earliest photographs in Canada. The additions to come were the side aisles with northeast and northwest porches in 1868, altered gallery windows in 1869, the addition of the chancel in 1872 and remodelling of the chancel windows, and the addition of the southeast vestry in 1908.
A GLIMPSE INSIDE
The first photograph of the church interior circa 1859 shows the south wall before the addition of the chancel in 1872. It captures the Victorian parlour atmosphere, replete with worsted tassel crimson curtains and abundant memorabilia.
R.V. Harris in his history, The Church of St. Paul, identifies the figures at right as follows: -beginning on the left the aged Archdeacon Willis seated in the chair behind the communion rail, Andrew M. Uniacke, Mrs. Uniacke, the Hon. Philip C. Hill, Mrs. Hill, Mr. Joseph Keefler, Sexton, and the Rev. George Hill, Curate and later Rector.
A delightful description of St. Paul's from the 1860s is given by Clarina Slayter:
A big, square church, no chancel, three broad aisles, a gallery running around three sides, at the north end of this gallery the organ loft, with a delightful looking old organ with plaster and gold cherubs smiling from its front. There was no dim religious light, no painted glass, no delicate tracery of carving. " The Lion and the Unicorn fighting for the Crown," decorated the north gallery. A crimson curtain draped the big window behind the communion table. Square-floored pews with solid fastenings, fastened each respectable family into its proper well-defined place. The Ten Commandments, in gold letters on a black ground, and some mural tablets, were at the south end of the church, and over the northern doors similar gold and black boards immortalized the people who had made large donations to the comfortable, substantial, serviceable old church. The pulpit cushions were of red velvet, the big books on the communion table rested on red cushions. The font was very small and had a chirpy gilt dove perched above it.
The front of the town is lined with ships, warehouses, and wharfs, amongst which is Cunard's wharf, with one of his fine steam-packets lying alongside. Above these the spires of the different churches and the neat tower of the Methodist chapel are seen intermingled with the houses that cover the side of the hill, upon whose summit stands the citadel which commands the town and harbour. To the left in the distance is the entrance of the harbour; and nearer, the numerous vessels in motion upon the water, with the busy little steam ferry-boat plying between Dartmouth and Halifax.
N.P. WILLIS, CANADIAN SCENERY, LONDON 1842
From the sign