Built in 1828, the old church has been twice renovated, in 1879 and again in 1909. In the course of the first renovation the spire was increased to the present height of 118 feet, the church was lengthened to 83 feet and widened to 40 feet. The second renovation imparted the church's present Gothic Revival/High Victorian Gothic style, while the chancel was added at the same time.
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
The St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church congregation has the longest history of any Presbyterian congregation in Canada. The earliest services were conducted in the open air or in private houses. From 1759 - 1770, the congregation worshipped in St. John's Anglican Church. Then, in 1770, the first Presbyterian Church was built on this corner site, and the services of the first minister, the Reverend Bruin Romkes Comingo, were secured. Reverend Comingo served the church for 50 years until his death in 1820. A stone monument immediately to the east of the church commemorates his life.
It was under the next minister, the Reverend Adam Moschell, that the first church was replaced by a new building which, over the years, has grown into the present-day structure.
In 1879, the church was lengthened to 83 ft., broadened to 40 ft., and the height of the spire was increased to 118 ft. The gothic windows that can still be seen today replaced the earlier square windows. The doors and windows on the tower are also finished in the same arched and hooded neo-gothic style.
In 1909, further renovations were carried out on the interior and on the eastern end of the building. Until that time the site to the east of the church was occupied by a school house, built sometime prior to 1879. In 1909, this school was moved up to Fox Street and enlarged into the building that now serves as the church hall and Sunday school. This made room for the construction of a chancel on the eastern end of the church.
An interesting and unusual weather vane was placed on top the spire in recent times. The five-and-one-half-foot hammered copper codfish weather vane reminds one that the first Christians represented Jesus Christ by the symbol of the fish, and several of the disciples were fishermen. The weather vane may also be thought of as symbolic of Lunenburg, the fishing capital of Canada where Cod was "King."
From the Town of Lunenburg
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is located on the corner of Townsend and King Streets in Old Town Lunenburg, NS. Built in 1828, it is a neo-gothic structure, clad in clapboard, with a prominent steeple and with the side of the nave flush with the street line. The property is located within a designated municipal heritage district and municipal designation includes the building and surrounding property.
HERITAGE VALUE
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is valued as the home of the oldest Presbyterian congregation in Canada, as well as being a fine example of nineteenth century ecclesiastical neo-gothic architecture. Built in 1828 it replaced an earlier church that was built on the same site. St. Andrew's is a prominent landmark in the centre of Old Town Lunenburg; the church's importance is demonstrated by its location adjacent to an area designated by the original 1753 town plans as the institutional core of the town, with the town hall, courthouse and Anglican church.
In 1879, the church was substantially renovated: it was lengthened to 83 feet, broadened to 40 feet and the spire's height was increased to 118 feet. In 1909, further renovations were carried out on the interior and the church was renovated to its present Gothic Revival/High Victorian Gothic style, which is typical of Lunenburg churches and adds to its value as a Lunenburg landmark. At this time, the chancel on the eastern end of the building was constructed.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
Character-defining elements relate to the prominence of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Lunenburg, as well as the neo-Gothic architecture, including:
- elements relating to the prominence of the church and congregation in Lunenburg, including a central location adjacent to the institutional area of Old Town Lunenburg as originally laid out in Old Town Lunenburg's 1753 plans, and landmark status, accentuated by a tall central tower with small, paired gablets on each side that support the 118 ft. spire; each gablet sheltering a hooded louvre window;
- elements relating to the neo-Gothic architecture of the church, including a steep gable roof over the nave, with a chancel at the rear of the nave, a row of six gothic hooded windows with stained glass along the nave, the arched and hooded ornamentation on the doors and windows of the tower, matching the nave windows, large three-paned central window with gothic-style tracery on the tower, also with a hooded arch, and fully hipped bell cast gable roof over the nave, with an end gable over the three-sided end chancel;
- elements that are typical of Old Town Lunenburg nineteenth century architecture including white clapboard cladding, with wide corner boards and frieze under the eaves in black trim, and the entrances in the central tower, and to the sides of the tower in the adjacent porch area, located close to the street.
From Historic Places Canada
![]()