St. James United Church - Antigonish, NS - Town Clocks on Waymarking.com

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St. James United Church - Antigonish, NS

in Town Clocks

Posted by:  T0SHEA

20T E 578818 N 5052616

A beautiful old wood framed church from 1861, outside St. James shares many characteristics with its contemporaries while, inside, it takes on the appearance of an even older meeting house style church.

St. James United, at that time St. James Presbyterian, was designed by Alexander McDonald, known locally as "Sandy the Carpenter. Responsible for the design of several notable buildings in eastern Nova Scotia, including courthouses in Sherbrooke, Arichat and Antigonish, McDonald, unfortunately, died before the church was completed. He was a self taught architect and builder and the church was completed by another self taught builder, Alexander Munroe of Merigomish, Nova Scotia. According to the original date plaque still inside the church, construction on the building began in 1861, with completion coming about the next year. The building remained a Presbyterian Church until 1925, when, with Church Union in Canada, the congregation voted to join the United Church of Canada.

For a building designed by an informally trained archtitect, St. James is quite a beautiful and impressive structure. The front is graced with a shallow two storey portico, within which is a wide, Gothic arched entrance, recessed well into the portico. The entrance holds four wooden doors, each with four Gothic arched panels. Over the doors, the arched transom holds a large lanceted window flanked by smaller Gothic arched windows, all three filled with stained glass. The frame for the entrance consists of heavy wooden quoins and a wooden keystone. Frame and transom stand on carved wooden columns and pilasters.

Above is a massive, square bell tower ending in a flat platform for the octagonal belfry and steeple. An uncommon touch on this bell tower is the inclusion of clocks on each face, making this also a clock tower. The clock, with each face set in a wood frame, appears to still keep time, though it's anyone's guess as to whether it has the original workings.

The interior of the building is relatively plain, consisting essentially of a large rectangle. Murals line the rear wall, stained glass the sides, and a low pulpit the front.

"I have no hesitation in saying that for elegance, chasteness of design, massiveness of outline, and harmony of details--both externally and internally--it is not surpassed by any church of the same description in the three provinces. It is an ornament to the beautiful town of Antigonish and reflects great credit on the skill, good taste and fidelity of Mr. Munro, the builder, as well as the christian liberality of the congregation." Such were the fulsome words of a visitor to the recently opened and dedicated St. James in 1864. Four years earlier, the congregation had decided to proceed with the construction of a new Presbyterian Church. The trustees stipulated certain stylistic preferences; they wanted a spire, not a dome, as well as a tower projecting 3 feet from the building. This new structure would replace their plain place of worship, 36' x 54', situated nearby. Construction began in 1862 under the supervision of Alexander MacDonald "Sandy the Carpenter". With his premature death, the responsibility for its completion fell to Alexander Munroe.

St. James represents an interesting fusion of classical and gothic detailing. The front gable end, as well as the porch, are pedimented in the classical mode; the corner pilasters, return eaves, prominent mouldings and dentil trim (square, tooth-like decoration) are also classical in inspiration. Gothic influences, however, are evident. The peaked Gothic windows and louvred openings in the belfry, the multiple-arched gothic window tracery, the arched recessed doorway and the finials which accent the four corners of the platform supporting the belfry as well as the pointed roof-spire were all conventional Gothic elements. The pointed arch, in particular, was the most salient feature of Gothic revival. The "heaven-pointing spire" and the "pointed arch" allowed Gothic architecture to express the human need to establish a relationship between heaven and earth. The blending of architectural styles was a widespread phenomenon in rural Maritime Canada, especially among Presbyterians, who responding to the dictates of tradition and progress, retained a decided preference for the plain meeting house and traditional, classical styles, but embraced the more fashionable Gothic revival styles of the mid-19th century.
From St. Francis Xavier