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 Christ Church Cathedral - Fredericton, NB Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 45° 57.435 W 066° 38.102
19T E 683264 N 5092017
Parks Canada has decreed this cathedral a "superior example of the Gothic Revival style in Canada". We find we cannot disagree.
Waymark Code: WMR82Q
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Date Posted: 05/24/2016
Views: 13
Christ Church Cathedral is, indeed, a fine example of Gothic Revival architecture, as expressed by English architect, Frank Wills. The inspiration for the design was a 14th-century church in Norfolk, England, St. Mary's, Snettisham, Norfolk, a fairly obvious choice for an English architect, we suppose.
The cornerstone for the cathedral, built on the site of a previous Anglican Church, was laid on October 15, 1845 by then Lieutenant Governor Sir William Colebrooke. The consecration service, however, did not take place for another eight years, occurring on August 11, 1853. The date which the church bears, in Roman Numerals, is MDCCCXLIX, or 1849.
The spire we see atop the multi-spired tower is not the original. After a lightning caused fire in 1911, a restoration, designed by architect J. deLancey Robinson, included a lengthening of the spire by 20 feet, leaving the spire at 198 feet in height. Originally, there were 8 bells in the tower but, after the fire, Sir James Dunn replaced the 8 melted bells and donated 7 more for a total of 15. They are played on the bell manual, and they also chime as part of the clock on the quarter hour. The Cathedral was declared a National Historic Site in 1983.
In the sanctuary are many large stained glass windows, the major one being the East Window, which contains seven panels. Three apostles stand on either side of the centre pane which depicts Christ on the Cross. The seven panels represent the seven dioceses in existence at the time of its creation. At the top of the window is Christ the King. The window was designed by Mr. Wailes and the tracery is a reproduction of the seven paneled window at Selby Abbey. It was donated by Trinity Church, Wallstreet, New York.
In the North Transept is the large pipe organ, whose original organ pipes date from 1912, after the 1911 fire. Identified as Opus 2399, the console was constructed in 1957 by Casavant Frères Ltée, Canada's best known organ builders. 
Christ Church Cathedral
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
Christ Church Cathedral National Historic Site of Canada is a gracious mid-nineteenth-century cathedral whose elegant spire rises above the historic centre of Fredericton, New Brunswick. Dramatically sited on a generous green near the Saint John River, the cathedral recalls its English antecedents and has become an icon of Canadian ecclesiastical architecture. Official recognition refers to the building on its lot.
HERITAGE VALUE
Christ Church Cathedral was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1981 because:
- it is a superior example of the Gothic Revival style in Canada.
The heritage value of this site resides in its physical illustration of the Gothic Revival style of architecture. Christ Church Cathedral is one of the best examples of ecclesiological Gothic Revival architecture in Canada and it established an architectural pattern followed in the design of many large and small churches in 19th-century Canada. In its architecture, logic and decoration, Christ Church Cathedral conforms to the aims of the Ecclesiological Society, an Anglican reform movement that actively sought a revival of medieval church models, both in ritual and in architecture. Modelled after a 14th-century church in Norfolk, England, the plans were drawn by the English architect, Frank Wills, at the request of John Medley, the first Bishop of New Brunswick and member of the Society. During the final stage of construction, the prominent English architect, William Butterfield, modified the east end of the cathedral by constructing a single tower in place of two. He also designed much of the cathedral’s original furniture and plate. The cathedral’s stone walls, crossing tower and picturesque massing echo the building’s interior, and were typical of the Gothic Revival style. Following a fire in 1911, J. deLancey Robinson of New York completed a restoration in 1911-1913 that included the lengthening of the spire and the conversion of the former vestry into the present chapel.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
Key elements that relate to the heritage value of this site include:
- its location in the historic heart of Fredericton;
- its picturesque siting on a green sward, overlooking the Saint John River;
- its relatively large scale for its time and place, making it an influential architectural model in Canada;
- its integrated Gothic Revival style, evident on its exterior in the tall, elegant spire, historically accurate decorative details, steeply pitched roof, deeply carved mouldings, pointed arch windows, elaborate window tracery, steep gables, integrated buttresses, niches, and finials;
- architectural elements that conform to ecclesiological principles, including a cruciform plan, high nave, flanking side aisles, short transept arms, sanctuary, porch entrance, single tower over the crossing, Gothic Revival style detailing, and clear articulation of interior spaces through exterior forms;
- interior elements in the Gothic Revival style, including large octagonal piers, ribbed and pointed arches, the organization of piers and arches to create an arcade between the nave and side aisles, exposed wood trusses, and curved wood brackets;
- interior elements that conform to ecclesiological principles, including the organization of the building into distinct parts, the high altar at the east end, the communion rail, the crossing beneath the tower, and the deep chancel;
- its stonework, including rough-dressed and smooth-faced sandstone masonry composed of stone quarried from Grindstone Island in the Bay of Fundy and other parts of New Brunswick, and its Gothic-inspired window tracery composed of Caen stone;
- the craftsmanship of its interior decoration, including decorative tile work, lectern, chandelier lighting, woodwork, wooden furnishings and church plate;
- its stained glass windows.
From Historic Places Canada
Address of Tower:
828 Queen Street
Fredericton, NB Canada
E3B 4C1
Still Operational: yes
Number of bells in tower?: 15
Relevant website?: [Web Link]
Rate tower: 
Tours or visits allowed in tower?: Unknown
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Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the tower taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this tower and any other interesting information you learned about it while there.
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