Once a beautiful church, All Saints Anglican was built in 1892 to plans drawn by the renowned
William Critchlow Harris (1854-1913), the premiere Prince Edward Island architect of his time. We find we must agree with the writer of the excerpt below in his assessment of the present state of the church. The bell tower, for example, has been recovered in vertical sheets of aluminum making it look more like a grain elevator than a church steeple. Also, it appeared that, when we visited, two pieces of this siding had been blown off and had not yet been replaced. The rest of the building has been redone in vinyl siding, a not uncommon practice.
If one can ignore the rest of the tower they'll see a great spire atop it, very tall with flared eaves and a little finial and a cross to finish is off.
For those who may not know, Springhill is the birthplace of well known songstress
Anne Murray, holder of more musical awards and accolades than almost any female singer in history. The
Anne Murray Centre, showcasing the incredible life and times of Anne Murray, is now the major tourist attraction in Springhill. (We can't say "the town of Springhill" anymore as, due to severe financial difficulties, the town was dissolved on April 1, 2015 and is now simply a part of the Municipality of the County of Cumberland.)
Though the church bears a Municipality of Cumberland Heritage Property Plaque, it is not to be found on any online heritage registers that we are aware of.
All Saints Church at Springhill has been so badly mutilated by the application of every kind of tawdry cladding that has come and gone in fashion over the past 70 years - asphalt shingles, abitibi board, aluminum and vinyl siding - that its virtues are obliterated, at least as far as its exterior appearance is concerned. The Springhill highway sign - "You should see us now" - if taken in reference to All Saints Church - suggests that Springhill has its "eyes wide shut" in respect to what could be that town's greatest architectural asset, a gorgeous Church with a towering steeple set on a hill in the middle of the town.
From Island Lives