Built in 1886 on donated land, Kensington Presbyterian was officially opened and dedicated on Christmas Day of that year. This was the first and only Presbyterian church to exist in the town. In 1925, with
Church Union in Canada, the congregation was divided on whether to join the United Church. As a result, those choosing to remain Presbyterian, though they comprised the majority of the congregation, met at
King George Hall for two years, while the "Unionists" met in the church, After two years, the two groups traded places and the church has remained Presbyterian ever since.
Typical of many churches of the era, this is a fairly plain building, now clad in the ubiquitous vinyl siding and a steel roof. All openings in the building have Gothic arches, with three lancet windows down each side of the sanctuary and a large arched transom over the main entrance. All arches, save for those in the belfry, have small hoods over them.
The bell tower and steeple are quite simple, set more than midway into the front gable. The belfry has double arched vents all around and a very low pyramidal roof above. Midway between the entrance transom and the belfry vents is a double window with an arch containing a round window above two smaller arches, all filled with glass. Not far away are the Anglican, Catholic and United churches.
The Kensington Presbyterian Church was built in 1886 on land donated by
William Glover, the town's first postmaster. It was opened and dedicated on Christmas Day of that same year. Its services were conducted by clergymen from other areas until 1888, when the Reverend J.M. MacLean was named as its first minister. During his stay, which lasted until 1895, the church established its first Missionary Society, with the stated aim of "glorifying God by doing good." Under Reverend A. D. Sterling, the church was enlarged and even ran its own schoolroom between 1904 and 1910. Reverend A.W. Robertson became church's seventh minister and served from 1922 until 1925, when the church became part of the
United Church of Canada.
Not all Presbyterians in Kensington were happy with the idea of joining this union of Methodists and Congregationalists. When a vote was taken, only a small number of parishioners voted in favour of the amalgamation, and the local church split into two opposing factions. Those in favour of joining-- the Unionists-- continued to meet in the Presbyterian church for two years after the formation of the United Church. Those against joining the United Church began holding services at the King George Hall, and Rev. Robertson agreed to continue ministering to this anti-Unionist congregation. In 1927, the two sides traded places. The Unionists moved into the King George Hall, and eventually decided to join the Methodist congregation in 1928.
From the Town of Kensington