Saint Edward the Confessor Anglican Church - 1951 - Oliver, British Columbia - Dated Architectural Structures Multifarious on Waymarking.com

Saint Edward the Confessor Anglican Church has a long and interesting history beginning with bishop Dart of New Westminster who founded the Mission of Saint Edward the Con­fes­sor in Fair­view in 1897.

The Anglican Church is well established in the community, though due to COVID-19, the church is currently closed for regular services. There is no indication when it will reopen.

Saint Edward the Confessor Anglican Church dated plaque is quite large and is located to the left as you enter the church.

Following are some excerpts about the Saint Edward the Confessor Anglican Church history:

"The legendary Father Pat (Henry Irwin) in his wanderings through­out the mining areas of Kootenay at the end of the last century, is known to have held services in Fair­view in any room available on a Sunday morning.

The Township of Oliver was established in 1921. In 1925, the first service was held in Oliver by Ca­non Thompson. In those early years of the opening up of the valley to accom­modate returning veterans from the First World War, an extensive irrigation project was set up in the valley bottom. Orchards were developed and a slowly growing number of An­gli­cans moved into the district.

In June 1951, the church is constructed of cement pumice blocks with a seating capacity of 250, a chancel choir, two vestries, and a lovely Lady Chapel for smaller services. It was completed in Norman style with a square bell tower at the west entrance.

The church was to originally been built beside the church hall, but because of the height of the bell tower, it had to be re­lo­cated across the street to avoid being in the flight path of the Oliver airport.

A peal of eight bells was installed in the tower in 1952, a the gift of an anonymous donor as a memorial to the early set­tlers on orchard land in the Okanagan. The bells were cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry in Eng­land with the largest bell weighing 700 pounds. One person, on large wooden piano-like keys operated from the balcony which can ring them. One of a few such peals in western Canada. The in­scrip­tion on the brass plaque in­stalled in the stairway concludes; May the bells installed in this tower, as they peal forth, bring cheer through­out the years. The bells were dedicated October 13th 1952, by the Right Rev. A.H. It was necessary to heighten the tower for the bells, as the weight was too much for the lower height of the tower.

The church was renovated in 2003, with extensive use of wood from the choir pews.

You can read the entire history of the Saint Edward the Confessor Anglican Church with the source link provided.
Source: Saint Edward the Confessor

THIS
CHURCH OF ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR
WAS ERECTED TO THE GLORY OF GOD A.D. 1951

A CHURCH BUILDING FUND WAS INITIATED IN 1946 BY THE REV. F. C. BRISCALL
THE THEN PARISH RECTOR (1936 - 1948) AND ON THE 12TH OCTOBER 1949 THE BREAKING
OF THE GROUND BY THE VERY REV. DR. JOCELYN PERKINS, M.A., D.C.L., F. S.A., SACRIST
AND MINOR DEAN OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY, LONDON, ENG. TOOK PLACE IN THE PRESENCE OF
THE R.T. REV. F. P. CLARK, D.D., LORD BISHOP OF KOOTENAY, THE REV. W.S. BEAMES, THE
REV. R.E.M. YERBURGH, THE RECTOR, (1948-1951) AND OTHER ASSEMBLED DIGNITARIES.

THE CHURCH WAS DEDICATED ON THE 3RD OF JUNE 1951 BY THE R.T. REV. F.P. CLARK.
(ASSISTED BY HIS CHAPLAIN, THE REV. AUSTIN C. MACKIE) AND CONSECRATED BY HIM ON
THE 13TH OCTOBER 1954 DURING THE INCUMBENCY OF THE REV. C. S. LUTENER. (1954 -1958)
WHO WAS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LANDSCAPING OF THE CHURCH GROUNDS.

THE PEAL OF EIGHT BELLS WAS CAST BY THE WHITECHAPEL BELL FOUNDRY IN
LONDON, ENG. AND GIVEN IN MEMORY OF GUNNER DONALD THOMSON, C.F.A., C.E.F. (1914 -1918)
ON THE 12TH OCTOBER 1952 THE BELLS WERE DEDICATED BY THE RT. REV. A.H. SOVEREIGN, D.D.,
DURING THE TENURE OF THE REV. G.T. PATTISON (1951 - 1954).

THE ELECTRONIC REMOTE BELL CONTROL DEVICE WAS PRESENTED DURING THE INCUMBENCY
OF THE REV. C. HILARY BUTLER (1958-1961) AND SUBSEQUENTLY INSTALLED DURING THE OFFICE OF THE REV. JOHN STAINER (1961 - 1971).

Year built or dedicated as indicated on the structure or plaque: 1951 Full Inscription (unless noted above): See above Website (if available): [Web Link]

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