The Christ Anglican Church is one of the oldest buildings in the tiny (pop. 250) hamlet of Gainsborough, which is in the far southwest corner of Saskatechewan, only a few miles from MB and the United States.
Christ Anglican Church was added to the Heritage Property list in 1988.
We saw no signage the day we were there, and wondered if this church was still in use, from its general state of what looked to us like mild disrepair (unpainted shutters, crooked wind vane, some shingle damage).
From the Saskatchewan Heritage properties website: (
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"Christ Church
205 Bruce Street, Gainsborough, Saskatchewan, S0C, Canada
Formally Recognized: 1988/09/09
OTHER NAME(S)
Christ Church
Christ Anglican Church
. . .
CONSTRUCTION DATE(S)
1897/01/01 to 1897/12/31
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
Christ Church is a Municipal Heritage Property occupying three town lots in the Village of Gainsborough. The property features a one-storey stone church, which was constructed in 1897, and surrounding grounds.
HERITAGE VALUE
The heritage value of Christ Church lies in its association with religious worship in the community. Constructed by the Anglican Church in 1897, Christ Church is one of the oldest buildings in Gainsborough. Reflecting the desire of the local congregation to have a building for worship, the building was constructed by the members of the congregation using locally-collected fieldstones. Similar to many prairie churches of the period, the building incorporates elements of the Gothic Revival style of architecture. The positioning of the church on a simply landscaped oversized corner lot contributes to the landmark status in the community.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The heritage value of Christ Church resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements which reflect the building's use a church, including signage, furniture and fixtures;
-those elements which reflect the Gothic Revival style of architecture, including arched windows, steeply-pitched roof and bell tower;
-the siting of the church on the oversized and unadorned corner location."
The Memorial Cenotaph to the WWI and WWII dead of Gainsborough stands next to the church, in a special place of pride. (
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