St. Paul’s Anglican Church

St. Paul’s Church, 2017.

History

Harbour Grace’s first Anglican church was built in 1764, with the establishment of the mission. This church burned down in 1816, and a replacement was built the following year. However, a violent wind storm destroyed this second church, and a third structure was built. This third structure suffered a similar fate: in 1832 fire razed a large part of Harbour Grace—the first of the community’s three “Great Fires”—including the Anglican church.

Construction soon began on a fourth church on this piece of property. Due to prior misfortunes, the parish decided to build this next church out of stone, rather than wood, the previous churches’ primary construction material. Stone was rarely used in outport Newfoundland, owing to a lack of qualified stonemasons. Despite these limitations, the church contacted stonemasons Robert Lee Whiting and Thomas Kitchen to erect the building. The stone was locally quarried, presumably at Kellys Island, Conception Bay.

On August 28, 1835, Governor Henry Prescott laid the cornerstone. In 1835 a Royal Coat of Arms was installed in the west gallery, signifying St. Paul’s as a garrison church. Two years later, on July 9, 1837, with the nave and tower complete, the church opened its doors. Two ornate chairs in the chancel were hand carved in India and donated by George Makinson, a parishioner. The church’s first bell came from Liverpool, England, purchased by Ridley & Sons, a prominent mercantile firm in Harbour Grace. On July 4, 1840, Bishop Aubrey George Spencer consecrated the building, though not the Royal Coat of Arms.

The second stage of work started in the 1860, when the transept and apse were added—typical features of Gothic Revival construction. These additions were influenced by the Cambridge Camden Society, which sought a return to medieval Roman Catholic layouts and architecture. With its intricate woodworking, arched windows, and decoration, the interior and exterior of St. Paul’s reflects these trends in nineteenth-century architecture. On October 6, 1877, a pipe organ manufactured by Chappell & Company, of Liverpool, was installed. Manually operated bellows powered the organ until 1948, when the organ was electrified.

Some structural problems emerged around the turn of the century. In 1894 the tower was taken down, due to cracks in its base. Work on a replacement did not begin until three years later, and its construction took four years. In 1901 the new tower, six feet higher than its predecessor, was completed (see the pictures below, for before and after this renovation). Around the same time, work started on repairing the south and north sides of the nave.

The next major renovation took from 1977 to 1978, when the tower was repaired for a third time. The interior was refurbished in the 1970s.

Other notable features on St. Paul’s grounds are its adjacent graveyard and rock wall abutting the property, a common feature in Harbour Grace. The oldest known Newfoundland Regimental gravesite is on St. Paul’s grounds. In 1799 Lieutenant George Gordon Cawley died when stationed in Harbour Grace, of unknown causes. An information panel details the history of the gravesite on the grounds.

Today, St. Paul’s Church is considered the oldest stone, Gothic Revival-style church in Newfoundland. The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland & Labrador designated St. Paul’s Church a Registered Heritage Structure in September 1995.

: St. Paul’s Church, ca. 1889

: St. Paul’s Church, ca. 1910

: St. Paul’s Church, ca. 1930

: Chancel at St. Paul’s, ca. 1930

: St. Paul’s Church, 2017

: Regimental Gravesite, 2013

Location:

GPS Coordinates: 47.692640, -53.215797
Street Address: Cochrane St, Harbour Grace, NL

Contact Information:

Parish Priest: Rev. John E. K. Nicolle

t: (709) 596-6041 / (709) 596-0868

Links & Further Information:

St. Paul’s Music Cafe (2020)

Event: St. Paul’s Music Cafe (Open Mic)

Date: First Friday of every month (Winter 2020)

Location: St. Paul’s Church Hall, 4 Cochrane St, Harbour Grace

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Admission: $5.00

St. Paul’s Music Cafe Facebook

St. Paul’s Music Cafe Concerts are held on the first Friday of each month, at St. Paul’s Hall, Harbour Grace. The Cafe runs as an open mic night. Admission is $5.00 and includes first tea/coffee and a door prize ticket. (Bring a food item for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank and receive an extra door prize ticket!) Kitchen treats are $1.00 each.

We hope to see you there!