Home / Accueil

Trinity Church and Rectory National Historic Site of Canada

Kingston, New Brunswick, E5N, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1977/06/06

View of the main entrance to the rectory, showing its two-storey, rectangular form with a central doorway.; Parks Canada Agency/ Agence Parcs Canada.
Façade
Side elevation of the church, showing the Georgian design.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada.
General view
Front elevation of the church, showing the Georgian design.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada
General view

Other Name(s)

Trinity Church and Rectory National Historic Site of Canada
Trinity Church and Rectory
Église et presbytère Trinity

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1787/01/01 to 1789/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2009/04/17

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Trinity Church and Rectory National Historic Site of Canada consists of a conventional Georgian designed basilican church and a two-storey Georgian residence built in 1789. Standing on opposite sides of Route 845 in the village of Kingston, New Brunswick, they constitute a rare example of both a church and its associated rectory surviving from the 18th century. The designation refers to the church on its footprint and the rectory on its footprint.

Heritage Value

The Trinity Church and Rectory was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1977 because:
- built in 1789, it is the oldest surviving Anglican church in New Brunswick;
- it is a rare example, in the Maritimes, of both church and rectory surviving, as a unit, from the 18th century; and,
- the rectory exhibits many characteristics of a classical Georgian residence, while the church retains some of its Georgian composition.

Loyalists arrived in Kingston in 1784, and made provisions for the establishment of an Anglican Church. A hilltop site was selected in 1787, and both the church and the rectory were constructed by 1789. Although the 19th century saw successive improvements and expansions in the Gothic Revival style, Trinity Church follows the conventional basilican pattern of a longitudinal nave with the entrance at one end and the altar at the other. Trinity Church retains some of the harmonious sobriety usually associated with Georgian design.

The Rectory was constructed in 1787-88 to house the first resident minister and his family. It has retained much of its traditional, unpretentious form, and still exhibits many characteristics of a middle-class home of the Georgian period. The Trinity Church and Rectory form a remarkable unit, since surviving examples of both these buildings from the 18th century appear to be rare in the Maritimes.

Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, October, 2007; Screening Paper, 1977.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that relate to the heritage value of this site include:
- its prominent location on opposite sides of Route 845 in the village of Kingston, New Brunswick and the exterior spatial configuration of the church and rectory which form a unit;
- the harmonious sobriety and traditional, unpretentious form associated with Georgian design;
- the interior layout of the rectory, including its two-storey, rectangular form with a central doorway, and main floor interior arrangement of four rooms around the central hallway;
- the remaining elements of the church’s original Georgian composition;
- the materials and craftsmanship associated with the period of the church and rectory’s construction;
- those aspects illustrating the original design and function, including the fireplaces and ovens that remain in situ, the flooring and other woodwork, the arched opening trimmed in a refined Georgian style with fluted pilasters and an elliptical arch with keystone, and traces of 18th-century window frame moulding with a near semi-circular curve;
- those characteristics associated with its significance as the oldest surviving Anglican church in New Brunswick, including extant materials and furnishings that may remain in situ in the building;
- its continued use and the customs and traditions that were or continue to be associated with the Trinity Church and Rectory.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites and Monuments Act

Recognition Type

National Historic Site of Canada

Recognition Date

1977/06/06

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1850/01/01 to 1850/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Building Social and Community Life
Religious Institutions

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Religion, Ritual and Funeral
Religious Facility or Place of Worship
Residence
Single Dwelling

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec.

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

182

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

SEARCH THE CANADIAN REGISTER

Advanced SearchAdvanced Search
Find Nearby PlacesFIND NEARBY PLACES PrintPRINT
Nearby Places