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Christ Church - West Patience Lake

Blucher RM 343, Saskatchewan, S0K, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1984/10/09

Front facade; Christine Kulyk, 2005.
Front and side elevations, 2005.
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Other Name(s)

Christ Church - West Patience Lake
Christ Anglican Church
Christ Anglican Chruch
Wolshaw Memorial Church
Patience Lake Church

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1908/01/01 to 1909/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2006/06/22

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Christ Church - West Patience Lake is a Municipal Heritage Property situated on a 0.2-hectare parcel of land in the Rural Municipality (RM) of Blucher, about 15 kilometres east of Saskatoon and slightly south of Highway 5. The property features a small, white, wood-frame church constructed in 1908, and an adjoining cemetery.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of Christ Church - West Patience Lake resides in the church’s status as one of the earliest constructed in the region and one of the oldest buildings remaining in the RM of Blucher. Built by pioneer Barr Colonists in the first decade of the 1900s and designed by their spiritual leader, Reverend George Exton Lloyd, the church has a long history as a centre of worship for the close-knit community of Anglican families in the area. Reflecting the congregation’s spirit of generosity and cooperation, church construction was carried out by “volunteer bees” of community members. The property was purchased for the church as a donation by Louisa Lawley, a Barr Colonist belonging to one of the region’s earliest homestead families, and the first service was held in November 1908, just prior to completion of the main phase of construction.

Heritage value resides also in the church’s architecture, which combines compact, simple lines with Gothic-influenced elements that appropriately reflect the religious function of the building. The distinctive square, crenellated, central-front tower has a Gothic-arched belfry window, while the lower part of the tower features framing buttresses accentuating the Gothic design of the front entrance. The roof of the church is steeply pitched, and its pointed-arch windows are adorned with segments of tinted glass. Over a wood-frame construction, the white exterior boarding is offset subtly by dark green accents and the dark cedar shingles of the sloping roof. Inside, deep brown wooden walls with V-joint wainscotting, a tightly arched wooden ceiling, plus wood floors and furnishings give the intimate interior space a warm, dignified, and serene atmosphere. The chancel, added to the structure in 1913 by Alan Lawley, features a framing archway, wooden altar rail, and stepped-up floor. Situated near the junction of two heavily used roads, the distinctive appearance of the little white church has made it an important landmark in the RM of Blucher, and although the church is now used only occasionally for services, the congregation continues to maintain it with care.

Heritage value also resides in the church’s adjoining cemetery, which holds the graves and markers of Barr Colonists such as the Allens and the Lawleys who formed its early congregation.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Blucher No. 343 Bylaw No. 9-84.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Christ Church - West Patience Lake resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that are characteristic of Gothic-influenced architecture, including the steeply pitched roof, pointed-arch windows and door, and the square, crenellated tower with its arched belfry window and framing buttresses;
-those elements that reflect the religious nature of the building, including the arched wooden ceiling, tinted-glass window segments, and the chancel with its framing wooden archway, altar rail, and stepped-up floor;
-the adjoining cemetery with its grave markers;
-the church’s location near the junction of two main roads and physical proximity to its cemetery.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Saskatchewan

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (SK)

Recognition Statute

Heritage Property Act, s. 11(1)(a)

Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Property

Recognition Date

1984/10/09

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1913/01/01 to 1913/12/31

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
Religion, Ritual and Funeral
Mortuary Site, Cemetery or Enclosure

Architect / Designer

Rev. George Exton Lloyd

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Department of Culture, Youth and Recreation Heritage Resources Branch 1919 Saskatchewan Drive Regina, SK File: MHP 458

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

MHP 458

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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