Description of Historic Place

St. Lucy’s Anglican Church is a Municipal Heritage Property located at the corner of Gladstone Street and Saskatchewan Avenue in the Village of Dilke. The property features a single-storey, rectangular stone church with a gable roof and Gothic-arch windows and main entryway.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of St. Lucy’s Anglican Church lies in the property’s historic use as a place of worship by the Anglican community. Built in 1914, the church was regularly used by the congregation as a regular place of worship until the late 1930s. The church closed in 1958 due to dwindling numbers, but annual Harvest Thanksgiving services have been conducted here every fall. The church is also used for occasional special ceremonies, such as funerals and weddings. The open space interior, as opposed to fixed pews, has permitted the congregation to use this very small church in more practical ways, while the chancel rail follows traditional Anglican liturgical separation of the congregation from the altar.

The long history of community involvement with St. Lucy’s also contributes to its historic value. Initially this co-operation was witnessed in the construction of the church. Although the original drawings were prepared by Regina architect R.J. Rowley, the design was modified by J. Stewart Houston of Tyvan, a trained architectural draftsman who had direct connections to people living in Dilke. In addition, local stonemason Ben Brewer and area carpenters J. Barry and J. Ryerson did most of the construction, while neighbouring farmers and others in the community helped haul stones from nearby fields for the building’s construction. Since the church ceased to have regular services, members of the Dilke community, regardless of their religious affiliation, have come together to help preserve and maintain this important local landmark and to host the annual Harvest Thanksgiving service.

Heritage value for this property also lies in the architectural design of the building. Reflecting a Gothic Revival influence, the property features a high-pitched roof, and pointed arches forming the tops of the windows and side entrance. In addition, this church features an uncommon east and west end design, which includes gable shoulders at the bottom of the slope of the gable ends, reminiscent of a frontpiece on more complex buildings. The interior of the church has been covered with plaster, while the ceiling is finished with tongue-and-groove boards. The design of the chancel rail also reflects arches based on Gothic Revival designs.

Heritage value also lies in the original prairie landscape that surrounds the church. St. Lucy’s Church was built on uncultivated native prairie soil and the lawn grasses contain native forbs.

Source:

Village of Dilke Bylaw No. 66.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of St. Lucy’s Anglican Church resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those features that reflect its use as an Anglican place of worship, such as the chancel rail separating the congregation from the altar area of the church interior;
-those features that reflect the building’s community involvement, such as the open-space interior where various functions can be accommodated and the exposed exterior stonework and interior woodwork;
-those architectural features that reflect Gothic Revival influences, such as the pointed arches at the top of the windows and doorway, the high-pitched roof and the gable shoulders on the end walls;
-those exterior landscape elements that reflect the original prairie landscape, such as the natural prairie grass surrounding the church; and the open terrain surrounding the building.