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Trinity Anglican Church

857 Main Street, Sussex, New Brunswick, E4E, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2007/11/26

View from the west; Town of Sussex
Trinity Anglican Church
View from the north; Town of Sussex
Trinity Anglican Church
View from the east; Town of Sussex
Trinity Anglican Church

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1874/01/01 to 1876/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2008/01/31

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Trinity Anglican Church is a two-and-a-half storey Gothic Revival style church with a large square bell tower located at the corner of Main Street and Fowler Avenue. The designation is confined to the church building.

Heritage Value

Trinity Anglican Church is designated a Local Historic Place for its historic architecture, as well as for its religious significance in the community.

Trinity Anglican Church is recognized for its architecture. The church is a good example of late 19th-century Gothic Revival religious architecture in the Sussex area. Designed by Saint John architects John T. C. McKean and G. Earnest Fairweather, it was built between 1874-1876 under the supervision of then rector, the Rev. Canon Charles Medley, son of Bishop John Medley, the first Anglican bishop of Fredericton and driving force behind Anglican religious architecture in New Brunswick at the time. The church is also recognized for its interior fittings, including a rood screen, board and batten paneling, the pulpit which was a gift from Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton, in 1913 having been used in the Cathedral for 60 years, and a walnut and ash altar which was the gift of Michael Howley, Catholic Bishop of Newfoundland. The windows of the church include a series of stained-glass windows depicting all twelve of the apostles. The locations of the pulpit on the right and the lectern on the left as you face the altar are opposite from the usual locations in most churches, due the location of the original entrance which would be obstructed if the pulpit were to be located on the left.

Trinity Anglican Church is also recognized for its association with the long-standing Anglican congregation in Sussex. The original Trinity Anglican Church was built in 1804 in Sussex Vale (now Sussex Corner). In 1873 it was decided that the church at that location was not able to accommodate the congregation and the decision was taken to build a new church where Trinity Anglican Church now stands. Trinity Anglican Church, the oldest church in Sussex, has been the place of worship by the local congregation continuously since 1876.

Source: Town of Sussex - Historic Places file #1

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements relating to the architecture of Trinity Anglican Church include:
- asymmetrical two-and-a-half storey massing;
- decorative features painted in a darker colour for emphasis;
- 4.9m by 4.9m tower that rises to 30.5m in height containing the entry, a second floor vestry, a belfry and a spire;
- Gothic arch and lancet windows with hood moulding;
- two long windows and a carved triangular window in the gable projected from the building and supported by a corbel table on the western end;
- three-light windows projecting from the building and supported by a corbel table, capped with a triangular pediment head with carved finial and stops on the eastern end.

The character-defining elements relating to the interior include:
- arched nave with side aisles;
- stained-glass windows depicting the crucifixion, prophets and twelve apostles;
- rood screen;
- pulpit and its location with respect to the lectern;
- altar;
- board and batten panelling.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

New Brunswick

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (NB)

Recognition Statute

Local Historic Places Program

Recognition Type

Municipal Register of Local Historic Places

Recognition Date

2007/11/26

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Building Social and Community Life
Religious Institutions
Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Philosophy and Spirituality
Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design

Function - Category and Type

Current

Religion, Ritual and Funeral
Religious Facility or Place of Worship

Historic

Architect / Designer

John T. C. McKean

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Town of Sussex – Historic Places File # 1

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

1466

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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