User:Brusqueguy/sandbox

= St George's Anglican Church, In Historic Pickering Village (Ajax) = St. George's Anglican Church is one of the oldest churches in Ajax, Ontario, Canada. The parish was established in 1832. There are two buildings on site. One is the historic/heritage church, and the other, the worship centre. The heritage church is in the style of a rural English village church, within a setting of spruce trees, gravestones and wrought iron fences. The heritage building was built circa 1856. It was designed by Scottish architect, Alexander Hay. Hay had a young apprentice named Henry Langley. Langley later became the foremost ecclesiastical architect in Ontario, and also designed many of the heritage buildings of Toronto. Langley's great-grand daughter, Elizabeth Davidson designed the worship centre, which was completed in the fall of 2003.

The church was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1984. The church continues to be an important landmark in the Durham Region.

History
Those in positions of power in 1832 saw what is now known as Durham, as wilderness. The Anglican Diocese of Toronto did not exist. Nor did the Anglican Church of Canada. The first incumbent, Adam Elliott, was sent by the Anglican Bishop of Quebec.

Adam Elliott and his wife, Eliza Howells, were pioneers, who built their own log cabin in the same way as any other couple. A few years later a log cabin designated as a church was built on the present site.

Elliott travelled on horseback to visit his parishioners. There were no roads, no way of communicating with Eliza, and danger from animals and frostbite. Anyone with knowledge of Canadian history will remember that the 1830s was a period of political unrest, culminating in rebellions in both Upper and Lower Canada.

Eliza Howells was the maternal aunt of E. Pauline Johnson, who was popular in her day as an entertainer who emphasized the indigenous side of her heritage.

The area around the log cabin changed quickly. The local parish became part of what is now known as the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, which was established in 1837.

By the middle of the nineteenth century the people of this area were  aware of political unrest in the USA, indicating the possibility of civil war. Our own leaders were in discussion about a union of the colonies.

The people of St. George’s went ahead with their own practical matters. They had outgrown the log cabin and wanted a permanent place of worship.

At that time the Grand Trunk Railway needed land for tracks. The parish had land, given as clergy reserves, so a trade was negotiated. The railway got land for tracks, and the parish got bricks.

A century after the historic church was built the people of the parish realized that it was not sufficient for future growth, so they built a parish hall. Later in the 20th century it was obvious, once again, that they needed to build for expansion. The new worship space was built “on”, rather than “in replacement of” the parish hall.

The Worship Centre
A simple parish hall was built in the 1950's, and has been in constant use for Church, community and daycare groups since that time. As the Ajax area has grown, so has the need for larger space - both for worship and ancillary use. The design concept is to create an open cloister between the new and old churches - ensuring that the historical Church remains a focus for the congregation and community. The existing parish hall is wrapped by additions to the north, east and west - creating much need space to enlarge the daycare and provide for programme space for the Church and community at large, and to create a new Church seating 350 parishioners. The existing hall of 6,000 sq. ft. is fully renovated and, with the new wings, has resulted in a total building size of 17,500 sq. ft. The construction budget was $2 million and the project was completed in the fall of 2003. Category:Anglican church buildings in Canada Category:Burned buildings and structures in Canada Category:Town of Ajax Heritage Properties