HomeMy WebLinkAbout512"Paperbound book, 47 pages, 25 x 22 cm., written in 1985, by Elizabeth Shumovich,
a historical sketch of St.Paul's Anglican Church in Pickering.
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"TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword ............................ i
Preface............................ 11
Chapter 1: The Early Church in Pickering ............ 1
Chapter 2: 1925 - 1934 .....................3
Chapter 3: 1934.........................7
Chapter 4: 1934 - 1959 ....................20
Chapter 5: 1959 - 1976 ....................31
Chapter 6: 1976 - 1985 ....................38
Chapter 7: Yesterday....Today....and Tomorrow? ………........42
Appendix 1: Clergy Associated with St. Paul's on-the-Hill ………... 44
Appendix 2: Wardens Serving St. Paul's on-the-Hill .……..... 45
Appendix 3: Some Significant Dates in our History………..... 46
Appendix 4: Honour Roll - St. Paul's on-the-Hill ...………... 46
Appendix 5: Long Time Members of the W.A............47
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"FOREWORD
Dear Friends:
Since coming to St. Paul's I have discovered what a fascinating history it has had. In many
respects it is unique in the Diocese. The lands and buildings were privately owned until 1976
and then they were deeded not to the Diocese (as is usually the case), but to the congregation.
The Rectory was built without approval from downtown and with almost no money in the bank.
The Men's Club built it, the W.A. fed them, and it was completed debt free! Elizabeth
Shumovich has recounted these and other stories from our colourful past. My favourite is the
showdown between the Bishop and the Churchwardens when St. Paul's insisted that it could
survive quite well as an independent and self-supporting parish. Liz's account of that meeting
has necessarily been toned down for publication purposes but you can use your imagination
to fill in the missing details.
While all the dates and facts are duly recorded, Liz has sought to capture the spirit of the
parish and the character of the people who have provided its leadership. As you will discover
the parish has had a streak of rugged independence since its inception. This is not to say that
it is not proud of its Anglican heritage and association, but it has sought to find its own way in
the world. There are times when it seemed that God's work amongst his Anglican flock in
Pickering was accomplished despite the wider Church, rather than in co-operation with it.
Whether it was Bishops, Clergy or Synod, St. Paul's steered its own course.
We can't help but admire this spirit of determination, self-confidence and independence.
Towards the end of her account Liz asks whether that same spirit has survived to the present
or whether we are coasting on the accomplishments of a previous generation?
That's a hard question but I am confident that as we face the challenge of a changing
community around us we will discover within us that same spirit and vision.
We have a history that we can be proud of and we owe a word of thanks to Liz for the many
hours she spent in order to put it all on paper.
I am happy to commend it to you.
The Rev. Brian H. McVitty Rector
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"PREFACE
The history of St. Paul's on-the-Hill has been most interesting and colourful.
It depicts the struggles of pioneer days through to the complex days of the eighties -
each era with its joys, frustrations and accomplishments. I have attempted to relate an
accurate record of events while at the same time depict the several outstanding characters
that have served in our midst. Nevertheless, there were many others who have been the
""foot soldiers"" and are left nameless in the records. For their efforts as well we shall always
be grateful.
I would like to thank Jean and Clyde Quinton, Vi Swan, Edna Crosier, and Sam and Lora
Yetman for their personal insights into our storied past. We are indeed fortunate to have them
""on the scene"" because there were times when the records were almost totally missing.
A complete list of Clergy, Wardens and some important dates appear in Appendices 1, 2,
and 3. As well, I appreciated the essay of Santo Amenta which has given great architectural
insight to us all. Dawn White has superbly typed this manuscript just as you see it here -many
thanks. Lastly, I would like to thank my family whose patience, constructive advice and
encouragement made my task much easier.
And so, this booklet is about people who were challenged to do great things for their church;
in spite of adversity their faith endured, and we reap the benefits of their love and dedication.
Elizabeth Shumovich
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"CHAPTER 1: THE EARLY CHURCH IN PICKERING
The Anglican Church pre-dates the establishment of regular worship services which began in
Pickering in 1841. Three Anglican missionaries had come to the province of Upper Canada
soon after its founding - a United Empire Loyalist from New York State, the Rev.
John Stuart to Kingston in 1785; the Rev. John Langborn to the Bay of Quinte in 1787;
and the Rev. Robert Addison to Niagara in 1792. However, for many years the Rev. Jacob
Mountain, who became the first Bishop of Quebec in 1793 and whose diocese included both
the Canadas, was unable to do much for Upper Canada. Few clergymen were willing to
leave England and travel to an ""unknown"" area where terrible hardships were said to be
experienced. When John Strachan, a former Scottish schoolmaster was ordained in 1803
and placed in charge of Cornwall, Upper Canada contained only 5 Anglican clergymen and
the increase in numbers was discouragingly slow; in 1819 there were only ten,
in 1825 twenty-two, in 1827 thirty, and in 1833 forty-six.
Among the early settlers survival was of most importance and so there was a general
indifference to religion; Sunday was commonly a day of work as usual or a special holiday
and opportunity for visiting. Nevertheless, a travelling missionary was always most welcome
and he could be sure of a congregation; some devout and zealous churchmen looked forward
to his visits; others welcomed a break in the monotony and isolation of pioneer life,
and a chance to meet their neighbours.
By 1828, Venerable John Strachan, who had been rector of St. James since 1812 and
Archdeacon of York (he later became the first Bishop of Toronto: 1839-1867),
was most concerned about the ""spiritual destitution"" of the families pioneering around York
and the wilderness of Upper Canada, and the large numbers of Anglicans who had
immigrated to the area from the British Isles. He arranged for some of his divinity students to
provide church services from time to time. One of his new ordinands was the Rev. Adam
Elliott who had been appointed by ""The Society for Converting and Civilizing the Indians and
for the propogating the Gospel among the Destitute Settlers of Upper Canada"" and whose
duty it was to visit and care for the settlers in the vast Home District. In November, 1832,
Mr. Elliott added Pickering to his circuit which included St. Margaret's, West Hill
(first erected in 1833), and St. Paul's, L'Amoreaux (1841). Generically then,
the parish of St. Paul's on-the-Hill, Dunbarton, could be said to be linked to them.
It is not surprising that Mr. Elliott should journey into Pickering because his brother
John was pioneering there.
Rev. Adam Elliott was a tall athletic-looking man with flowing black hair and beard,
fine moustache and sideburns, broad forehead and deep-set serious eyes. Like his
contemporaries, the Methodist circuit riders, this pioneer in the Anglican church would
carefully ride on horseback along rough corduroy roads, poorly marked and
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"blazed trails through swamps and creeks from settlement to settlement. In his saddlebags he
carried only a prayer book, Bible, surplice and communion chalice. He would hold services in
log schoolhouses, taverns, barns and crowded houses all the way from Lake Ontario to
Georgian Bay.
The first service in Pickering was held in the home of Mr. Francis Sey [Ley]. Two children
were baptised at that time but it was not until 1834 that Mr. Elliott returned to hold yet another
service in the home of Mr. Sey. It is recorded that eighty persons were present at this time.
Seven years later, the present church of St. George was built in Pickering on lands given by
the Grand Trunk Railway. Continuous records are unavailable because they were
inadvertently destroyed. However, the Rev. Douglas B. Langford began his incumbency at
St. John's, Port Whitby in 1924 and the records of St. John's show that St. George's was
linked to it.
Rev. Adam Elliot
Travelling Missionary: 1832 – 1835
2"
"CHAPTER 2: 1925 - 1934
The Anglicans in Dunbarton had been worshipping at the Church of St. George,
the only Anglican church in Pickering, since 1841. By 1925 they were no longer content to
travel to Pickering to worship and approached Mr. Harry A. Newman, himself a member of
St. George's, about using the disused Dunbarton School which had been built in 1857.
Mr. Newman had acquired the old schoolhouse in 1924 as part of an exchange of property on
which the new 2-room Dunbarton school was to be built. (This building still stands on the
north side of Highway 2 west of the church.) The approach to Mr. Newman was that
""if he would not allow the use of the school for Anglican worship, then they would go
elsewhere"". Mr. Newman was reluctant to allow a splintering of the congregation but in the
end he yielded. At considerable personal expense he renovated the hall so that it would be
fit to use as a place of worship.
On November 8, 1925 the Rev. Douglas Langford, rector of St. John's, Port Whitby,
and St. George's, Pickering conducted the first Anglican service in Dunbarton at 3 p.m.
(Sunday School was at 2 p.m.). Earlier in the day he conducted services in each of the above
churches and cycled the twelve miles to Dunbarton. (He was known as ""the cycling parson"".)
Thus began the Mission of St. George's, Pickering or as it was sometimes called -
The Dunbarton Mission.
With this added responsibility Mr. Langford requested some assistance from the Diocese.
This was the main point of the vestry meeting held on Monday, February 1, 1926 with about
equal attendance from Pickering and Dunbarton. Archdeacon Warren attended at the request
of the Bishop to ascertain the wishes of the people regarding the question of the separation
of Pickering and Dunbarton from Port Whitby. His memorandum to the Bishop says:
""Some of the Pickering people were evidently in favour of a complete divorce,
but the Dunbarton people were unanimously desirous of remaining in some form or other
under the ministration of Mr. Langford. ... The upshot of the discussion was a resolution
requesting the Bishop to appoint an assistant to Mr. Langford or to bring about a separation
and make Pickering and Dunbarton a distinct charge.""
The resulting appointment of Mr. Wm. R. Sproule, a student from Wycliffe College,
proved to be a very popular one. Mr. Sproule conducted confirmation classes and on
November 22, 1926 thirty candidates were confirmed by Bishop Sweeney at St. George's,
Pickering. Six of them were from Dunbarton: Mrs. Harriet Allan, Ethel Blinken, Emma King,
Pearl Swan, Dorothy Swan and Violet Swan.
3"
"Rev. Douglas B. Langford Rector: 1925 – 1929
Mr. & Mrs. Harry A. Newman
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"During the summers, Fairport Beach was quite an active cottage community and it was
suggested that the Dunbarton Mission should make an attempt to provide a Church service
for these people. Vi Swan recalled the following incident:
""It was arranged that the service on the first Sunday in July would be held on the bluff at the
end of Fairport Road (now West Shore Blvd.) Notices inviting everyone to come were
delivered to all the homes in the area. The crowd gathered; Vi Swan provided the music
using a small portable organ. As Mr. Sproule started his sermon, a huge rainbow appeared
over the lake. He turned to the people and said: 'That is God's promise that the Dunbarton
Anglican Mission will grow in numbers and some day have a church with a flourishing
congregation'.""
Mr. Sproule regularly conducted services in Pickering and Dunbarton. One Sunday a
month he exchanged with Mr. Langford who came to conduct Holy Communion. Mr. Sproule
continued for one year following his ordination and during his stay organized a lively A.Y.P.A.
which had more than 65 paid-up members and an afternoon W.A. with 20 members (1928).
The financial arrangements were rather interesting -Pickering and Dunbarton agreed to pay
seventy-five percent ($900) of Mr. Sproule's stipend and a Mission grant was to make up the
remainder. In addition, the rental money from the rectory in Pickering ($96/year) was no
longer to be transferred to Port Whitby but was to be assigned to Mr. Sproule's stipend.
Following Mr. Sproule were Gordon Channen, Cecil Watkins and Cecil Pippin.
The parishioners at Pickering and Dunbarton became more determined to have their own
resident rector and again approached the Bishop in this regard. He asked the Rev. E.G.
Robinson who was situated in Schomberg to consider a move. Mr. Robinson conducted the
services on September 8, 1929 and wasn't too optimistic about the possibility of Pickering
and Dunbarton becoming a viable financial unit. However, Mr. Langford and Mr. Newman
thought otherwise; they said that the churches wanted Mr. Robinson and that pledges for
money from the members were contingent on a ""resident rector"" (letter from H. Newman to
Bishop Oct. 16/29). The Bishop also indicated to Mr. Robinson that an appointment to
Pickering and Dunbarton should be ""for at least 20 years"" (letter from Archdeacon
Warren to Mr. Robinson, Sept. 25/29). Mr. Robinson assumed the incumbency of
St. George's, Pickering and Dunbarton on November 20, 1929 and remained for almost
twenty-three years!
The challenges facing Mr. Robinson in his new parish were greater than anticipated;
he had only been in Pickering one month when there was a fire in St. George's that severely
damaged the chancel and destroyed the vestry. In February, 1930 Mr. Robinson wrote the
following as part of a letter to Bishop Sweeney:
""The work seems to be going very well, so far. I gather, however, that there are very few
confirmed Anglicans around Dunbarton, so that the work is on a rather precarious footing
there, unless I can bring some of them into the fold. This, of course, will be my aim.""
5"
"How much influence this attitude had on Dunbarton will never be known but the idea of being
labelled the poor cousins in the area developed an independence that persists to this day!
Many members of the parish were anxious to project an image of growth and accomplishment
to the community. They objected to their rector riding a bicycle and saw to it that he purchased
a car. As well, Dunbarton acquired its own communion vessels made of pewter.
The exact source is unknown but they came from a disused and closed church.
The relationship between St. George's and the ""Dunbarton Mission"" was not always
amiable and trusted and, from time to time, suggestions of separation surfaced.
On February 22, 1933 Mr. Robinson wrote a letter to Archdeacon Warren which says in part:
""Neither congregation was satisfied with what the other did, and that condition dated from
before my advent. Now, if there is a definite understanding as to obligation, it may work out
better"".
At its vestry meeting on February 22, 1933 the members from Dunbarton voted to change the
name from ""Dunbarton Mission"" to ""St. Paul's on-the- Hill, Dunbarton"". This incurred the
displeasure of Archdeacon Warren who wrote to Mr. Robinson on February 24, 1933 and
said:
""I do not quite like the idea of giving a name, a name of a Saint, to a congregation before
they have obtained a Church. There are two or three places near Toronto where this was
done, and it has always seemed to me to be very absurd. We have St. Elizabeth's in a public
school, St. Bede's in a ratepayers' hall....""
By this time it became very apparent that Dunbarton was exercising its independence again
and was preparing to have its own church.
6"
"CHAPTER 3: 1934
To anyone familiar with both the community of Dunbarton and the parish of St. Paul's
on-the-Hill the name of Newman is well-known. As was so often observed by those who
knew him, Harry Newman was a man of great foresight and so it was not surprising that he
would visualize the time in the future when it would be necessary to provide a church building
for the Anglicans of Dunbarton. In addition, he wished to establish a fitting memorial to his
father, Mr. Richard Newman, who served the church faithfully for many years in the Diocese of
Niagara. It is the Newman influence that has made the church unique in the Diocese because
the church was built on land owned by Mr. Newman, built by him and leased to the
congregation for $1 per year (until 1976).
The author has chosen to include a descriptive essay of the church building as written for a
university course by Santo Amenta, a resident within our parish boundaries, because it gives
great insight into the design and its significance in the church:
""St. Paul's on-the-Hill was designed by Leo Hunt-Stanford (1898-1970). He was born in
England and while there he had designed several churches. The two most noteworthy
buildings designed by his firm after he had immigrated to Canada are the National Institute
for the Blind and the Ontario Crippled Childrens' Centre.
""This church is situated, as its name appropriately states, on the top of a gently sloped hill
which overlooks Highway 2 and south beyond that to Lake Ontario. Its property, located on the
north side of Highway 2 and just west of Fairport Road North, extends for six hundred feet
from east to west and from two hundred to three hundred feet from north to south.
On this property sit three structures. The church building itself is in the middle.
The parish hall which used to be the old Dunbarton Schoolhouse is located east of the church,
and the rectory is located south-west of the church.
""This church is unique in the area in several ways. One of its distinctive features is the
acquisition of the materials used in the construction of its exterior and some of the interior
furnishings for this building.
""The exterior bricks used in this building's construction were obtained by Harry Newman
from the Church of the Ascension which had been built on lands held in trust on Richmond
Street in Toronto. This church, rather than functioning as an Anglican parish, had become
more involved with caring for indigents and also connected with work done with inmates at
the jail. The actual church building no longer served as a house of God but had been leased
by tenants who were carrying on an automobile business out of this structure.
There were also debts of nearly ten thousand dollars outstanding on the property.
On December 21, 1933 this church was disestablished and in 1934 it was torn down.
Mr. Newman was able to purchase the
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bricks and windows but was unable to purchase the bell which he also wanted (figure 1).
""In the interior, the pews were bought from another church which had outlived its usefulness.
Buttonville Methodist Church had been established as early as 1774. Its brick church structure
had been built in 1890. In the year 1934, it was also being razed and the congregation at
St. Paul's was able to purchase their distinctive and very old curved pews (figure 2, 2a).
""The interior of St. Paul's is in keeping with the traditional design of small churches in rural
Ontario. The floor plan (figure 3) shows the structure is made up of three rectangular box
shapes. A small porch with six straight stairs lead to a set of Gothic lancet arched double
wooden doors. These doors, centred on the south facade of the square tower,
lead into a small entrance area and stairs. The entrance leads to a nave without side aisles
and the stairs lead down to the basement and up to the balcony which was added in 1983.
The nave moves forward to the chancel whose design is of the typical Anglican layout based
on that of St. James, Stratford built in 1869. This layout has remained unchanged ever since.
In St. Paul's, as in St. James', the deep chancel has the altar at the back wall and a divided
choir with a centre aisle in front of the altar (figure 4, 4a). The chancel is separated from the
nave by stairs and a large vaulted arch.
""The exterior structure, made of brick, is of greater interest because of its unique antiquated
appearance. On the south-east corner is a squat square tower with a flat topped roof and
battlements around its perimeter (figure 5). This tower has setback buttresses on the three
exterior corners. The south facade of this tower has the entrance doors and above that a
small lancet arched window. The entrance arch and window are of similar proportions.
On the east face of the tower are two lancet arched windows, one above the other.
The upper window is the same size as the one on the south facade but the lower one,
although the same width, is elongated. The north side of the tower contains only one lancet
arched window positioned in the middle of that wall.
""The south facade (figure 6) has an elevated basement storey with square wooden framed
windows. On the main floor there are two slender lancet arched windows and a doorway with
a wooden porch and stairs. It is interesting to note that the doorway and stairs were added at
a later time (1982). When the church was originally built this doorway was also a lancet
arched window (figure 7). The wall surface on the south facade is divided into three sections
by four small buttresses. Each of the two windows and the door is centred on these three
sections. The south chancel wall, which is slightly recessed, has only double square windows
on the basement storey and no windows on the main floor. This wall surface finishes with a
setback buttress.
8"
"Figure 1: Church of the Ascension, Toronto
Figure 2 -- Figure 2a : Diagrams showing the pews
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"Figure 3: Floor plan of church
Figure 4: Chancel St. Paul's
Figure 4a: Chancel, St. James, Stratford
Figure 5: Entrance to St. Paul's
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"Figure 6: St. Paul's on-the-Hill, November, 1984
Figure 7: St. Paul's on-the-Hill, Nov. 1934
Figure 8: North Side
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"""The north face (figure 8) of St. Paul's has five small buttresses dividing the wall surface
into four sections. Each one of these four sections has a ground level wooden square window
and a lancet arched window on the main floor level directly above the square window.
The north chancel wall, again, has no window on the main level and only one square window
on the basement level. This wall surface also ends in a setback buttress.
""The east face of the church consists of the east face of the tower and a peaked flat wall with
a small setback buttress on the end. This peaked wall surface has a set of triple lancet arched
windows with the centre one being both taller and more ornate (figure9). It contains a stained
glass scene depicting Christ blessing little children. This scene is based on St. Luke 18 verse
16 which states ""Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the
kingdom of God."" Above these windows is a circular rose window with a stained glass
window to commemorate the 60th Anniversary year.
""The west side is the chancel end with windows more important and ornate than any of the
others. This wall is also peaked and has another triple set of arched windows (figure 10).
All three windows here have stained glass in them. The two outer ones contain geometric
patterns while the centre one, larger and more important, depicts a scene of Christ,
regally crowned and robed, holding a lantern and knocking on a door.
This scene is based on the Bible's Revelation 3 verse 20 which states ""Behold,
I stand at the door and knock; If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to
him, and will sup with him, and he with me.""
""The use of large numbers of windows can be traced back to Romanesque and Gothic
architecture of the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. One of the essential aims of these two
styles was to bring light and spaciousness to previously dark interiors. This was achieved by
reducing the weight and mass of the external walls and increasing the window space. Double,
triple, and even greater numbers of windows were combined in the attempt to achieve this
aim. The triple set of windows became very popular. It is not difficult to understand why
because, in the Medieval period, architects and painters began to use many forms of
disguised symbolism in their works. Among these forms, the triple windows and triple arches
in architecture became symbolic of the Trinity - God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
St. Paul's on-the-Hill makes use of many windows to add light to the interior. They also have
made use of the triple windows on the east and west ends of the building. It is interesting to
note that of all the different styles of churches built in Ontario, only those done in the Gothic
style use this disguised symbolism. St. James Cathedral in Toronto makes extensive use of
the triple windows (figure 11). St. Andrews in Hamilton, as well as several other Gothic style
churches, make use of these triple windows (figure 12) as well.
12"
"Figure 9: East windows
Figure 10: West windows
13"
"Figure 11: St. James Cathedral
Figure 12: St. Andrew's, Hamilton
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"""The entrance to the church, as mentioned earlier, is in the shape of a lancet arch.
The vertical portion of this arch is spanned by the architrave which encloses a set of double
wooden doors. Above the architrave, the spandrel is painted with a curved triangular design
and within this, a large circle. In turn, this circle is broken into four smaller circles which are
pierced by four oculii or round windows (figure 13). The whole effect gives the appearance
of geometrical tracery characteristic of buildings built between 1250 and 1300. Unlike the
early examples though, this tracery is only painted on instead of being of actual stone work
as is typical of larger more expensive structures.
""The walls of St. Paul's are topped off with a saddleback roof -that is, a normal two sided
pitched roof. This roof has slate shingles. This is very unusual when one considers the date
of this building. By this time, wood was the most commonly used material for roofs.
""The architecture has two influencing styles. The major one, the Norman style, affects the
whole external design, and the minor one, the Gothic style, is primarily evident in the style of
the windows used in this structure.
""The Norman style, prevalent in England in the 11th and 12th centuries, is itself actually a
derivation of the Romanesque style which continued until the advent of the Gothic in the 12th
and 13th centuries. Though common throughout all of Europe, there were many regional
variations in the Romanesque style. The Norman style can be traced, in particular,
to the regional style of the Romaneques in Normandy, France. This style was taken back to
England by William the Conqueror after the battle of 1066. The most imposing examples
of this style can be found in several huge cathedrals of which Westminster Abbey,
as rebuilt by Edward the Confessor, and Durham Cathedral are two excellent examples.
""Normans, unlike most other Europeans, had no fondness for figure sculptures and
decorations on their buildings. These buildings, therefore, look bare when compared to those
of other countries. This lack of decoration gave their buildings, including churches and
cathedrals, a feeling of immense strength and solidity. What better ideals to base the
expression of faith on? Their churches and cathedrals were more castle-like in appearance.
This is partly due to the use of the square towers with battlements on top as illustrated in
figures 14, 15,16.
""These towers were placed either at the nave end with entrances or centrally located
between the nave and chancel. Many of the larger cathedrals developed several towers
usually with two facade towers and one at the crossing of the transept, nave, and chancel.
15"
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Figure 13: Main Entrance
Figure 14: All Saints Church. Earls Barton The 75-ft tower of the church with its walls of
plastered rubble which are 4 ft thick at the base. The fourth, belfry stage has five decorated
openings in each face.
Figure 15: St Mary. Worstead (c. 1379). Norfolk, left. One of the finest of the spacious
15th-C Norfolk churches which benefited from the success of the East Anglian wool trade.
Of particular interest are the decorative flint and ashlar flush-work panels.
Figure 16: St. Lawrence. South Walsham 15thC. left. This strong, buttressed tower survived
a fire in 1827. There is a second 14th-15thC church in South Walsham. St Mary's.
showing the abundance of churches in medieval Norfolk.
16
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"""Going back as far as the Roman Basilicas, religious buildings are generally divided into an
eastern and a western section. The eastern section usually houses the chancel to coincide
with the rising of the sun, another symbolic element. The western section, then, usually houses
the entrance and the nave. Looking at the floor plan of St. Paul's, it shows that this church, too,
is divided in the same way. The difference is that the sections have been reversed with the
east section being the nave and the west section the chancel. The tower on St. Paul's is also
different in that it is not centrally located but has been positioned in the south-east corner
where it houses the entrance.
""To really appreciate the origins of St. Paul's on-the-Hill, we must look at the smaller parish
churches of the Norman style, rather than at the larger cathedrals. St. Paul's is built like many
churches in England. Two such examples are St. Mary's - Brearmore build in the 14th century
and St. Mary's - Hartley Wespall built in the 14th century (figure 17, 17a). Both of these
churches are made up of assemblages of boxes. St. Mary's - Hartley Wespall in particular
looks very much like St. Paul's except that it has no tower. St. Mary's - Brearmore,
though more complicated with more box shapes combined to form a transept,
has a squat tower placed at the junction of the nave and chancel.
""The roofs in small Norman churches tend to be made up of saddleback roofs with
each box section having its own roof. St. Paul's has a similar type roof.
""The windows in St. Paul's, as stated before, are Gothic in origin. This style became
popular throughout Europe particularly in the 12th and 13th centuries, and even up to the
present we have seen this style revived time and time again. One of its most characteristic
features is the pointed arch but this as well as all the other features of the Gothic can be
found in the Romanesque buildings. It was the combination of all the characteristic elements
that made the Gothic so distinctive. This style has never really died out as a popular type on
which to base the design of churches in particular. As it developed, the Gothic style became
more complex, intricate, and decorative. St. Paul's makes use of its simplest lancet arch
design.
""St. Paul's on-the-Hill is a pleasing combination of these two styles, the Norman and the
Gothic. Leo Hunt-Stanford was able to create, in 1934, a unique building that appears much
older than its date.""
Mr. Newman relied on the parish itself to furnish the church, and it did. The provision of pews
has been dealt with earlier but the W.A. raised money to provide the altar at this time.
This was no mean accomplishment since this was done during the most difficult years of the
Great Depression.
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"Figure 17 : St. Mary's. Brearmore An architectural characteristic of this and many
contemporaneous churches is that they appear to be an assemblage of rectangular boxes —
nave, chancel, transepts and porches - connected by narrow openings.
Figure 17a: St Marys. Hartley Wespall (14thC). Hampshire. Originally the church was built
entirely of timber but later a stone and flint wall was added. Of note is the gable end of this
framed building strengthened by decorated braces and divided down the middle by a post.
18
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"Thus finished, Mr. Newman informed the Bishop that he would like to have the church
formally opened and the final service was held in community hall on November 11, 1934.
Photographs and pictures in Santo Amenta's essay are taken from the following sources -
Book of Buildings: A Panorama of Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern Structures :
figures 14, 15, 16, 17, 17a.
Hallowed Walls: Church Architecture in Upper Canada :
figures 4a, 11, 12.
The Evening Telegram :
figure 7
All others were taken by S. Amenta
19
"
"CHAPTER 4: 1934 – 1959
The whole procedure to date regarding the building of the church had been very unorthodox
in the Diocese. Here was a situation in which a parishioner decided to use some of his land
and personally pay to have a church to serve the community built on it. Mr. Newman then
leased the church to the people for $1 a year for a period of twenty-one years and gave the
congregation full control of its own affairs. Diocesan officials were understandably concerned
by this type of arrangement but showed their acquiescence by dedicating the church.
THE RECTOR AND WARDENS OF ST. PAUL'S ON-THE-HILL. DUNBARTON
request the pleasure of your presence on the evening of Friday, November sixteenth,
at the hour of eight-fifteen p.m., when
THE MOST REVEREND D. T. OWEN, D.D., D.C.L. ARCHBISHOP OF TORONTO AND
PRIMATE OF ALL CANADA
will formally open the new Church.
THE VENERABLE GEORGE WARREN, D.D. ARCHDEACON OF YORK
will, on Sunday, November eighteenth, at eleven a.m., be the
preacher at the Service of Thanksgiving for the
opening of the new Church.
REV. E. G. ROBINSON.
Incumbent
WILLIAM PAYNE.
Rector's Warden
GEORGE TOYNE.
People's Warden
Attendance at the official opening was 180; on the first Sunday there were 30 in attendance
at 8 a.m. and 152 at 11 o'clock. This was an auspicious beginning for a building with 120
seats in the nave! At two later times in our history similar numbers have appeared on a
regular basis (1963 and 1979).
Again the status had changed - St. Paul's on-the-Hill became part of a two-point charge with
the Rev. E.G. Robinson as the Incumbent. He was a strong-willed and determined man;
both characteristics proved to be necessary in dealing with the dissension which festered
constantly but only periodically surfaced between the two congregations.
Records tend to be scanty during this period but there appears to have existed a strong
feeling to work together at St. Paul's on-the-Hill. The W.A. worked tirelessly to raise funds
to add furnishings to the church (the baptismal font was dedicated on November 26, 1939)
and help pay the on-going bills including Mr.
20
"
"Robinson's stipend. A letter from Mr. Robinson to Bishop Beverley on November 21,
1935 expresses his concern about the arrears ($529.25) in his salary. He said that D
unbarton has ""paid its share in full and will continue"". The newer church of St. Paul's
on-the-Hill appears to have had the much sounder financial base of the two churches.
Following the outbreak of World War II in 1939 a munitions plant, Defence Industries
Limited (DIL), was constructed in Pickering and accomodation was provided for the workers.
This ""town"" was later known as Ajax and had about 4,000 residents. Mr. Robinson
started services there in co-operation with the United Church minister. There were some
initial problems created inadvertently by the plant management which announced that
""Fireside Services"" were being held on Sunday afternoon. This posed problems
because the services at St. Paul's were at 3 p.m.! Nevertheless, regular services
commenced on November 1, 1942 and again Wycliffe students were enlisted to help -
Norman Green's weekly honorarium for taking services at Pickering and Dunbarton was
$4 per week plus $1 for expenses.
On January 5, 1943 the following letter was sent from the Bishop to the churchwardens of
both St. George's and St. Paul's on-the-Hill:
""This is to express to you our appreciation that during several months past you have
been willing to acquiesce in an arrangement whereby the Rev. E.G. Robinson has been
able to give some of his time to the work of the Church in the Village of Ajax. This is a very
important work, and in the present shortage of clergymen I do not know of any other
arrangement that would have been possible.
""You will be aware of the fact that we have erected a church in Ajax, which will be used
by the four co-operating communions -Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian, and United Church.
In order to get this work started I am asking your Incumbent, the Rev. E.G. Robinson,
to give special attention to it, particularly in the months of January and February.
He will make arrangements for the carrying on of the work at both Pickering and Dunbarton
at the same time. I hope you will be forebearing under the circumstances, and co-operate
with him to the utmost extent.
""Mr. Robinson is receiving a small honorarium for the additional work he is doing in Ajax,
and he is reporting upon this work to me. I do not see any reason why this should interfere
with the stipend he receives from you and from the Mission Fund of the Diocese. ...""
This association continued until September 26, 1951 when the Rev. J.E. Harvey was
appointed rector there.
St. Paul's on-the-Hi11 added its own contribution to the war effort. Thirty-six men and
women were in the service and three paid the supreme sacrifice. A complete list of
names appears in Appendix 4. Three people on that list are still active in the parish today:
Jean Bell house Quinton, Tom Newman and Violet Swan.
21
"
"There was a continued effort to relate the church to the community and on April 19,
1949 the 1st Fairport Girl Guides was formed with 5 girls enrolled; by the end of the year
there were 21. A Brownie pack was formed on November 7. Both groups flourished and
were very successful.
On June 17, 1951 the stained glass windows over the altar were dedicated in memory of
Rev. A.D. and Mrs. Cousins; they were given by their four children. The Cousins had served
as missionaries in China and had retired to St. Paul's on-the-Hill. They resided at the
north-east corner of White's and Sheppard (the first Concession) where Mr. Cousins grew
prize gladiolus. Mr. Robinson's letter advising the Bishop of this event came as a surprise
to him; the Bishop indicated that he was usually consulted about the design prior to
installation. Our uniqueness was apparent again!
There was still considerable controversy and mounting dissension between the two
congregations, and it still centred around the rectory mortgage, insurance,
taxes and maintenance costs. Although everything was being discussed by a jointly
established committee, no decisions were being made nor was much maintenance being
done, other than the fact that the leaky roof was replaced through a donation of shingles
from Johns-Manville and the work of the Men's Club of St. Paul's. The rectory was in
desperate need of electrical, plumbing and heating repairs and renovations,
but these changes were going to wait for another year.
In the meantime the men of St. Paul's on-the-Hill painted the interior walls and woodwork
of their church and had plans to panel the chancel as well as install a pulpit. The W.A.
agreed to carpet the chancel and provide new hangings. Their efforts were enhanced by the
efforts of an Evening W.A. which had been organized during the year by Mrs. Betsy Bellhouse
for the young women of the parish who went out to work during the day.
On February 12 1953, matters were brought to a head at a meeting chaired by the Rural
Dean, Rev. Gordon Channen (he had been a student assistant at Pickering/Dunbarton in the
early thirties). The following is part of his report to Bishop Beverley:
""A meeting was held at Dunbarton last evening, attended by the Rev. E.G. Robinson and five
delegates from each of his congregations. At the rector's invitation I was also present and
acted as chairman. The meeting was requested by the vestry of St. George's, Pickering,
for the purpose of asking the Dunbarton congregation to assume half the cost of the rectory
upkeep. The old arrangement, as you know, had divided the stipend and rectory expenses in
2:1 ratio, but recent changes and increases had made the basis of division unrecognizable.
There was a very evident tension in the group, both sides being afraid of contributing more
than their share of the total, and a tendency to feel that the other fellow could do more if he
tried. We carefully reviewed the figures for 1952, and tried to get an accurate picture of the
comparative numerical strength
22
"
"in the two congregations. I then suggested a completely new basis for the division of
expenses, whereby each congregation would pay 50% of stipend, travel allowance,
rectory allowance and rectory upkeep, with the outstanding mortgage balance of $600
on the rectory to be shared equally. In return for this concession to Pickering, Dunbarton
would be given a 50% equity in the rectory.
""The idea was discussed from every angle. It would give Pickering more than they were
asking for — as long as the parish continues as a unit. It would give Dunbarton ownership
of half a house — and hitherto they haven't owned anything as a congregation.
At about 11:10 p.m. one of the Pickering men moved, and a Dunbarton man seconded,
that the plan be adopted for presentation and recommendation to the respective
congregations. The motion was carried unanimously, although Mr. Robinson looked doubtful,
and reserved judgement. I haven't had an opportunity to speak to him since the meeting. ...
""The special vestry meetings are to be held at Pickering on February 25 and at Dunbarton
on February 26. If the new arrangement is adopted, it will be retroactive to January 1st, 1953.
""
The special vestry meeting at Dunbarton (February 26, 1953) produced the following motions
which were all carried:
1. St. Paul's on-the-Hill will ""assume the cost of half of the Rector's salary, travelling
expenses, fuel, hydro, and telephone but NOT taxes or insurance.""
2. St. Paul's on-the-Hill agrees ""to allow the deed for the Rectory to remain the property of
St. George's, Pickering, provided they assume responsibility for the outstanding mortgage.""
3. The Wardens asked that ""the Women's Auxiliary Afternoon Branch, W.A. Evening
Branch and the Sidesmen's Club he asked to contribute $100 each to defray the extra cost of
maintenance."" (This was an additional contribution.)
On April 29, 1953 another special vestry was convened to consider another offer from
St. George's in which they wanted St. Paul's on-the-Hill to pay one-third of the taxes,
insurance and repairs to the rectory in addition to the above items. The St. Paul's
congregation refused, but made a contribution of $40 towards them for this year only.
With the appointment of Mr. Jack Crouch (a student at Wycliffe who associated with the
Rev. J.E. Harvey at Ajax) in October, 1953 there was a temporary smoothing of the tensions.
Although the people of St. Paul's still felt their contribution to the overall financing of the
Pickering rectory, the stipend and other expenses were disproportionately high, there is little
doubt that the financial base at St. Paul's was much sounder than St. George's.
23"
"Records show that the St. Paul's congregation finally agreed to pay a half share of the cost of
very extensive and essential renovations of approximately $2500 which included plumbing
and electrical work in addition to redecorating. Some in the congregation objected to
St. Paul's assuming half of the bank loan to cover the cost but the Finance committee had
agreed to do it and, furthermore, they had authority to do so. Clyde Quinton, a member of
that committee, said that there were 2 alternatives should the objections continue:
the committee would resign (it included the wardens) and a new committee could be
appointed, or St. Paul's could get a rectory of its own. This was the first time that a rectory at
St. Paul's on-the-Hill was mentioned publicly. The renovations proceeded and the St. Paul's
portion of the loan was discharged in less than 2 years.
During the incumbency of Mr. Crouch, St. Paul's on-the-Hill really began to grow.
It was felt that the major contributing factor was the change of the time of service from
Sunday afternoon to 9:45 a.m. New organizations were formed - Girls' Auxiliary (G.A.),
the Boys Brigade and Life Boys.
About this time the W.A. launched a drive for a new organ (our present one) and,
as was usual, they achieved their goal. The acquisition was rather unique: the W.A.
had a charge account at Eaton's and two members along with Mr. Crouch made the
purchase. On the next Sunday Mr. Crouch announced that the purchase had been made
and requested help to pay for it. Thus began the ""Cent-a-Meal' project number two -
the first had been to pay for the furnace in the church. As has been evidenced so many
times throughout the history of St. Paul's, the people have always responded generously
when a specific need was made known.
It must be remembered that St. George's/St. Paul's was still a mission parish and therefore
qualified for money from the Mission Fund of the Diocese. The Bishop was urging the parish
to consider being self-supporting. This irritated the St. Paul's congregation because it always
paid its own share and the mission grant went totally to St. George's. The other implication of
being a mission parish was that the rector could be moved solely at the discretion of the
Bishop; Mr. Crouch (now the Rev. Jack Crouch) left the parish in October, 1956.
24"
"
Rev. E.G. Robinson Rector: 1929 - 1953
Rev. Jack Crouch Rector: 1953 - 1956
Rev. Dr. H.S. Shepherd Rector: 1956 - 1959
25
"
"Dr. H.S. Shepherd arrived in November, 1956 and presided over several rather significant
events in the parish. A new lease on the property was signed effective January 1, 1957 for a
period of 99 years; now it included the hall as part of the church property and made provision
for the eventual erection of a rectory. After 99 years the Bishop was to determine whether the
church was needed and, if not, the land and buildings would revert back to the Newman family.
The rector and wardens were to have complete responsibility for the affairs of the property.
This arrangement had exasperated the Diocese since 1934, and now it was to continue for
99 more years!
At his first vestry Dr. Shepherd had to contend with the problem of mission money.
He reported that ""Bishop Snell says this church cannot be self-supporting unless the whole
parish is"" and this was impossible for St. George's to accomplish. It was suggested that
St. Paul's on-the-Hill might sever its connections with St. George's and that St. Paul's
establish a building fund for either a rectory or an addition to the church. There were now
143 families on the parish list compared with approximately 50 in 1953.
In reviewing 1957, Dr. Shepherd pointed out
""that the hall needs renovating, and hoped that a rectory would be built by summer,
and that when the rectory is finished, or sooner, we should approach the Bishop for a
clergyman of our own. He also felt that when the rectory is finished, a new parish hall should
be built, which would include the present hall. Mr. Shepherd felt the canvass had caused the
church to prosper in every way."" (Vestry minutes, January 27, 1958)
(The canvass referred to was the Sector Campaign which was done the previous fall to
hasten the building of the rectory at this time).
The recommendations presented above resulted in a special vestry held on May 6, 1958 with
65 people in attendance for the purpose of ""bringing up for approval a motion that we
proceed with the erection of a rectory."" Dr. Shepherd advised those present that the
People's Warden, Mr. Eric Blenkarn, had been able to see the Bishop to obtain permission
for the building to be erected. The Bishop had instructed that the congregation, at a meeting,
should discuss the matter, that a resolution should then be passed and forwarded to the
Bishop, and that on receipt of such a resolution, authority would then be given by the Bishop
to the wardens to undertake this construction. There was a lively discussion which included
the accomplishments that had been begun on faith since there was no money on hand to pay
the costs involved; these included the purchase of the furnace for the church, new washrooms,
renovation of the church kitchen (in basement) and of the hall. One member asked what would
happen to St. George's if the parish was divided; Dr. Shepherd answered that ""
it was probable St. George's would be annexed with another church, but that we should
not concern ourselves too much about this."" Each person present was asked to declare
his approval or objection to the proposal - there were very few doubts about its
accomplishment and the following 2 motions were carried unanimously:
26
"
"1. ""That St. Paul's on-the-Hill authorize the Wardens to begin the construction of the
rectory forthwith"", and 2. ""That we petition the Bishop to divide the Parish of St. George's
and St. Paul's and fix the boundaries, the division to go into effect when the Bishop deems
it advisable.""
Later in the month the sod-turning ceremony took place but it was not without some
excitement. The following is Clyde Quinton's account of what actually happened:
""We understood we had verbal permission to start to build. Someone apparently informed
the Bishop that we had planned the sod-turning for Saturday afternoon. About an hour before
the proceedings were to begin Dr. Shepherd had a frantic phone call from the Bishop
requesting that the sod-turning be postponed indefinitely, because permission to build had
not been granted. Already gathered were all the local dignitaries, including the Reeve,
and several other people. Dr. Shepherd arrived, hastily called a meeting of the wardens,
finance committee and Mr. Newman, and relayed the Bishop's request. It was pointed
out that Mr. Newman owned the property and a building permit had already been obtained.
As well, Clyde Quinton said, 'The only person that can stop us is Jesus Christ Himself,
and we believe He is on our side!'. We didn't want Dr. Shepherd to get into trouble
so we asked him to call the Bishop, tell him we had a meeting, and that we decided to
proceed. Official approval came within 2 weeks.""
Mr. Newman had arranged to pay $1.25 for every hour of volunteer labour and $1.25 for
every meal served by the W.A. to the workmen on Saturdays. This money was used to buy
materials. All work was done by the men of the parish except the brick-laying and the
plastering.
The following summarizes the project:
Work began: May 17, 1958
Work finished: January 30, 1959
Money in Building Fund when work started: $186.00
Total cost of completed building: $9,500.00
Value of building when finished: $23,000.00
Number of hours volunteered: 1856
Co-Ordinator of the Project: Frank McFarlane
Co-Ordinator of Volunteer Workers: Clyde Quinton
27
"
"Laying of Cornerstone for the new rectory: (L to R) Rev. Dr. Sherman Shepherd, Eric R.
Blenkarn, People's Warden and William Carr, President of Men's Club.
Progress on the new rectory: (L to R) Frank McFarlane, Alf Stroud, Arnold Grigsby,
Sam Yetman, G. Hall.
New Rectory of St. Paul's on-the-Hill, Dunbarton
28
"
"The shortfall in funds was approximately $3500 and the bank was not willing to lend to the
church directly; several men in the parish borrowed the money individually from the bank,
and gave it to the church as a donation so that the rectory was debt-free at completion.
On February 13, 1959 the Men's Club (this had replaced the Sidesmen's Club in name only)
led a service of Thanksgiving for the completion of the new rectory and the building was
opened for inspection by all. Archdeacon H. Cleverdon of Oshawa was in attendance to
indicate Diocesan approval. (Also, during 1958 the men had renovated the parish hall —
panelled the walls, insulated the ceiling, and installed washrooms.)
The third item of great importance accomplished during Dr. Shepherd's incumbency was
addressed by him at the vestry meeting of January 25, 1959:
""The needs of the parish were the setting up of a separate parish and obtaining a rector.
He could see no reason why the parish could not be divided by the early spring and felt that if
pressure could be put on the Bishop, this could be accomplished."" (Vestry minutes,
Jan. 25, 1959)
Thus ensued meetings with Bishop Wilkinson to effect the division. The representatives from
St. Paul's had several meetings with him but no real headway was made. One technique the
St. Paul's people learned was to just identify themselves as from St. Paul's and the response
seemed better than when St. Paul's on-the-Hill was given. The callers felt that the Diocesan
office thought the call was from St. Paul's, Bloor St.! After several earlier meetings,
a larger meeting was finally convened by Bishop Wilkinson that included the Wardens and
Lay Members to Synod from both congregations. The following is the recollection of Clyde
Quinton, a participant in these meetings:
""It would appear that the Bishop related very well to those from St. George's - an executive
from INCO, the sales manager from Frigidaire and the editor of a trade magazine;
they were all dressed in business suits. He directed all of his conversation to them.
On the other side of the table was William Carr, an electrician who was Rector's Warden,
Percy Rignall, a retired postal clerk who was Lay Member to Synod, and Clyde Quinton,
a worker in industry who was People's Warden. They nicely asked the Bishop to include
them in the discussion because the meeting concerned St. Paul's request to separate from
St. George's. When that approach was unsuccessful, it was necessary to use stronger
language to get his attention to discuss the matter at hand. The Bishop had great difficulty
believing that St. Paul's on-the-Hill had always been paying all of its own bills as well as its
obligations to the Parish without any of the Mission money; this had all been going to
St. George's to meet its expenses. The Bishop tried to dissuade the St. Paul's congregation
from separating but to no avail. He even told us that we would have to make it on our own
financially, and we said we would.
29
"
"""Now that St. Paul's was an independent parish the congregation thought the rector would
be its own choice. Such was not the case, however. St. Paul's suggested Dr. Shepherd might
come but he declined. The Bishop said Mr. Olive was the only clergyman available at that
time, so he would be the rector. Mr. Olive was never inducted into the parish, and so his
ministry never had the permanent status accorded most clergy.""
On May 1, 1959 St. Paul's on-the-Hill began worship as a completely independent parish
with the Rev. C.E. Olive as rector.
30"
"CHAPTER 5: 1959 - 1976
At this time of newly found independence the parish immediately scheduled four services
each Sunday: 8:15, 9:30 Family Service, 11:00 and Evensong at 7 p.m. This was quite a
change for a parish that had, until now, been accustomed to one regular service on Sunday
plus the occasional early Holy Communion. Over Mr. Olive's incumbency church attendance
increased by 22 percent. The following information from vestry records summarizes this:
Three Years as a Self-supporting Parish ---- Three Years Before
Services (not H.C.) - 345 — 155
Attendance - 17,758 — 15,797
Holy Communion - 234 — 75
Attendance - 3,855 — 1,880
The optimism in the parish was reflected in the budget; an increase of 30% over the previous
year was accepted by the parish! As if this wasn't enough, it is even more astonishing that the
vestry meeting of January 25, 1960 suggested that consideration be given to establishing a
new church at Fairport Beach ""because it is in our parish."" (The most easterly boundary was
Frenchman's Bay.) It was at this time that the big Bay Ridges subdivision was being built and
there is little doubt that the people of St. Paul's, in spite of their own growing pains,
felt that there should be some attempt made to reach out to the people who would occupy
those homes in the year or two ahead. Mr. Harry Newman even suggested that a church site
could probably be purchased quite reasonably at this time. The Bishop was advised of this
recommendation and it was done.
St. Paul's on-the-Hill did not get involved in the detailed planning for the Extension Church of
St. Martin's by-the-Bay, Bay Ridges because the Wardens felt that St. Paul's was too new as
an independent parish for such an undertaking. In addition, many people had given many
hours, in fact years, to build St. Paul's into a viable unit and they weren't prepared to
jeopardize its position and risk its being closed and reverting back to the Newman family.
Thus St. Martin's came into being in 1964 without the assistance of the St. Paul's
congregation and was assisted by St. George's.
A new organization that was begun by Dr. Shepherd certainly became a vital part of the
parish during Mr. Olive's incumbency. It was the Altar Guild. From 1932 until this time
Mrs. Bassett and Mrs. Bellhouse had been the Altar Guild. It is interesting to note that one of
those original members, Edna Crosier, still serves, although she had a sabbatical for a few
years.
Mr. Olive retired from St. Paul's and the active ministry on June 1, 1962. Rev. Ben P. Smyth
was approached by the Wardens, Bill Newman
31
"
"and Clyde Quinton, about assuming the incumbency at St. Paul's. He became rector on
August 1, 1962 and transferred into the Diocese of Toronto from a parish near Kingston
in the Diocese of Ontario. (This was another illustration of the uniqueness of St. Paul's
on-the-Hill .)
The years under Mr. Smyth's leadership did not have so many historic achievements but the
parish consolidated its growth and again showed good reason for its location
(on a hill to be seen). Township water pipes were laid along Sheppard Ave.
as a local improvement which meant that property owners paid an amount based on their
frontage. The Wardens argued that a church property would likely have more frontage than a
private residence and persuaded council to legislate a maximum amount of 200 feet.
(The church frontage is more than twice that). This precedent-setting by-law was subsequently
offered to all churches in Pickering.
The sometimes stormy relationship with Bishop Wilkinson continued. The story is told that he
approached Mr. Newman one year at Synod and told him that he was going to make
St. Paul's on-the-Hill ""high church."" Mr. Newman said that would not be the case.
The Bishop persisted and is reported to have said, ""I am the Bishop."" Mr. Newman took him
by the elbow and said, ""But I own the church."" St. Paul's has never become ""high church.""
During 1967 there were two events that affected the church considerably. One was the
formation of the Diocesan A.C.W. (Anglican Church Women) to replace the W.A. The groups
at St. Paul's on-the-Hill resisted the change and continued as the W.A. for several more years.
The second event was the fire in the parish hall which started in the kitchen area located in the
north-east corner. This necessitated some serious thinking regarding the hall - should the old
one be replaced or should a new enlarged hall (including the original one) be built? There
appears to have been some difference of opinion and the decision was one of compromise;
the old hall would basically remain as it was and the cement block addition was built with the
insurance money. It was some time before the new kitchen was completed by the W.A.
Mr. Smyth retired and was succeeded by the Rev. Charles Dymond who came from the
parish of Minden on September 3, 1967. During his short incumbency the parish faced some
problems crucial to its future . As was the case in many churches, expenses were rising at a
faster rate than either the incomes of the parish or its members. From 1966 to 1969 the
accumulated deficit had risen from $15.38 to $1901.82 and a special vestry was held to deal
with the problem. There were several suggestions but the active nucleus persevered and
carried on without outside assistance.
32
"
"Rev. C.E. Olive Rector: 1959 - 1962
Rev. Wm. J. Rhodes Rector: 1970 - 1972
Rev. S.G. West Rector: 1973 - 1978
Canon Trevor Jones
Honourary Assistant: 1973 – 1979
33
"
"It was suggested by the Bishop that perhaps Mr. Dymond should undertake some part-time
duties at St. Edward the Confessor in West Rouge. This met with great resistance from the
parish generally and was related more to the handling of the situation by the Bishop and the
lack of information given to the congregation than an unwillingness to help a relatively new
parish in its struggle for survival. On December 31, 1969 Mr. Dymond resigned from the
parish and went into probation work.
In March, 1970 the Rev. Wm. J. Rhodes was inducted as rector of St. Paul's on-the-Hill. The
financial problems facing the parish were still there largely due to the high rate of inflation, but
a finance committee chaired by Lora Yetman provided the leadership necessary to solve the
problem. The accumulated debt was $3500. Each household on the parish list was contacted
by a member of the committee and asked to make a special gift to retire the debt. An open
house was held at the rectory to which all were invited to bring their donation - $3636 was
collected by the end of the year and the debt eliminated.
Parochial groups were active too. The A.C.W., which replaced the W.A., was finally accepted
and was thriving. These women contributed the supplies to paint and panel the inside of the
church as well as to renovate the hall. The men of the parish worked hard to complete the
tasks mentioned but it is regrettable that a Men's Club reminiscent of the late fifties was never
organized again during this period, in spite of concerted efforts on the part of some to do so.
It was unfortunate for the parish that Mr. Rhodes found it necessary to resign from his duties
effective September 30, 1972 in order to return to England. Nevertheless, seldom is there a
time when there isn't some good that comes out of adversity. Bishop Garnsworthy appointed
Canon Trevor Jones as Priest-in-Charge beginning in October. Thus began an association
that lasted for several years because Canon Jones remained as Honourary Assistant to the
Rev. S.G. West who came on March 1, 1973. Mr. West had been Diocesan Co-Ordinator of
Correctional Services and continued this association on a part-time basis for the first year.
This arrangement also permitted the parish to consolidate financially and this stable position
has continued.
Mr. West's incumbency lasted for five years until his retirement; this had a positive effect on
the parish. Through no fault of either the clergy or the parish unforeseen circumstances had
made the incumbencies of Mr. Dymond and Mr. Rhodes very short (a total of 5 years).
This had had an unsettling effect because things were just beginning to gel at the time each
left.
The character of Pickering began to change; very quickly it went from a rural area to the
beginnings of the urban area it has become. Several events contributed to this - the proposed
Pickering airport, the proposed residential development called Seaton, the change to
Regional government on January 1, 1974, the loss of West Rouge to Scarborough,
the original Amberlea subdivision and the beginnings of
34
"
"Glendale. All of these changes were accompanied by shifts in population;
the stability found in a rural community changed and the population became more
transient in nature. (The population of Pickering in 1974 was 23,835; by 1977 it was 31,541 -
an increase of 7,706 in 3 years!). Much of this new development occurred within the parish
boundaries of St. Paul's on-the-Hill which were defined by the Diocese in 1971 as follows:
North - commencing at the NW corner of the Township of Pickering, thence easterly along the
Pickering/Uxbridge boundary (9th concession) to sideline 22,
East - south of sideline 22 to the intersection of Liverpool Road and Highway 401,
South - west along Highway 401 to White's Road, south on White's Road to Lake Ontario,
west along Lake Ontario to the Rouge River,
West - north along the Rouge River to Highway 401, west along Highway 401 to the
Pickering/Scarborough Township line, thence north to the beginning.
Great progress was made at St. Paul's. With the stability of a longer incumbency the church
experienced steady growth, both numerically and financially, and there was a ""reaching-out""
to the community. The fire at the United Church in Dunbarton necessitated re-location of the
Nursery School held there to the parish hall of St. Paul's, as well as some fund-raising events
undertaken for the United church. This was made possible by the ACW which had provided a
new kitchen for the hall and had spent $3500 in replacing the floor and redecorating the main
hall. During that same year the ACW had also re-carpeted the chancel and aisle
(this time in blue) in commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the erection of the church.
It was during these years that Bayfair Baptist Church was established across Highway 2 on
land ""purchased"" from Harry Newman. The story is told that Mr. Newman was asked by the
Wardens and active Planning Committee how he could possibly sell land for another church
when his own church was attempting to meet the needs of a rapidly growing and changing
community. Mr. Newman answered by saying that ""A little competition never hurt anybody
and that, if St. Paul's was worried, they had better pull up their socks!""
The planning committee agreed that some changes would be necessary but cautioned
against great expenditures until there was a general up-grading of the present facilities.
Also, on the horizon was a change in the ownership of the parish property. The deed of the
church et al. was transferred from Mr. and Mrs. Newman to the Rector and Churchwardens in
perpetuity and was consecrated by Archbishop Lewis Garnsworthy on March 21, 1976.
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"Service of Consecration: March 21, 1976
Archbishop Lewis Garnsworthy and Chancellor Wm. Hemmerick
Three Charter Members: Martha Stroud, Harry Newman, Alf Stroud
Mrs. Newman and Rev. Ben. P. Smyth, Rector: 1962 – 1967
Eileen Beegan, Catherine Newman, Wm. G. Newman and Clyde Quinton
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"This was another illustration of the uniqueness of St. Paul's on-the-Hill. (Normally the church
is the property of the Diocese.) Mr. Newman was especially anxious that control should
always remain with the people and that they would decide the future of the parish. It was also
his fervent wish that the church should never be mortgaged (hence the consecration).
Harry Newman, our great benefactor and friend, was buried on October 12, 1976 from the
church he built. Mrs. Newman survived him and remained active until her death on June 15,
1979. A beautiful window, given as a memorial to Mr. and Mrs. Newman by their family, was
dedicated on March 22, 1981.
Newman Memorial window
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"CHAPTER 6: 1976 – 1985
For the parish these last ten years have been basically ""business as usual"" - working,
growing and meeting the needs of a challenging community. One of the memorable events
of 1977 was the Queen's Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving on October 2. The special guest for
the occasion was the Honourable Pauline McGibbon, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.
It was a marvellous opportunity for the parish, especially the children, to worship with and
meet the Queen's personal representative in our province - and most did.
The vestry meeting of January 30, 1978 was highlighted by a report from the Parish
Development Committee (formerly the Planning Committee) which made the following
suggestions for consideration:
1. ""Set up a finance committee;
2. ""Plan for the enlargement and improvement of the chancel,
sacristy, vestry and an emergency exit;
3. ""Plan for the enlargement of the body of the church.""
The main responsibility of the Finance Committee was to establish a Building Fund which
was to be used for capital expenses and not repairs; the repairs were to be budgeted items
in the general budget. In the more recent past, attempts to establish a building fund were
frustrated by the occasional use of monies to pay stipend and assessments from the
Diocese. By the end of this chapter it will be seen that many of the items addressed in items
2 and 3 have been accomplished.
Mr. and Mrs. West, a vibrant couple, continued their ministry at St. Paul's on-the-Hill until his
retirement on May 31, 1978. There had been a good deal of ""real"" growth in the parish and
this paved the way for a young man who began his first incumbency on June 1, 1978 -the Rev.
Gregory Physick.
The profile of the parish had changed; the average age was much lower and the number of
people attending church increased. This is understandable since there was a much larger
base population from which to draw. The most popular service was baptism! As well Sunday
School numbers increased. In order to accomodate the growing numbers of people a third
service was added, initially for a trial period; the times were 8:00, 9:15 and 11:00.
This was in lieu of structural changes suggested earlier and made better use of the space
available.
Consistent with Diocesan guidelines children were encouraged to participate actively in
the service of Holy Communion provided they were at least 7 years old and had received
training from the Rector and their parents. This was a significant change in the parish and
removed some of the mystique surrounding Confirmation.
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"Rev. Gregory W. Physick Rector: 1978 - 1981
Rev. Brian H. McVitty Rector: 1982 -
Captain Warren Joslin
Honourary Assistant: 1984 - 1985
60th Anniversary Commemorative Window
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"Much of the maintenance around the church was done by Canon Jones and Sam Yetman.
These two gentlemen were very handy and worked at the church almost as if they had full time
jobs there; they painted, laid bricks, did carpentry work and anything else that had to be done.
Canon Jones resigned as Honourary Assistant and left in August 1979. It was a sad day for
the wardens when he moved to England to be married.
As the numbers grew, the demands on the church increased and the traditional groups
changed; the ACW, the Youth Group and the Fellowship Club disbanded. For may years their
tireless efforts had been an inspiration to the rest of the parish to put its collective
""shoulder to the wheel"". Some different groups were formed and their attitudes reflected the
attitudes of the eighties.
Mr. Physick resigned from the parish on September 30, 1981 and was succeeded by another
young man, the Rev. Brian McVitty on February 1, 1982. The parish continued to grow
(Pickering now had a population of 40,000) and the facilities were being extended to the limit.
The 3-service format became permanent and Sunday School was provided at 11:00 o'clock
as well.
The proposed changes enumerated earlier began to take shape - a fire door was installed in
1982 and a balcony was built in 1983 which added 55 seats and made the ""official"" seating
capacity 192. This method of alleviating overcrowding received endorsement from more than
85 % of the congregation. The main advantages were that the aesthetics of the church were
retained (this was important to old and new alike) and there was no significant change in
operating costs associated with it. With this construction the whole inside of the church was
completely refurbished at a total cost of $43,000. Donations to finance the project far
exceeded expectations. The shortfall of $13,000 was met by several parishioners who each
made a loan which was interest free for the first year; these were all repaid by December
31, 1984. The people responded to the leadership of the wardens in a way reminiscent of the
days when the rectory was built. All the furnishings in the church (including the organ) were
moved to the basement where worship was held during the summer construction period.
The balcony and refurbished interior were dedicated by Bishop Desmond Hunt on September
18, 1983.
The parish facilities are used extensively to-day. Pineridge Day Care operates all year in the
parish hall and also has a nursery school in the church basement during the school year.
The A.C.W. has re-organized as has a Men's Club, but their focus is quite different from
those of earlier years.
On December 1, 1984 St. Pauls's achieved another first. Captain Warren Joslin of the
Church Army was appointed Honourary Assistant. His dedication has already had a very
positive impact on the parish.
The population within the parish boundaries is growing rapidly and most are young people
with small children. Sunday School space is at a premium. This has resulted in a school
portable being moved onto the property near the hall to accomodate the children. And so,
the
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"future appears to hold much for St. Paul's on-the-Hill for it has been said that a parish is
only as strong as its Sunday School. Future plans will undoubtedly have the provision of a
new Christian Education facility as a top priority.
Chancel of St. Paul's, October 1985
New Balcony, October 1985
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"CHAPTER 7: YESTERDAY. .. .TODAY. .. .AND TOMORROW?
The history of this parish has been like the relationships in most families - sometimes stormy,
and yet one in which decisions were always made for the benefit of the majority. Sometimes
the Canons were ignored(one time the rector even chose the people's warden!) or even were
changed in response to actions undertaken by the parish. Throughout the lifetime of the parish
there have been many ""characters"" who loved their church and gave tirelessly of their time
and resources to make the parish worthy of its name - St. Paul's on-the-Hill - truly a beacon to
the community. The following are but a few:
Harry Newman was a great believer in people and one who inspired those he met to reach for
new heights. His family has continued his tradition, each in his own way.
For many years Mrs. Bassett and Mrs. Bellhouse were the Altar Guild. Many remember them
coming to church with their little suitcase in which they carried the meticulously prepared
linens.
The W.A., throughout the history of the parish, was the great provider - be it food, money or
moral support. They were great women of strong character. A list of long-time members
appears in Appendix 5.
One of the most colourful wardens in the history of the parish was Clyde Quinton.
It was he who did most of the negotiating about the separation from St. George's and he was
fearless in insisting on what was right. (He even challenged the Bishop!)
Among the Men's Club's most notable accomplishments was the construction of the rectory.
Frank McFarlane was the co-ordinator of the rectory project. A builder by trade, he was paid
25¢ in order that he would legally have sole authority to approve or disapprove of any work
done. As one old-timer said: ""Not a nail was put in unless Frank was there"".
Two rectors stand out as real characters - the Rev. E.G. Robinson and the Rev. S.G. West.
Both were strong-willed and determined men who guided the parish through difficult times.
Mr. Robinson tread the fine line between St. George's and St. Paul's for 23 years.
This was no easy task because the congregations were really very opposite in almost every
way. Mr. West gave the parish continuity when it desperately needed it. His newsletters were
very much to the point and the format resembled the Daily Routine Orders to which he had
become accustomed in his days as an Army Chaplain.
A third rector who deserves special mention is the Rev. Jack Crouch. It was he who
changed the service time to the morning from 3 p.m. and then organized the youth of the
parish. These were real
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"turning points in the life of the congregation, and from then on the church began to thrive.
How will history judge us and our contributions? Are we prepared to accept the legacy given
to us and carry on in the tradition of our forebears and do the jobs that have to be done, OR,
are we going to sit back and wait for someone else (?!?!) to do them?
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"APPENDIX 1: CLERGY ASSOCIATED WITH ST. PAUL'S ON-THE-HILL
Incumbents –
Nov. 1, 1925 : Rev. Douglas B. Langford
Nov. 20, 1929: Rev. E.G. Robinson
Oct. 1, 1953 : Rev. Jack Crouch
Oct. 15, 1956: Rev. Dr. Sherman Shepherd
May 1, 1959 : Rev. C.E. Olive
Aug. 1, 1962 : Rev. Ben P. Smyth
Sept. 3, 1967: Rev. Charles Dymond
Mar. 1, 1970 : Rev. Wm. J. Rhodes
Oct. 1, 1972 : Canon Revor Jones, Priest-in-Charge
Mar. 1, 1973 : Rev. S.G. West
June 1, 1978 : Rev. Gregory W. Physick
Feb. 1, 1982 : Rev. Brian Mcvitty
Honourary Assistants –
Canon Trevor Jones March, 1973 - July, 1979
Captain Warren Joslin Dec, 1984 - Oct., 1985
Student Assistants –
1925: Wm. R. Sproule
1929: Gordon Channen, Cecil Pippin, Cecil Watkins
1943: Norman Green
1949: Charles Cheesman
Young Men from the Parish who entered the Priesthood –
Rev. Harry F. Newman
Canon Robert Newman
Rev. Art Allerton
Rev. David Sissmore
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"APPENDIX 2: WARDENS SERVING ST. PAUL'S ON-THE-HILL
Date — Rector's Warden — People's Warden
1925-1942 — William Payne — George Toyne
1943-1946 — Frank Bassett — Frank McFarlane
1947-1951 — William Payne — Frank McFarlane
1952 — William Payne — Sid Beegan
1953-1954 — Frank Stockvis — Sid Beegan
1955-1957 — Percy Rignall — Clyde Quinton
1958 — Arnold Grigsby — Eric Blenkarn Jr.
1959 — Clyde Quinton — William F. Carr
1960 — William F. Carr — Ron Pickard
1961 — Jim Cookson — Eric Blenkarn Jr.
1962 — Jim Cookson — Clyde Quinton
1963 — Jim Cookson — O. ""Bud"" Cornish
1964-1966 — William G. Newman — Clyde Quinton
1967 — Frank Meades — Ross Deakin
1968 — Frank Meades — Bernie Diotte
1969 — Dick Allgood — Frank Meades
1970 — Dick Allgood — Ernie Hubbard
1971 — Ernie Hubbard — Earl Leake
1972 — Ernie Hubbard — Geoff Pring
1973 — William F. Carr — Geoff Pring
1974-1975 — Fred Hodder — Geoff Pring
1976-1977 — Fred Hodder — George Bourner
1978 — David Hall — George Bourner
1979 — George Bourner — Dudley Walker
1980 — Roy Hodder — Tony Lapenna
1981 — Tony Lapenna — Fred Batemen
1982-1983 — Fred Batemen — Elizabeth Shumovich
1984 — Alex Vanderzand — Elizabeth Shomovich
1985 — Ken Stroud — John Burgis
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"APPENDIX 3: SOME SIGNIFICANT DATES IN OUR HISTORY
Nov. 8, 1925: First service as a Mission of St. George's, Pickering
Nov. 11, 1934: Final service in Community Hall
Nov. 16, 1934: Official opening of St. Paul's on-the-Hill
Nov. 18, 1934: First Sunday in new church
Feb. 2, 1935: First wedding - Lionel Littleford wed Dorothy Payne
June 23, 1935: First baptism - Grace L. Beard
June 15, 1938: First funeral from the church - Wm. Whiteside(organist)
Feb. 15, 1959: Rectory finished - Service of Dedication led by Men's Club
Apr. 26, 1959: Last Sunday of Mission Parish of Pickering & Dunbarton
May 1, 1959: First Sunday as a self-supporting parish
Mar. 21, 1976: Consecration of church
Sept.18, 1983: Dedication of balcony
APPENDIX 4: HONOUR ROLL - ST. PAUL'S ON-THE-HILL
World War II: 1939 – 1945
Clifford Bassett
Kenneth Belk
Roy Belk
John Bell
Norman Bell
William Bell
Jack M. Bellhouse
Jean Bellhouse
Willaim Cooney
Russell Dixon
Robert Dowber
William Flood
Alfred W. Gillard (Jim)*
Fred Gillard
Robert Gillard
Walter Gillard
George James
William James
Wilfred Lewis
Joe Littleford
Margaret Littleford
Verna Littleford
W.T. McCarthy M.M.*
Lewis F. McFarlane
Henry Moore
Richard J. Newman*
Thomas A. Newman
Thomas Percival
Charles Smith
Frank Stroud
Harold A. Stroud
Violet Swan
George Underwood
Jack Underwood
Clifford Wells
Reginald Wells
KILLED IN ACTION *
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"APPENDIX 5: LONG TIME MEMBERS OF THE W.A.
Mrs. Muriel Adamson
Mrs. Cassandra Bassett
Mrs. Margaret Barr
Mrs. Bath
Mrs. Eileen Beegan
Mrs. Betsy Bellhouse
Mrs. Mary Bilton
Mrs. Annie Blinken
Mrs. John Branhall
Mrs. Grace Carr
Mrs. Rose Cooney
Mrs. Edna Crosier
Mrs. Lilly Crossley
Mrs. Mary E. Davis
Mrs. Millicent Maud Dixon
Mrs. Hazel Dyke
Mrs. Ann Folinsbee
Mrs. Fostin
Mrs. Christina Gillard
Mrs. Georgina Gordon
Mrs. Hazel Hobbs
Miss Florence Hogg
Mrs. May Hogg
Mrs. Harry Hopkins
Mrs. Freda Huffman
Mrs. Ethel Hull
Mrs. Henrietta Laura Jeudwine
Mrs. Helen Jones
Mrs. Eunice Lawrence
Mrs. Lewis
Mrs. Charlotte Littleford
Mrs. Dolly Littleford
Mrs. Florence Martin
Mrs. Frances Mills
Mrs. Lydia Moore
Mrs. Ruth Munson
Mrs. Margaret Newman
Mrs. Wyonda Micholson
Mrs. Marion O'Brien
Mrs. Mary Olive
Mrs. Bernice Page
Mrs. Mary Payne
Mrs. Maud Pelling
Mrs. Jean Quinton
Mrs. Lorraine Quinton
Mrs. Esther Robinson
Mrs. Laura Robinson
Mrs. Salteel
Mrs. Margaret Schwalm
Mrs. Myrtle Simpson
Mrs. Maryann Smith
Mrs. Ernestine Stables
Mrs. Martha Stroud
Mrs. Margaret Swan
Mrs. Ada Thompson
Mrs. Germaine Thompson
Mrs. Helen Toyne
Mrs. Eleanor Tulloch
Mrs. Zada Valleau
Mrs. Lora Yetman
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