In 1872 the fire power of the Merryweather steam-pump fire engine was confirmed by having it shoot water over the All Saints’ steeple.Find out more about the Merryweather.
In June of 1865, construction of All Saints’ building began. The design was the work of architectural firm, Gundry and Langley. Masonry and carpentry contracts were awarded to local contractors Thomas Deverill and William Barnes, respectively. Both builders have extensive history in Whitby.
Notably William Barnes’ son, Robert, was contracted to restore the church after the August 1927 fire. A window on the west wall nearest to the narthex doors is dedicated to the father and son.
Anecdotal evidence indicates there must have been a ceremonial laying of the cornerstone in 1865. Notes about the Barnes window by former All Saints’ archivist Tom Grey tell us “William Barnes built the viewing stand for the laying of the Corner Stone on June 29th. 1865,” and the 1865 Financial Statements of the Building Committee (see above) record a $24.50 incidental expense for “laying Corner Stone.”
In times past, the cornerstone was the principal stone placed at the corner of an edifice. It was usually one of the largest, the most solid, and the most carefully placed. It was critical that the cornerstone be level and squared true so that all the other stones could be set from it.
While we can no longer see the cornerstone of our church building, we can be assured that it is there and that the foundation of our church has been true and solid for many generations, and will be for many more generations to come. And so, we give thanks for the builders of this church, past and present.
In April of 1865, All Saints’ original building committee was appointed. A site for the new church had been secured on the north side of Dundas St. on property that had been previously used as grazing ground for sheep. In the months following, masons and carpenters would create a gathering place for another kind of flock. As a small tribute to this fact, the architectural lithograph included a trio of sheep gently grazing in the foreground.
The building of All Saints’ church was an enormous and serious undertaking for our first founders. The estimate for the building project in 1865 was a total of $7000. 00. On Christmas Day the year before building began (1864), the Rev. J.D. Cayley’s pastoral address included the following exhortation regarding subscription to the Church Building Fund. While the language is elegant, the message is clear—everyone was expected to chip in:
It must be considered the bounden duty of every Churchman to contribute according to his ability to the extension of the Church within our borders; this is a duty which we owe, not to man, but to God; and therefore it is to be looked at not from any local or narrow point of view, but in a broad Christian spirit: if another church is necessary for the welfare of the Church, or for the accommodation of the congregation, no member of either can be free from a sacred obligation to give and to “lay by him in store” for the purpose “as God hath prospered him;” remembering that we are God’s stewards, and must render up an account of the spending of the means with which He has blessed us.
Wednesdays & Thursdays:
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Tel: (905) 668-5101
allsaintswhitby@nullbellnet.ca
All Saints’ is an LGBTQ2S+ affirming parish.
