Alberta Register of Historic Places

St. Aidan and St. Hilda Anglican Church

Fallis

Other Names:

Church of St. Aidan and St. Hilda
Rexboro Church
St. Aidan and St. Hilda Church

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place
St. Aidan and St. Hilda Anglican Church is a small rural church north of Lake Wabamun in Parkland County. It is a log building, clad in wood siding and cedar shingles. A bell tower with a porch and pyramid-shaped roof is centrally located on the church's south (front) elevation. The church is situated on a well-landscaped plot of land within a grove. A small associated cemetery is also located at the site. In the 1990s, the exterior cross on the rear gable, the finial on the tower roof, the stairs and railings were replaced. The church is located just to the north of the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) at the Range Road 45 junction.

Heritage Value
The heritage value of St. Aidan and St. Hilda Anglican Church lies in its architectural significance as an example of a simple log church that has received improvements and upgrades as the financial and technological means of its congregation increased.

The earliest churches built by pioneer communities were normally rudimentary structures that were constructed using local labour and available raw materials. As pioneer communities became more established and wealthier, these early structures were typically torn down and replaced with more substantial buildings. On occasion, these early buildings were gradually improved upon through the use of more modern and refined building materials, additional rooms, extra wings and more elaborate furnishings and decorative elements. St. Aidan and St. Hilda is an excellent example of the latter course.

Beginning in 1908, the area around Lake Wabamun was settled, largely by homesteaders of English descent who belonged to the Anglican Church. As in many early communities the establishment of a church was a priority for the community and a congregation was assembled and accepted into the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton in 1910. That same year, a church was constructed out of logs felled from area forests. While some financial support was received from England, the land and most of the financing required was provided by the local parishioners and the physical raising of the building was accomplished through the communal efforts of area settlers. The church was consecrated in 1911 by Bishop William Cyprian Pinkham of the Calgary Diocese and became a regular stop for itinerant Anglican priests on circuit through the area.

Originally the simple gable roofed, rectangular log structure with gothic arched windows had a belfry on the southern edge of the roof. In 1914, a vestry was added and the interior log walls were covered with horizontally-oriented, tongue-and-groove boards. Three years later, a tower with a covered porch and a belfry was added, replacing the original belfry, which was removed. Also at this time, the exterior log walls were covered with horizontal drop siding. As with the original construction, all of these improvements were made through local labour. Other locally-produced interior details were also added over the years, notably the lectern, kneeling desk, altar rail, pulpit, and pews. The bell, the second belfry and altar coverings were donated to the church. The altar coverings were made from material that had adorned Westminster Abbey during the coronation of King George VI. In late-2008, a pulpit desk cover from the same material was given to the church by St. Mark's Anglican Church in Kitsilano, British Columbia. While the present appearance of St. Aidan and St. Hilda Anglican Church belies its roots as a pioneer church, the presence of the original log walls under the wood siding still speak to its rustic beginnings. Also, the improvements made to the building during its early years and the considerable effort undertaken by its parishioners to improve the building, speak to its vital importance as a place of worship and a source of pride to its community.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 451)

Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage value of St. Aidan and St. Hilda Anglican Church include elements such as its:

Exterior
- form and small size of the church;
- presence of original log walls, as evidenced through a cut-away section, that are the building's major structural component;
- gothic-style fenestration pattern on the side elevations;
- centrally located, wood frame bell tower (constructed in 1917) with semi-closed porch, belfry, bell, gothic arched ventilation openings and cedar shingle-clad pyramidal-roof with exposed eaves;
- six-inch drop siding (added in 1917) covering the entire exterior, except for the gable ends;
- cedar shingle finishing on the front and rear gable ends;
- simple gingerbread details forming pointed arches around the porch;
- cedar shingle-clad gable roof;
- wood framed, gothic window openings with an inward-swinging pointed arch unit on top and one-over-one single hung units below.

Interior
- interior walls and ceiling clad in four inch, horizontal tongue-and-groove boards (added in 1914);
- floor supported by 2x8 joists;
- locally-produced, hand-crafted interior furnishings, such as the pews, lectern, pulpit, altar rail and kneeling desk;
- presence of altar cover made from the Westminster Abbey draperies of the coronation of George VI;
- original organ, produced by the Cable Co. of Chicago.

Grounds
- spatial relationship between the church and associated cemetery, which is located directly to the north and west;
- landscaped area immediately surrounding the church and cemetery;
- relationship of the site with the surrounding natural grove of spruce and poplar trees, shrubbery and other vegetation;
- original altar, now used as an outside bench.

Location

Street Address:
Community:	Fallis
Boundaries:	Portion of SW 20-53-4-W5
Contributing Resources:	Building: 1 Landscape(s) or Landscape Feature(s): 1

ATS Legal Description:

Mer	Rge	Twp	Sec	LSD
5	4	53	20	4 (ptn.)

PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):

Plan	Block	Lot	Parcel
8521218		A

Latitude/Longitude:

Latitude	Longitude	CDT	Datum Type
53.585246	-114.565688

UTM Reference:

Northing	Easting	Zone	CDT	Datum Type

Recognition

Recognition Authority:	Province of Alberta
Designation Status:	Provincial Historic Resource
Date of Designation:	2010/06/15

Historical Information

Built:	1910 to 1910
Period of Significance:	1914 to 1917
Theme(s):	Building Social and Community Life : Religious Institutions Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life : Architecture and Design
Historic Function(s):	Religion, Ritual and Funeral : Religious Facility or Place of Worship
Current Function(s):
Architect:
Builder:
Context:	ARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT Historically, religion has played a prominent role in the creation of Alberta communities. A church was often among the first public buildings erected to serve a population. This effort might be undertaken by a church organization as a mission or in response to a request, but - especially in rural areas - it was not uncommon for the raising of a church to be a communal effort driven by the desire of a group of people to introduce a civilizing focal point to their frontier experience. Whatever the impetus for its construction, the design and construction of a church typically reflected the level of prosperity of the parish. The beauty of the local church was not only a source of pride, but an uplifting cultural and aesthetic experience for the parishioners as well. While brick and stone were unusual outside of urban areas, furnishings, trim and finishes could be brought in to augment locally-available building materials. Thus, in some churches, log walls can be found beneath milled siding, cheek by jowl with factory-made windows and festooned with catalogue-order trim. St. Aidan & St. Hilda, built in 1911 near Fallis, is a log structure. However, its current appearance does not make this apparent. That is because over time, improvements were made to the church which both acted to protect the log structure, and to make the building appear less rough-hewn. Unlike other parishes, which replaced their first church entirely, St. Aidan & St. Hilda evolved, preserving its earliest structural components within the more polished exterior. It is an excellent example of the kind of church erected in new Alberta parishes in the early twentieth century, and the modifications that were made to those that have survived. Comparable Provincial Historical Resources are the St. Thomas Catholic Church at Duhamel. Other comparable resources include the Millarville Anglican Church. (D. Field, June 2006) **************************************************** HISTORICAL CONTEXT After the Calgary & Edmonton (C & E) Railway arrived at South Edmonton in 1891, land in the districts surrounding the end of steel began to be subdivided into quarter sections for homesteading. At the time, the rich land around Lac Ste. Anne and Lake Wabamun was too far away to see many settlers. In 1908, however, the Grand Trunk Pacific (GTP) Railway announced that it was about to build through this district en route to Jasper and Prince Rupert. As a result, settlement began to pick up noticeably. As the site plan for the GTP called for the line to run just north of Lake Wabamun, this area soon became heavily populated, in districts to become known as Rexboro and Fallis. Most of the settlers north of Lake Wabamun were ethnically English, and, so, it is not surprising that some of them would press to have an Anglican church erected in the district. With homesteader Harry Smith offering ten acres of his land on the southwest quarter of Section 20, Township 53, Range 4, West of the Fifth Meridian for church and cemetery purposes, a congregation was assembled in early 1910. The names of the English saints, Aidan and Hilda, were chosen to identify the new parish, which was accepted as part of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton. That summer, a building committee was formed under the direction of Will Magerison and a Mr. McClelland, and work on the church building was begun, with logs taken from the woods nearby. In 1911, the new church was consecrated by the Bishop of Calgary. The first parsons to minister in the structure did so on circuit from either Wabamun or Onoway. In 1914, a vestry was installed in the church, while interior siding was added. In 1917, siding was put on the exterior as well. Other fixtures reflected the commitment of the local population to their parish, as well as people from England who had indirect connections with the district. The interior lining, for example, was installed by Wilfred Creasy of the district. A lectern, kneeling desk and alter rail were the work of Alf Broadhurst. A Mr. Beckett of Darwell constructed the pulpit and the pews. At the end of World War One, Mrs. M.H. Walker of London, England donated the bell and belfry in honour of her son, who was killed in the war. Cloth apparently used in Westminster Abby during the coronation of King George VI was donated by Mrs. W. Peergroves, the sister of Mrs. Harry Smith, to serve as a cover for the alter. Over the years, the Church of St. Aidan & St. Hilda became a familiar landmark in the district north of Lake Wabamun, and was always well maintained. In 1977, it was designated a Registered Historic Resource. It has seen some renovations over the years, but has retained its structural integrity. Today, it remains one of the few log churches left standing in Alberta. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE The historical significance of the Church of St. Aidan & St. Hilda lies in its provision of structural evidence of the early settlement of the district north of Lake Wabamun in the early part of the twentieth century, and particularly the English element. It is the most familiar landmark in the area. It is important too in being one of very few log churches to survive in all of Alberta. (D. Leonard, 2005)

Additional Information

Object Number:	4665-0046
Designation File:	DES 0451
Related Listing(s):
Heritage Survey File:	HS 73540
Website Link:
Data Source:	Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch, Old St. Stephen's College, 8820 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 (File: Des. 451)