Raise the Hammer

St John's Anglican Church in Ancaster has a fascinating architectural history. The present church was built after a fire had irreparably damaged its predecessor on February 27, 1868. Work on the rebuilding started in May of that year and the new church was opened May 9, 1869. It was consecrated on Thursday May 1, 1873, by Alexander Bethune, Bishop of Toronto. This church replaced the one built by Job Loder for Rev. Ralph Leeming in 1824. Fortunately the old church is known from two watercolours, one hanging in the church hall, the other preserved in the church archives (Figs 1 and 2). Also displayed in the church hall is a remarkable set of four drawings of the present church executed by the Toronto architect, Henry Langley (1836-1907), who also designed the nave of Hamilton's Christ Church Cathedral (Raise the Hammer, May 5, 2006).