Old St. Paul's Anglican Church
Anglican Church
One Hundred and Eighty Years!
Yes! 181 years ago in 1834 St. Paul`s in Woodstock was built.
Built with locally made brick in the Georgian style of architecture.
Chapter nine, titled “Woodstock” in the book Winter Studies and Summer Rambles in Canada 1837, Anna Jameson writes about the thick green forest and the beauty of the birds and flowers that she has never seen before ... with one sour note "The roads were so execrably bad that no words can give you an idea of them - taking nine hours traveling twenty-five miles."
Anna`s bright spot in Woodstock was the Sunday attending with Admiral Henry Vansittart and his sister Mrs. East the "pretty little church", she says "if I could not take part in the discourse, I could listen like the Irish corn field with all ears."
Admiral Vansittart gave the money for the building of the church, but, it was built on Capt. Andrew Drew`s land (that is another story). The Admiral also gave Woodstock its name and started the first Fair Board. The Vansittart influence, as well as other retired British Army and Navy personal who settled here as half pay officers from the Napoleonic War some with wealth, was the glue that molded this area into a vibrant community. Many Woodstock street names commemorate several of these men.
The first minister was the Reverend William Bettridge. The Reverend Mr. Bettridge was instrumental in starting the first Lending Library in this area. Captain Andrew Drew is known for the sinking of the steamer Caroline off Navy Island near Niagara Falls during the short lived 1837 Rebellion.
The church chancel was added in 1843 and by 1851 more space was needed so to do this the gallery was removed, adding the East and West transepts ,also changing the architecture to Gothic.
This is the church building you see to-day.
`Old` was added to the name when in 1880 the new church opened at the corner of Wellington and Dundas St., thus Old St. Paul’s and New St. Paul’s which is now The Church of the Epiphany. Old St. Paul’s became a Historic Site in 1958.
Service Times
Services
Everyone is welcome to join us each Sunday morning at 9 a.m. and 10:30am for our weekly service.
Summer service hours begin on June 30th, at 8 a.m. and again at 10 a.m.
You can also join us the first Saturday of each month for casual service and communion at 6:30pm. Casual Church runs from September thru to June.
There’s something for everyone.
Casual Church
First Saturday of the month at 6:30pm (5:00pm in winter) in the Parish Hall. This is a half hour service of, lively music, a message, & Holy Communion.
PLUS …..Goodies for the young & the young at heart.
Casual Church runs from September thru to June.
Causual Church is currently on a hiatus. Please check under the “News and Events” tab for updates.
Location
723 Dundas Street
Woodstock
Ontario
Canada
N4S 1E8
Staff
The Rev'd Robert Luxton
Rector
Sherry Jenkins
Secretary
Contacts
Tel: 5195373912
Web: https://oldstpauls.com/
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