St Mary’s Anglican Church

In the early 20th century, 50 young catechists traveled from England to Prince Albert to study, and then dispersed across the region to establish Anglican churches. This church (WDM-1973-NB-13908), St. Mary’s, was established by one of those students in 1908 with funds from the Anglican Church in England. It was constructed by community volunteers in Lilac. 

Built in the gothic revival Canterbury Cathedral style, which was specifically designed for the Canadian prairies, the church was designed to hold about 50 people. The construction of the church was done in such a way that the east wall could be removed to expand the sanctuary should more room be needed. By 1908, there were 50 Canterbury Cathedral style churches on the Canadian prairies. These churches were designed to be easily recognizable as Anglican churches so that passersby would know the denomination of the church.  

The church closed in 1960 and was moved to the WDM grounds in 1965. 

Specs 

The gothic windows are another typical feature of Canterbury Cathedral churches. 

The original setup of the church had no pews, only chairs for congregants to sit in. Most of the artifacts in this church date to the 1950s.