The Ground-breaking Ceremony
The new church ground-breaking was held Monday January 2nd, 2023 with Bishop Riscylla Shaw, Reverend Bryce Sangster and Andrew Maloney, the general contractor. The new Church will become the future landmark building on the beautiful hillside in the Northumberland hills. It is located on the same property as the former pioneer landmark Church that stood in prominence for over 153 years.
Above: The ground-breaking party [L to R] are: Mary Winkworth, Bryce Sangster [incumbent Priest], Sheila Surerus, Barry Surerus, Bishop Riscylla Shaw [with the shovel], Allan McCracken. Helen Lee.
The Rebuild
The general contractor has planned an aggressive construction schedule.
Below is a series of photos telling the story of the rebuild of St James Anglican Church, Roseneath, Ontario.
The concrete footings were formed and poured on Wednesday, January 4, 2023
just two days after the ground-breaking ceremony.
The forms were installed in preparation for the pouring of the concrete foundation walls.
The concrete walls with the forms removed and sheets of insulation board attached to the walls.
The wood stud exterior walls are being erected with the outer insulation panels attached. The front doors of the church will be in the open space in the wall at the near end of the photo. The back doors will be in the space at the far end of the photo.
The outer stud walls, with the insulation boards attached, are completed and the building is closed in.
A truss is being transported to be set in place.
The roof trusses are all in place.
The windows with black frames are installed.
There are 12 windows in the sanctuary/church hall. The roof underlay and strapping is completed.
St James has a distinctive look because of the vertical orientation of the siding that is noticeable from a distance and imitates a board and batten exterior. Vertical siding is easier to clean and keep clean which is important on the hillside with the number of farm fields, trees, and small woodlots in the area. The steel roof is a charcoal colour and the siding is an eggshell white.
The architect’s sketch of the front view of the new St James showing the double doors with glass windows on both sides. The larger window on the left is in the office and the window on the right is in the coat room.
To get to this stage in the interior construction process, gravel fill was added inside the concrete external foundation walls. Several thousand gallons of water were pumped on top of the fresh fill to get to get it to settle and pack thoroughly.
The concrete base floor was poured and smoothed after any required under-floor water lines were installed.
The interior wood stud walls have been constructed and the drain pipes and water supply lines are ready to be connected.
It is shocking that just 14 weeks after the Ground-Breaking Ceremony, the construction process at St James has proceeded to the point that the Church Hall was ready for the electricians to arrive. St James Church Hall is attractively lit on the exterior with a series of security lights in the soffits. The new building is a landmark both day and night on the hillside in scenic rural Northumberland County.
St James has a distinctive look because of the vertical orientation of the siding that is noticeable from a distance and imitates a board and batten exterior. The charcoal steel roof, the black window frames, and the egg-shell white siding give St James Church Hall a very classy appearance. The design and the aesthetic features of the building allow us to celebrate and appreciate the past and to look toward in anticipation of the future.
we will add more pictures to this page. Please check back occasionally.
Rebuilding From the Ashes
A tragic and devastating fire of very suspicious origin destroyed the historic St. James Anglican Church in the night of April 9, 2019.
There is unanimous local support to rebuild St James as a flexible use building to serve the needs of the members of the church, cemetery functions and the broader community. You can be a part of this rebirth. Let us collectively show the same foresight of our predecessors 156 years ago and renew the Church as part of the important social infrastructure of the area. Come, contribute and be a part of the ongoing history.
In 1925, the Coyle and Drope families donated the huge bell — 38 inches in diameter — to celebrate the centennial of their arrival in Canada from Ireland. Every reasonable effort will be made to reclaim and restore this historic symbol of the gratitude of these heritage families.
Astoundingly, a major portion of the large bible survived the fire as well.
Now we have a chance to see that the church facility survives, as the bible did, through a rebuilding project.
