St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church is an

Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2016, the Anglican Church of ...

parish church in the

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's best-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, ...

neighbourhood of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. It was the first Anglican church established in the city west of

Spadina Avenue Spadina Avenue (, less commonly ) is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods. Spadina Avenue runs south ...

. St. Stephen's is known for a number of community outreach programs. Designed by

Thomas Fuller Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...

, later Chief Dominion Architect, in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style, the church is designed under Part IV of the ''

Ontario Heritage Act The ''Ontario Heritage Act'', (the ''Act'') first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Canadian Province of Ontario, as being of cultural heritage ...

'' as being of significant cultural heritage value.

History

St. Stephen-in-the-Fields was founded in 1857 by Robert Brittain Denison. Denison, who paid for its construction in entirety, built the church as a parish for the farm workers on his estate, Bellevue House. Ground was broken on July 1, 1858, when the Hon. and Rt Rev. John Strachan, 1st Bishop of Toronto, laid the cornerstone. The church's name reflects its then rural setting. Denison employed the architectural firm of Fuller &

Jones Jones or Joneses may refer to: People and fictional characters *Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname * List of people with surname Jones, including fictional characters ** Justice Jones (disambiguation) ** Judge Jones (disambiguati ...

, who would later go on to design the

Centre Block The Centre Block () is the main building of the Parliament of Canada, Canadian parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons and Senate of Canada, Senate chambers, as we ...

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose ...

. John Worthington was the builder. The first service was held in the new church on

Advent Sunday Advent Sunday, also called the First Sunday of Advent or First Advent Sunday, is the first day of the liturgical year in the Western Christian Churches and the start of the Christian season of Advent; a time of preparation for the celebration of ...

, November 28, 1858. The first incumbent was the Rev. James Henry McCollum, who later left after a feud with Denison. The church was consecrated on May 17, 1863, the Sunday after

Ascension Day The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (also called the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday) commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It ...

. The church was gutted by fire on October 26, 1865. The congregation met in a lecture hall at

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...

while the church was rebuilt by Henry Langley. The church was expanded by Richard Cunningham Windeyer, Sr. in 1878 and renovated by

Eden Smith Eden Smith (1858 – 10 October 1949) was a British-born Canadian architect who belonged to the Arts and Crafts movement. Born in Birmingham, England, he achieved prominence as an architect in Toronto, Ontario. He was a founding member of The Art ...

in 1890. In 1927, the rector, the Rev. James Edward Ward, pioneered broadcasting services on

CFRB CFRB (1010 AM) is a commercial radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is owned by Bell Media and carries a News/Talk radio format. Its studios and offices are in the Entertainment District at 250 Richmond Street West. One of the oldes ...

and VE9GW. It was the first Canadian church to broadcast across the ocean and gained a large international following. Ward also wrote 75 religious plays for radio, many in collaboration with Earle Grey. Ward also wrote a weekly religious programme titled "The Way of the Spirit" on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

. In the 1980s, to raise necessary funds, the rectory, parish hall and surrounding property were sold and half the church was gutted and converted into a clinic for The Doctor’s Hospital. After the hospital vacated, the other half of the building has been rented out for community uses. As one of the oldest Anglican churches in the city, the parish has been subdivided many times creating new parishes including St. Matthias, St. Thomas's and St. Mary Magdalene.

Architecture

The origin 1858 church was designed by

, later Chief Dominion Architect, and Chilion Jones in the

style. The design was based on St Michael's Church, Longstanton. It is of red brick construction trimmed with grey stone. Fuller & Jones' church was gutted by fire in 1865 and rebuilt and enlarged by Henry Langley. None of Fuller's original interior survives, though on the exterior, the polychromatic masonry, solid buttressing and open bell core survive. The current chancel dates from an 1890 renovation by

. The church is notable for its stained glass windows, some of which date from the 1860s. The windows were restored in 2018 at a cost of $80,000.

List of rectors

* 1858 – 1861: The Rev. James Henry McCollum * 1861 – 1911: The Rev. Abraham James Broughall * 1912 – 1925: The Rev. Canon Thomas George Wallace * 1925 – 1958: The Rev. James Edward Ward * 1958 – 1968: The Rev. Canon Guy Marshall * 1968 – 1972: The Rev. John E. Speers * 1972 – 1982: The Rev. Campbell A. Russell * 1982 – 1988: The Rev. Ben Lochridge * 1988 – 2004: The Rev. Kevin Flynn * 2015 – present: The Rev. Canon Maggie Helwig From 2004 to 2014, the parish was served by four priests-in-charge: the Rev. David Neelands (2004–2005); the Rev. Christian Swayne

OHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustio ...

(2005–2011); the Rev. David Bryan Hoopes OHC (2011–2013); and the Rev. Maggie Helwig, who began as priest-in-charge in May 2013 and was appointed rector in January 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church, Saint Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church, Saint Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church, Saint Gothic Revival architecture in Toronto Churches completed in 1858 City of Toronto Heritage Properties Thomas Fuller buildings Kensington Market

History

Architecture

List of rectors

See also

References