St. Luke's designated National Historic Site
Recent restoration and additions maintain its neoclassical integrity.
Built in 1831-1833 and recently restored, St. Luke's, Gondola Point is a fine vernacular example of classical architecture and represents the culmination of the pioneering phase of the Anglican Church in eastern Canada. This fall the historical significance of this church, which has survived intact and maintained its neoclassical integrity, was recognized and it was declared a National Historic Site.
Marion Beyea, the New Brunswick representative on the board overseeing National Historic Sites, was master of ceremonies for the occasion. The Rev. Canon James Irvine, rector, and MP Paul Zed unveiled the Historic Sites plaque. Archdeacon Harold Hazen, representing the Bishop, took the prayer of blessing of the cairn. Also among the official party were Peter LeBlanc, M.L.A., representing the Premier; Leslie Hamilton-Brown, Mayor of the Village of Gondola Point; Stephen Flood, the architect supervising the restoration of the church; and churchwardens Peter Little and Edwin Patterson.
The church, built as a chapel of ease for the Parish of Hampton in the Diocese of Nova Scotia, testifies to the efforts of Bishop John Inglis to spread Anglicanism throughout this diocese through church construction. Attributed to Edwin Fairweather, the design is noteworthy for its plan, symmetry, fine proportions, and classical details, which speak eloquently of the inheritance of British classicism on colonial building. St. Luke's remained a chapel of ease until 1988 when it became the parish church of Gondola Point.
The Diocese of Fredericton was not set apart from the Diocese of Nova Scotia until 1845, at which time the Rt. Rev. John Medley was consecrated in Lambeth Palace, London, and came out to New Brunswick to exercise his episcopate. Bishop Medley did not appreciate the pedestrian lines of the neoclassical style. Although his influence can be seen in subtle ways in St Luke's, his mark on Trinity Church, Kingston, for instance is ruthless. Little remains of its classical design and the casual observer might think Trinity, the oldest church in the diocese, is in fact younger than St Luke's, 50 years her junior.
Suffice it to say, Bishop Medley did not copy the style of St Luke's anywhere in his diocese. St Luke's is the only Georgian style church extant in the Diocese of Fredericton left unscathed by his neoGothic Revival.
St. Luke's Georgian style is reminiscent of what the Loyalists would have left in the New England colonies before coming north in the late eighteenth century. The paladian window in the east wall, the six nave windows' the windows in the porch and sacristy, as well as that in the belfry, are all Georgian and worthy of note.
They are all stained glass, with the exception of the new Georgian window placed in the porch, and depict geometric designs, indicative of the mindset of the nineteenth century Churchman eschewing the depiction of any graven images.
Plans for the restoration of St. Luke's were begun in 1990 with work getting underway in the summer of 1991. The building was rewired, insulated, a new pine floor laid down and oak pews (crafted by parishioner Robert McDermott) and an oak Communion Rail installed.
The new pews replicate the Box Pew ends and front panels, thus ensuring the continuity of style while allowing at the same time more comfortable seating. The fourth row of pews back from the chancel step are recessed to allow for wheelchairs, and defines an appropriate place for the Gospel to be Proclaimed in the midst of the people.
At the Architect's insistence, there is no chancel carpet nor is there a carpet for the aisle. This is to ensure the integrity of the acoustics of the building. The hard surfaces provided by wood and the original plaster vaulted ceiling demonstrate the understanding of acoustics held by Edwin Fairweather and Justus Wetmore. Their effort has no been compromised!
The entrance to the restored church is gained off a bricked patio that allows for wheel chair access to the porch. At the architect's urging, the patio is framed with several large stones, allowing for seating as people gather, or as they linger after Service. The porch was designed to compliment the roof lines of the nave and to maintain the proportions suggested by the nave windows in relation to the height of the building.
The double-door entry remains as in the past, on the side of the porch.
The Sacristy, located off the chancel, on the Epistle Side, provides sufficient space for eucharistic ministers, layreaders, and acolytes along with their vestments and other furnishings that are stored for occasional use. The lines have been kept in proportion to the rest of the building so that it does not appear to be a recent addition, but an integral part of the whole.