St George-in-the-Pines' steeple viewed from behind

St George-in-the-Pines is an Anglican church in Banff, Alberta, called "one of Banff's oldest places of worship". The building was designed in the Gothic Revival style by English architect FP Oakley[1] and the cornerstone was laid by Governor General the Lord Stanley of Preston in 1889.[2]

History

The first Anglican service in Banff took place in a log cabin on Bear Street in 1887 before holding worship in a tent on the site of the present-day church as it was being built. Clergy also led evening service at the Banff Springs Hotel. The chancel was complete by 1897[1] and the Bishop of Calgary, the Right Reverend William Pinkham, consecrated St George's in June 1920,[3] before the tower and spire were finished in 1926.[1]

Prince George, Duke of Cornwall and York (laterly King George V), and his wife, Princess Mary, Duchess of Cornwall and York (the future Queen Mary), worshipped at St George-in-the-Pines in 1901. Three of their sons attended service at the church: Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII), together with Prince George in 1927,[1] and King George VI with his consort, Queen Elizabeth, in 1939. The pew in which the latter two sat is marked with a plaque.[2] George and Elizabeth's daughter, Elizabeth II, the former Queen of Canada, also worshipped at St George-in-the-Pines.[4]

In 2012, the church sought designation as a municipal historic resource and received approval on 30 July of the same year.[1][4] It was also included as a point of interest along the Commonwealth Walkway, which was opened on 17 September 2017.[5]

Features

Some of the stained glass windows around St George-in-the-Pines

George-in-the-Pines possesses 50 stained glass windows depicting local flora and fauna, as well as 11 bells by John Taylor & Co, which were shipped from Loughborough, England, to Banff via the Panama Canal.[1] They can be played by one person. St George-in-the-Pines was the first of only two churches in Canada to possess a set from that manufacturer.[2]

See also

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 St. George's-In-The-Pines moving toward historic status, Rocky Mountain Outlook, 29 March 2012, retrieved 20 August 2022
  2. 1 2 3 Commonwealth Walkway, The Banff Commonwealth Walkway: Tunnel Mountain 'Green Walk', p. 2, retrieved 20 August 2022
  3. ↑ "Our Story". St. George in the Pines Anglican Church. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 Municipal Heritage Designation of St. George’s in the Pines Anglican Church Bylaw, Town of Banff, retrieved 20 August 2022
  5. ↑ Fortney, Valerie (17 September 2017), "Fortney: New Banff Commonwealth Walkway 'an outdoor, living history museum'", Calgary Herald, retrieved 20 August 2022

Further information

  • Whyte, John (1990), St. George's-in-the-Pines: The Anglican Church in Banff: a Centennial Celebration, Parish of St. George's-In-The-Pines, ASIN B0037V96IQ

51°10′29″N 115°34′09″W / 51.17465°N 115.56918°W / 51.17465; -115.56918

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