London's Churches Face the Music

St. Paul's Cathedral

 You may have noticed a decline in religious attendance   this century. Either people don't have faith, they've   invented their own, they have no time, or they don't like   being told what to do. Or all of the above. 

 The problem with this from an architectural   preservationist's point of view is the number of empty   churches. Many are unused and deteriorating. Some have   been torn down already. And it's a sad loss because   ecclesiastical architecture is some of our best. You don't   have to be religious to recognize church buildings as   beautiful, awe-inspiring spaces. Without them, our cities   will be bland indeed. 

 Some churches have been repurposed for residential or   commercial use. Not everyone's happy about it. Some   Christians believe that a building, once consecrated, should   be used for worship only. They'd rather see a church torn   down than become condos. I'd argue that the "church" is its   people, not the building. Still, I can see the point of view.   I'm not happy when adaptive reuse means a former church is   unsympathetically altered. The way some churches are "rethought" is a little weird. 

How do we continue to use churches for the reason they were built, find a way to make them financially viable, and not destroy our architecture? The answer is increasingly to turn churches into concert facilities, either full or part-time. Churches are large venues, capable of seating crowds, and they often have acoustic systems installed already. A minimal amount of renovation can turn many into music centres.

An example: The oldest church building in London is St. Paul's Cathedral. (Every London should have a St. Paul's Cathedral.) Ours is the seat of the Diocese of Huron in the Anglican Church of  Canada. Designed in the Gothic Revival style by architect William Thomas, the building was dedicated February 25, 1846. Even if you're not religious, you should go inside. If you haven't, you're missing an architectural and historical treat. The interior reminds me of an old English church:

Postcard dated 1912 shows St. Paul's interior

In recent years, the congregation has dropped, what with fewer people living downtown and fewer people attending services. But now there's a new plan that will help the cathedral remain viable. It's going to be a "creative sector incubator," to "spur economic growth in the music sector, create a collaborative network involving music industry leaders, and help post-secondary graduates find employment in the industry."* If you don't know what that means, I'll bet you're not alone. I'm not sure what the end result will look like either. 

But Trinity Centres Foundation, a Montreal-based charity, will be developing a business plan in partnership with the cathedral and Diocese of Huron to be revealed later this year. The plan is supposed to keep the cathedral operational and help London keep its 2021 UNESCO City of Music designation.

This means the main sanctuary will be an "event space," which I hope won't change the sanctuary much, although they will be removing pews.** There will be dance, theatre and sound studios in the basement and offices with board rooms in the upper storeys and surrounding buildings. 

So long as the church doesn't change too much in appearance, especially on the exterior, I'm fine with this. I hope they don't remove all the pews; other seating is more comfortable but pews look so churchy.  And I hope the "creative sector" doesn't depart too much from traditional ethics. I'd prefer not to see exotic dancers in the transept. 

Bishop Cronyn 

Reading about all this made me think about other churches used as concert halls. One of them - for a while - was Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church. Consecrated on December 14, 1873 on the southeast corner of Queens Avenue and William Street, the church was built in memory of the first Bishop of Huron, Benjamin Cronyn, and designed by Toronto architect Henry Langley. This beautiful building with ivy-covered walls and original Victorian stained glass closed in 2015, another victim of declining church involvement.

For a while it looked like Bishop Cronyn would also serve a musical purpose. In 2016 it was leased to Aeolian Hall for seven years, mainly to be used by El Sistema, Aeolian's free musical education program for children aged 6 to 14. This should have provided a long-term use for the building.

Unfortunately, the Aeolian's lease was not renewed, their offer to buy was turned down, and the diocese has not been able to sell the building. The result? Aeolian has moved its program to First St. Andrews United Church and Bishop Cronyn is now fenced off and used as a homeless shelter.***

First St. Andrew's 

 OK, so all is not a loss here. El Sistema continues and   First St. Andrews benefits instead of Bishop Cronyn.   First St. Andrew's is also a majestic building, worthy of   preservation. A homeless shelter, greatly needed in   these changing times, is certainly within the purview of   the Christian church. I'd just like to see a different, more   permanent use for Bishop Cronyn. I suppose that  will be   in a different world, one with fewer homeless and more   funding. 

 A more successful project is that of Metropolitan   United  Church, on the southeast corner of Wellington   and Dufferin. Built in 1895 and originally known as   First Methodist Church, it replaced Queen's Avenue   Methodist which had burned down. The style is   Romanesque Revival.

 Major renovations took place here in the fall of 2022,   providing the sanctuary with a stage. Now the home of   London Symphonia, Chorus London, and London Youth   Symphony, the church is another building serving  the   Christian and music communities. The project received   one of the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards in 2023 as well as a 2023 London Heritage Award for Adaptive Reuse. 

Metropolitan United

Of course, the church as concert hall concept isn't new and isn't confined to London or Canada. Thirty years ago, when I was living in a different London, I noticed the number of historic churches also in use as music venues. In London, UK there's a great appreciation for centuries-old churches. While the city centre has few residents, it does have office workers, and I remember it was common for them to attend a concert on their lunch breaks. For examples, see the websites of St. Bride's  or St. Mary le Strand where they list upcoming recitals. Then there's St. Martin-in-the-Fields which gave its name to the famous chamber orchestra. There's also the former St. John's, Smith Square, damaged during the war. Rebuilt but not reconsecrated, it's also a musical venue.

Mind you, in the other London they have tourists from all over the world drop in to admire the history and architecture - and make small donations. And facilities like the macabre Café in the Crypt at St. Martin's are great for hungry sightseers. London, Ontario doesn't have these advantages - yet. But why not have a restaurant in the basement of Metropolitan, with a jazz ensemble to entertain on weekday noon hours? I can just picture the folks across the street at City Hall arriving in droves.

But certain questions come to mind: How many music venues does London need? Will the churches be remodelled tastefully? Can the concept be carried over into smaller churches in rural areas? Of one thing I'm certain - without these buildings, we will be poorer, both spiritually and architecturally.

* Quotes from here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/proposed-plan-brings-new-purpose-for-london-s-oldest-cathedral-creative-incubator-1.7036203 

**https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/diocese-foundation-eye-creative-hub-at-st-pauls-cathedral

*** Personal communication, Clark Bryan, July 19. 2024.

Day Trips: Port Dover & Area

 

When they think of Port Dover, many people picture the scene on the postcard at left.* And it's true that "motorcycle enthusiasts" converge on the village every Friday the 13th. Why? Apparently a group of biker friends had a great time in the village in 1981 on a date that just happened to be Friday the 13th. The good time was so good that they decided they'd return every Friday the 13th. The word got out. Now as many as 100,000 bikers converge on the village on a Friday the 13th in summer. The next party will be September 13th in case you'd like to be there.

For those of you who wouldn't like to be there, bear in mind that the 13th of the month falls on a Friday at least once a year and sometimes as often as three times a year. But take heart. That leaves over 360 days a year that aren't Friday the 13th. And the rest of the year Port Dover is a fairly quiet Canadian resort. If you're there in winter, it's very quiet. But I recommend a lovely summer day that doesn't fall on a Friday the 13th for the optimal experience. 

Since this is a history blog, you should known that the community was founded by Loyalists in 1794 and named after the English port of Dover. Before the War of 1812, the area north of today's port was known as Dover Mills. During the war, the Americans raided and destroyed much of the pioneer settlement. But the settlers rebuilt, recognizing that, not only did the Lynn River provide water power for their mills, but the location where the river emptied into Lake Erie was a good natural harbour. 

Not surprisingly, Port Dover became a prosperous fishing port, the fish being shipped out by rail and boat. But by the 20th century, Port Dover had also become a tourist hub, with summer visitors arriving by train, boarding locally, and visiting the beach and other attractions. 

The postcard below features a village house that took in summer boarders. Dated October 5, 1909, it's addressed to Mrs. George Smoke, McCreedy, Ontario, and the text begins: "Dear Cousin: This is a photo of our house. We had quite a number of summer people this summer but have got rid of them all now." It's signed by May, who doesn't sound like she was sad to get rid of the "summer people." I suspect that families took in summer boarders to augment their incomes but were happy to have their homes to themselves again coming autumn.

Port Dover is still a tourist destination, of course, but nowadays it's usually automobile daytrippers such as myself needing to get out of the city on a Sunday, see something different, and have a perch lunch. 

The Fishing Industry

It seems that the driving force behind any industry is market demand. If there's enough demand, an industry attempts to meet it by increasing product volume. So it's not surprising that demand for Lake Erie fish like walleye, whitefish, perch and trout increased from the time of first European settlement until well into the 20th century and that local fisheries worked hard to fill the demand. But in recent decades, climate change and disease have taken their toll on fish populations. And humans have really messed things up with habitat degradation, water contamination, and over-fishing with nets and electronic fish finders.** Commercial fishing isn't what it used to be.

Still, there are fish caught and you can eat them in the village. For example, the dining room at the Erie Beach still serves locally-caught fish, including perch. 

An old postcard features the Erie Beach Hotel, sometime after its opening in 1946:

Local History and Architecture

Port Dover has its fair share of well-preserved history and buildings. Perhaps of most interest is the 1904-06 Port Dover Town Hall, now reincarnated as the Lighthouse Theatre.

There's also the Harbour Museum which appears small but is jam packed with displays about the War of 1812, the fishing industry, shipwrecks, and the heroes who saved the lives of sailors. As well as the wheelhouse of a 1912 freighter:

At the centre of town is Powell Park ... 

... which hasn't changed much over the years, still featuring a bandstand and cannon:

This attractive square almost has enough monuments to provide strollers with the town's history without visiting the museum: 

Then there's this waterfall on the Lynn River:

In case you're thinking this would be a nice spot for a picnic, guess again. I slid down a muddy path through insect-infested brush to get this picture. Seems a pity it's not easier to get at. However, upon arriving home, I googled the site and found several comments stating this is private property. If so, the owners need to mark this more clearly. I didn't see any "No Trespassing" signs and I guess the numerous other visitors didn't either.

But back to local history.

Tombstone Tourism 

Next to the falls at the top of a hill is the historic McQueen Cemetery. It's situated in the pioneer hamlet of Dover Mills, the area ransacked by the Americans during the War of 1812. Daniel McQueen, buried here, was born in the American colonies in 1764, arrived here as a Loyalist, and died here in 1854. It was Daniel who built the first mill at the "Mills" and can therefore be considered the founder of the community. Numerous other members of the McQueen family are buried here as well.

Monument to Alexander McQueen, Daniel's father, a veteran of the Seven Years' War who fought under Wolfe at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

The graveyard is worth seeing - but be careful. Even for those of us who enjoy cemetery sightseeing, this spot is a bit of a challenge. Access to the site is via a steep walking path from Tisdale Road and, when it's damp after a rain, it's a good place to come a cropper:

Also, take your bug repellent, unless you're one of those lucky people the little biters don't like. Me, they love. My visit was short. 

Nearby Historic Places

Heading back to London, we travelled along the lakeshore for a while, eventually reaching Port Ryerse. For those of us hooked on history, the main feature is Memorial Anglican Church Cemetery, another Loyalist burial ground, complete with church.

The community was founded by Lieut.-Col. Samuel Ryerse, who fought for the British during the Revolutionary War and afterwards took refuge in New Brunswick. Later, upon receiving 3,000 acres in this area, he settled on Young's Creek and built a gristmill, which turned out to be another one the Americans burned. He died in 1812 and is the earliest known burial here. 

Incidentally, Samuel was the uncle of Egerton Ryerson. Ryerson seems to be the correct name for this family, Ryerse being a spelling mistake on Samuel's military records.*** Samuel's branch of the family continued this change of the family surname. 

Ryerse graves

This is another one of those places that's as good as a museum with lots to see, including black history in the form of this monument: 

Then there's this display, which includes a sign from the local school and an anchor retrieved from the harbour:

And this is cool. Too bad I won't be there to see it opened:

Still farther west on the lake is Normandale, an early 19th-century boom town turned sleepy hamlet. The Normandale ironworks was built by John Mason in 1816-17 and enlarged by Joseph Van Norman and his partners in 1821-22. There they made their Van Norman cooking stove along with other cast and wrought iron implements.  The industry lasted until the 1840s when local ore deposits were depleted. 

But, from my point of view, the area's restored buildings are the big draw:

* All postcards from the author's collection. 

**https://longpointbiosphere.com/download/long_point_environmental_folio_publication_series/Fisheries-of-Lake-Erie-and-the-Long-Point-Area-Past-and-Present-Compressed.pdf

*** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Ryerson

Another Walk Through Woodfield

In 2021, I went on a couple of walks through Woodfield. Some of my pictures are here but recently I unearthed some more photos. I hope others enjoy these pictures of buildings in the historic neighbourhood as much as I do. If they prove anything, it's that London still has a wide variety of attractive Victorian and Edwardian housing, despite neglect. 

Below is 559 Waterloo, built for William J. Legg in 1908. The house was converted into offices for the Norwich Insurance Co. in the 1970s and now houses a dental clinic, as you can see from the sign. So what was once a residence has been tastefully converted into offices without sacrificing its warm homey look. Note that the house is well designed for its corner lot, with the tower at an angle and a wraparound porch providing views of two streets, Waterloo and Wolfe.  

Around the corner at 317 Wolfe Street is a somewhat similar house, also having arched windows, columned verandah, and angled tower. This was an earlier house built for William J. Legg, likely around 1900, possibly using the same builder or architect. 

297 Wolfe Street, over near Wellington, has a distinctive two-storey verandah on its east side. Note the cute round window on the first floor, allowing a view from the front hall. 

Nearby Princess Avenue has one of London's most priceless and irreplaceable streetscapes, filled with what I'd consider architectural treasures. Unfortunately, most of them have not been well looked after. I've discussed the two westernmost houses, scheduled for renovation, here, but below are my pics from 2017, before they were boarded up.

First, no. 300, an eclectic blend of Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival:

 And no. 306, with a lovely Palladian window in its third-floor gable and attractive wraparound verandah: 

Other pics of Princess Avenue west of Waterloo:

Three dormers capped by finials peek out of this mansion's roof. There's a spectacular rounded balcony on the second floor and a large first floor entrance verandah. Note classical details like laurel wreaths, torches, swags, dentils and brackets. Also the blue heritage designation plaque to the right of the front steps.

Lovely wood ornamentation in the gables of this white brick house, built 1896. Notice the stained glass over the main downstairs window at right.

A massive double house on the northwest corner of Princess and Waterloo:

Across Waterloo Street is the double house below, built 1874. I could also describe it as Italianate. Many Italianate features are present: low-pitched roof with wide overhang, deep cornice with ornamentation; scrolled brackets cut on an angle in keeping with the slope. The window headings are a pedimental form similar to the broken pediment on the roof line. The centre portion, jutting out a bit, has quoins on the outer edges matching the ones on the corners of the building. The cute little arched window on the third floor matches the two arched windows below with curved mullions in the arch. 

I've mentioned Princess Terrace under Terrace Housing. At its east end is an older apartment house:

Behind this is an intriguing glimpse of what appears to be an earlier building:

Notice the detail in the gables of 371 and 375 Princess Avenue. A 19th-century craftsman really went  to town on both:

Cute cottage at 537 Colborne built by marble cutter Charles Teale in 1872. The other white cottage next door to it was built by his business partner, John Screaton, in the same year. Both buildings have had alterations and additions and have been used for multiple purposes, with Teale's having been a kindergarten in the 1900s. Nice bay windows and shutters.

No. 535, Screaton's cottage. It also has a bay window, just not on the front. Porch is newer.

Just to the north on Colborne is this stately Victorian terrace with four-windowed bays, two and a half storeys in height, the end one at an angle. Pity it's looking run down, although the decay isn't too obvious in the photo below.

Around the corner on Hope Street is a smaller, earlier terrace, also looking a bit rough: 

Some wood trim on the above:

412 Dufferin, not far from Colborne, is an attractive designated building from 1907. Its roof line is broken by two attic gables (the top one hidden by foliage) and a charming tower-style dormer. The foundation stone was also used in the sills and lintels. I love the adorable oval window at the centre of the second floor. 

The house at 414 Dufferin was built for Samuel N. Sterling in 1904. It's now divided into apartments which is typical for the mansions of yesterday. While most windows have been replaced there are still some unchanged details: dentils under the eaves and verandah roof; Doric columns; a verandah pediment with bas-relief infill; Palladian windows on the second and third floors. 

The old block at 464-466 Dufferin, called "Fitzgerald Corners," was built about 1889. The name comes from James Fitzgerald who had a grocery store at no. 466 in 1890. Over the years this commercial block has been various shops and offices.* This is the Dufferin Avenue facade, showing a dormer for each side, dichromatic brick over the windows, and parapet walls:

The east side retains some ornamentation in the gable and a small verandah has its own fretwork.

The Italianate at 500 Dufferin was owned by James Duff Smith. It's hard to photograph in mid-summer due to the tall trees on the property but all you really need to see is the well-preserved cornice with lots of mouldings, brackets and pendules. And the cute critter on the verandah of the cottage next door.

Some interesting houses on nearby William Street. The Italianate at no. 481 has updated windows but note the detail in its gable and the paired brackets under the eaves connected by string moulding. 

No. 479 has a Palladian window in its front gable and a cute pedimented window above its side entrance.

No. 474 has an interesting roof line, unusual gable infill, and a very imposing chimney. 

At the northeast corner of William and Queens is one of the city's most imposing old mansions. It was designed by George F. Durand in 1881 for Charles Murray, manager of the Federal Bank of Canada. In most homes, one tower was enough but here there are two - one round, one taller and squarer. The latter is missing its finial. The two-storey verandah and entrance porch were probably added later. Most interesting is the cross-bracing of the front gable.  

Another lovely verandah facing William Street:

Those are the pictures I took that sunny day in 2021. My tour was totally random, not methodical, so much has been left out. There's lots more and I'll be walking through Woodfield again. You should too.

*Nick's Pics:

Just received from Londoner Nick Corrie:

Mac Duncan and his wife Margaret at 466 Dufferin ca. 1900. Mac and his brother Archie ran a grocery store and pharmacy inside this building in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Interior of 466 Dufferin where Mac and Archie are ready to serve customers. 

For more info on Woodfield buildings, see:

Beck, Julia & Spicer, Elizabeth, eds. Brackets & Bargeboards: Architectural Walks in London Ontario. ACO London Region Branch, 1989.

Desbarats, Peter, et al. Residential to the Core: The Woodfield Community Association. Segue Communications, 2007.