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BISHOP CRONYN MEMORIAL CHURCH
Anglican Church of Canada
Diocese of Huron
London, Ontario
THE
ART & ARCHITECTURE OF BISHOP CRONYN CHURCH
To see the pictures, click on the numbers in the body of
the text. This page is under construction and not all pictures
are yet available.
Built in 1873
(1),
the church was erected as a memorial to the first bishop of the
Diocese of Huron, Benjamin Cronyn, by his family and presented to
the diocese. Cronyn was the first bishop in the Anglican Communion
to be elected by a Synod of clergy and lay members. It is
constructed of yellow brick in a neo-gothic style.
(2) The
footprint of the building is cruciform, the main nave having three
bays of windows, with an additional two bays in the transepts
and a chancel. The roof is a unique construction with a beam
system that allows for a wide expanse in the nave to be supported
without columns.
(3)
The chancel, added a short time after the original construction,
is gothic revival in style, with a decorated ceiling,(5)
wooden reredos and high altar.
(6)
When the church was restored and redecorated
in the 1980's panels which had covered the ceiling in the nave were
removed to reveal a tongue and groove wooden ceiling.
(7)
The walls were painted to simulate cut stone.
In the Fall of 2007 a renovation of the chancel
and nave reconfigured the worship space around a square nave altar,
(9)
with seating facing forward in the main nave, and in toward the nave
altar in the transepts. (9a)
The chancel and sanctuary were restored to their original
configuration.
(10)
Several back pews in the main nave were removed at the west end of
the church and the area carpeted and furnished to create a gathering
space
(11)
for fellowship, meetings and study groups.
A stone font (12) is located in the south transept, where the statue
of Our Lady is also located.
(13)
The north transept houses the Memorial Chapel
(14)
which contains the regimental colours of the Royal Canadian Regiment
from both the first and second World Wars. The parish memorial
book of those killed in action is found in the memorial altar.
Off of the chancel and
behind the sacristy hallway is found the Brownlee Chapel, (16)
dedicated to the memory of a former rector of the parish. Also
gothic in style it is however a more modern design. Plans are
underway for the construction of a columbarium on the west wall of
this chapel.
The church has two working organs used for worship, a Casavant
housed in chambers on either side of the chancel, with the console
in the choir gallery and a Gabriel Kney and Bright tracker organ,
(15) originally built for London's Aeolian Hall, located in the
gallery.
Most parish liturgies are celebrated at the nave altar, Evensong is
sung in the old chancel, and the portable Labyrinth unfolds in the
chancel area to allow for a meditative ministry.
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