Holy Trinity, the Anglican church at the top of Church Street, a short distance above Columbia Street in downtown New Westminster, has a history that stretches back to 1860 and its prominent place in the Royal Engineers’ plan for the new city and capital of the colony.
Today, that history includes potential plans for a multifaceted development on the property that would provide much towards the church’s future, including restorative work on the structure itself.
The building has seen many changes from the original church destroyed by fire in 1865, to a number of rebuilding phases of the church tower and body; from another loss by fire in the city’s Great Fire of 1898, to even more rebuilding, all leading to the present day. There will be a historical society presentation later this month on this picturesque church’s story, but for now let’s look back to the 1865 fire.
The local newspaper of Sept. 2, 1865, had an interesting account of the governor’s departure from the city and Holy Trinity’s part in that send-off.
“As His Excellency passed the city, the national anthem was admirably pealed from the Holy Trinity belfry, while the flags of every mast were dipped, the compliment being gracefully acknowledged from the little steamer.”
This is a delightful piece of historical imagery in the Royal City’s past, but there is great poignancy in this action. In just three days, Holy Trinity would be destroyed by fire – on the evening of Sept. 5.
Much of the church building itself was lost, but through great effort the bell tower and the acclaimed bells were saved. A note from the church congregation in the paper commented, “…offer (our) grateful thanks to the members of the Hyack Fire Company and the numerous other citizens whose zealous and effective exertions succeeded in extinguishing the fire…and in saving (the) belfry with its peal of bells.”
Other accounts cover the blaze and the aftermath with sentences clearly describing the loss: “The late fire at Holy Trinity church … has left a mass of charred and blackened ruins where once stood an edifice in whose completeness and beauty the congregation took a pardonable pride… It is only on entering the arch, where once was an iron studded door, that a full view of the utter destruction of the building is apparent.”
In due course, a new church was built and it would occupy the same location until another fateful night, Sept. 10/11, 1898, when once again fire intervened. The church of 2015 stands proudly on that same site, rebuilt and enhanced over even more decades. It does have a great story.
In two weeks, the New Westminster Historical Society meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 16, starting at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the New Westminster Public Library, will include a presentation looking at the church history through images and stories as well as the current proposed project.
