EMILY TURNER TIMBER and TIN: Church Design And

ANALYSIS | ANALYSE TIMBER AND TIN: Church Design and Construction in the James Bay Mission, 1850-1890 EMILY TURNER is a PhD candidate in architecture >EMILY TURNER at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Her research focuses on the development of physical infrastructures in Christian mission stations in Northern Canada in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. ince the early French presence in SNorth America, missions to Canada’s indigenous peoples have been a key aspect of European expansion into the territory. The second half of the nineteenth century, in particular, was of note for the Church Missionary Society (CMS), the evangelical branch of the Church of England’s missionary programme, which focussed its efforts on Canada’s North and West, as part of their larger evangelistic enterprise across the British Empire. Although focussed primarily on preach- ing and conversion, the presence of mis- sionaries was most effectively denoted through the construction and growth of churches and mission stations. Five of these stations were located on the shores of James Bay, with the specific focus of evangelizing the James Bay Cree.1 The churches erected at these stations, in particular those at Moose Factory, which became the seat of the newly created Diocese of Moosonee in 1872, and at Fort George, demonstrate two key approaches to church design and construction, which, when examined in light of the CMS’s policy on ecclesiastical infrastructure development, clarify the important limitations and conditions faced by these remote stations as regards their approach to architecture. The five mission stations in this region were located at the Hudson Bay Company posts of Moose Factory in the south; Rupert House, Eastmain and Fort George on the eastern shore of the Bay; and Fort Albany on the western shore. Churches were erected at all of these stations, but very limited information about them can be found; only one, St. Thomas’, Moose FIG. 1. ST THOMAS’ CHURCH, MOOSE FACTORY, 1856-1864; 1884, EXTERIOR. | ALGOMA UNIVERSITY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, SHINGWAUK RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS CENTRE, JOHN EDMONDS FONDS, 2011-060-001. JSSAC | JSÉAC 40 > No 1 > 2015 > 5-14 5 EMILY TURNER > ANALYSIS | ANALYSE Factory (1856-1864, 1884), survives in a agency policy advocated the transmission Of all the churches on the James Bay complete and recognizable form. A lack of “Christianity in its essential truths sev- coast from the original CMS’s mission, of documentation as well as relatively few ered from all the incidentals,”4 in order to St. Thomas’ Church, Moose Factory, which extant structures are central limitations in promote “the formation of a national and became the diocesan seat in 1872, has the the examination of many CMS churches independent church, possessed of that best documented history and survives in in the Canadian North; as such, assump- freedom and elasticity which will enable the most complete form, as has previously tions must be made based on the surviv- it to adapt itself to the exigencies and been noted (fig. 1). It was constructed ing structures and the written material circumstances of the new people amongst between 1856 and 1864, with the chancel available. With those limitations in mind, whom it has grown.”5 Most importantly added in 1884, under the supervision of the two churches that will be primarily for the CMS, the native agency policy was John Horden (1828-1893), the missionary examined in this paper highlight key to be applied to two specific fields: the at Moose Factory who became the dio- approaches to construction and style, translation of Scripture and other reli- cese’s first bishop, to replace an older drawing conclusions which can most likely gious texts into local languages, and the church on the same site, established by a be applied to the other three, despite the training and education of native clergy previous Methodist mission in the 1840s.9 limited information available that can be and lay leaders in the hope of building a Incorporating a steeply-pitched roof, with used for concrete analysis. local episcopal hierarchy manned primar- lancet windows and an entrance tower, ily by non-Europeans.6 this structure is a basic example of timber In order to effectively examine the archi- Gothic construction—in line with contem- tecture of the James Bay churches, it is Within the broader application of this porary trends for church building in North necessary to briefly look at the central strategy, church architecture fell firmly America for both settler and mission organization’s policy on construction pro- into the category of “incidentals” because churches.10 This design is not architectur- jects for mission stations. Contrary to stan- of its intimate connections to English ally innovative, nor does it seek to incor- dard Anglican practice in the second half culture, a fact recognized by the CMS.7 porate indigenous design methodologies of the nineteenth century as regards the As the Church Missionary Intelligencer in any way. It has clearly been drawn dir- erection of churches abroad, the CMS was reported in 1869: “Christianity clothed ectly from the English parish tradition actually opposed to the prevalent Gothic with a form so rigidly, and unalter- exemplified in the early Gothic Revival, Revival style for churches in its stations. ably Anglican . can never thoroughly a trend adapted to timber construction Instead, the organization advocated the adapt itself to the requirements of a throughout North America.11 However, it use of vernacular forms, often modified, new country.”8 In theory, this approach should be noted that within most CMS for worship space. This policy was specific- dictated the use of local architectural stations, the vast majority of clergy were ally discussed at the 1860 Conference on forms in place of more familiar English not architecturally trained, nor did they Missions in Liverpool, a conference that and European ones in order to make the have access to the centres of architec- set the tone for their evangelical mission church as a representation of faith more tural knowledge present in the univer- strategy over the next thirty years.2 The relatable and more appropriate to both sity societies of Oxford and Cambridge, Gothic church, it was deemed, was “out of new and would-be converts. The actual attributable to the high recruitment rate, place”3 in the global mission field. application of this scheme, however, was especially in the North American field, of consistently uneven. Taking the James clergy and lay workers without a univer- The reasons behind such stance, so diver- Bay churches as primary examples, it is sity degree. Horden, for example, had not gent from standard Anglican practice, glaringly obvious that this policy was completed any higher education studies were larger CMS policies regarding the not followed. Nevertheless, the lack whatsoever.12 As a result, many designs ultimate outcomes of the evangelistic of adherence to corporate directives for church projects were not original, but enterprise. At its heart was a policy known reflects a more complicated set of cir- rather drawn from elsewhere; however, as “native agency,” which aimed to pro- cumstances than perhaps realized by the from Horden’s written records, it is not mote Christianity not as an imported Home Committee when constructing entirely clear what exactly inspired the English cultural institution, but rather worship spaces in remote environments, church’s design. as a universal profession of faith that rather than ignorance or lack of interest could operate within pre-Christian cul- in larger goals central to the mandate of The most likely source for this design, tural paradigms. In particular, the native the Society. and others like it, are the pattern books. 6 JSSAC | JSÉAC 40 > No 1 > 2015 EMILY TURNER > ANALYSIS | ANALYSE Well circulated throughout nineteenth- century North America, pattern books formed a solid backbone in church design because they allowed communities, especially remote ones, to build Gothic-style churches, even when there was no one in the immediate area with such architectural expertise.13 These books provided detailed images, and often also plans, for a range of structures that could be easily adapted, as necessary, to the local conditions. The most likely source for St. Thomas’, based on visual evidence, is a pattern for a wooden church by American architect Richard Upjohn (1802-1878), published in 1852 in his book Upjohn’s Rural Architecture14 (fig. 2). Although there are some clear visual differences, the massing of forms, specifically in the use of the southern entrance tower, FIG. 2. RICHARD UPJOHN, “DESIGN FOR A WOODEN CHURCH,” UPJOHN’S RURAL ARCHITECTURE, 1852. | IMAGE COURTESY OF makes this pattern a plausible source for DIVISION OF RARE AND MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS, CORNELL UNIVERSITY. Horden’s design. Whether this book was used specifically or if Horden saw a church of weatherboard for board and batten, the church’s Englishness. For example, in like this elsewhere is entirely unknown, deemphasizing the verticality of the an 1884 letter, he wrote: “it now appears but the clear visual correlations between structure; and the somewhat ambiguous like a fair English Church, while its [MS the two structures point to a link. windows in the nave, tending toward a illegible] is as well crafted for worship wider Georgian profile, especially when both as regards to [right?] theory as The differences between Upjohn’s pat- compared directly to the more recogniz- any church I am acquainted with.”16 He tern and St. Thomas’, however, highlight able lancets in the chancel. These chan- even, at times, compared the structure a very important aspect of the approach ges most likely arose from the practical to similar churches in England, admit- to architecture taken in this region and, concerns faced by a remote mission with ting very directly the stylistic source of indeed, by the CMS in general when limited resources; for example, weather- the church, and the English ecclesiastical employing Gothic design elements in board, a fairly consistent feature in tradition.17 Furthermore, it was widely their mission churches.

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