All Saints’ Anglican Church is one of Collingwood’ s most unique and beautiful heritage buildings as old as the Town of Collingwood itself.
Over generations, an impressive collection of photographs documenting the church’s construction and everyday presence in the life of local residents has been collected and preserved by the Collingwood Museum.
Most of the photographs in this collection are black and white. Standing out is an oil painting by Collingwood artist Georgina Holmes Trott.
In 1892, Georgina “Georgie” Trott painted an early morning scene that plays well with All Saints’ Early English Rural Gothic style.
The limestone church appears in the centre of the canvas with the bright glow of sunrise in the background.
The shadow of the split rail fence that once stood along Ste. Marie Street stretches westward toward a snow-covered landscape.
A solitary female figure approaches the church from the left. The tree branches are wispy and bare, and birds dot the sky. Snow covers the street, building, and surrounding grounds.
The artist’s signature and year of creation appear in the bottom right corner.
“Georgie” Trott was the eldest daughter of Henry Frederick Trott and Catherine McLean Aitkin and remained in the house of her birth, 114 Ontario Street, until her death on Christmas Eve, 1942.
Georgie was the oldest of five siblings and was approximately 22 years old when she painted the church scene.
Her obituary records she spent her entire life in Collingwood, attending the town schools and, in “later years took up a pastime, the art of painting, in which she became very proficient. She was a member of the All Saints’ Church and Women’s Organization of which she held membership and for many years was active.”
By 1892, All Saints’ had received a number of building upgrades since its construction in 1858, including the transept, chancel, and sanctuary additions.
These updates were completed in 1877 and created the church’s cruciform (or cross) layout. The painting also features the Norman style tower from 1884.
The earliest known photograph of All Saints’ was taken by Collingwood’s first doctor, Dr. A.R. Stephens, and is one in a series of ten photographs documenting some of Collingwood’s earliest structures.
The buildings that Stephens chose to photograph include his home on Raglan Street, the first Town Hall, an early steam engine, the post office, railway station, and Huron and Hurontario streetscapes.
This photograph of the church from 1858 was taken from Elgin Street, looking north-westerly towards Blue Mountain, and shows the church surrounded by tree stumps and debris. A ladder can be seen resting along the building’s east side and various small buildings dot the background.
If you look closely, the distinct line of the Niagara Escarpment is visible in the background. Note that the recorded date of 1868 on the photograph’s surface is incorrect and should read 1858.
The two-storey Parish Hall was added to the church in 1911 for use as a Sunday School.
In 2001, this 90-year-old addition received extensive renovations, including the addition of an entryway and lobby, an elevator, a stairway linking the church to the hall, a mezzanine and other functional upgrades.
Restoration work was completed to the tower and Parish Hall stonework, and the 1884 Norman-style tower was returned to its Gothic Revival design, featuring a pitched roof.
The Anglican congregation’s first permanent place of worship in Collingwood was constructed on the west side of Cedar Street, between First and Second Streets, on land donated by Joel Underwood, the namesake for the creek that runs along the east side of Oak Street.
This quaint, wooden structure was used for approximately two years before the growing congregation moved to the newly constructed limestone church at 32 Elgin Street.
The Cedar Street building was sold to the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation for the Diocese of Toronto in Canada and officially opened on March 14, 1858. The 1875 Birds Eye View Map of Collingwood records the location of this early structure, identifying the Catholic Church with the number four.
The steeple also assists in identifying the structure as a church. The property was sold in August 1907 to Wilson Brothers Ltd. for $1,000. The Wilson Brothers’ planing mill was adjacent to this property. The date of the building’s demolition is presently unknown.
Georgie Trott’s painting of All Saints’ Church will be on display at the Collingwood Museum for the month of February as part of the Timeless Treasures: Celebrating Heritage Architecture and Award-Winning Restorations exhibit.
If you have any information to share about Georgie Trott, please reach out to Collingwood Museum staff.
Additional photographs of All Saints’ Church may be found under the history tab of the All Saints’ website.
As well, if you have any research or personal interests in the church’s history, All Saints’ has an onsite archive that may be of interest to you. General contact information may be found on the church website.
This story was made possible by our Community Leaders Program partner.
Thank you to Fawcett Funeral Home for helping to expand local news coverage in Collingwood. Learn more
