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Old Posted Dec 11, 2016, 2:39 AM
The Macallan The Macallan is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Toronto
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St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario. The original church was burned by American forces in 1813. The new church was dedicated in 1831.



From the church website http://www.standrewsniagara.com/site...ntersunset.jpg

And by daylight:


From the blog of the minister of another church that ought to appear in this thread, Peter Holmes, of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, Toronto
http://peter.yorkminsterpark.com/Blog-SA1.JPG

The interior. Note the old fashioned box pews. A family would occupy one of those. In the winter they might take in warmed bricks or hot water bottles to keep their extremities warm.


Also from the church website http://www.standrewsniagara.com/site...ngregation.jpg

At communion services, they would wrap huge ancient planks in white linen and lay them across the front of the box pews. The planks were so wide and thick that I think they must have gone back to pioneer days. The elders would lay the pewter trays with the bread and the wine of the sacrament on the end of the planks and slide them across to the worshippers. It made a unique and lovely whispering susurration through the church. I should say that this was the way it was done twenty years ago. I hope it is still the case.

The high pulpit



From http://cac.mcgill.ca/bland/Building/...ull/15-115.JPG

The minister had better not have a fear of heights! There are low doors at the top of each of the curving stairs to give at least a little sense of security. It is not clear in the photo but beneath the pulpit, behind the communion table, there is a desk. In the 19th century the preceptor, who led the singing of the church would be seated there. Presbyterian churches did not have organs in those days and primarily or even exclusively sang psalms. Typically, the preceptor had a set of tuning forks with which he would give the note and then line out the psalms for the congregation to sing.
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