About Church of our Lord
Church of Our Lord is one of the oldest church congregations in Victoria. It has been faithfully serving Victoria since 1874. The Church Of Our Lord building was completed in 1876 and was declared a Federal Heritage Building in 1990. As a national historic site, it attracts many visitors and tourists. The land and organ were donated by one of our founding members, Sir James Douglas KCB, Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company, and later Governor of the Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia.
The church itself was established on October 27, 1874 by Rev. Edward Cridge, under the auspices of the Church Missionary Society of England. Rev. Cridge arrived in 1855 as Chaplain to the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Victoria, became Rector of Trinity Church and later Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, which he left to begin The Church of Our Lord. The structure was designed by renowned personality, John Teague, who later became Mayor of Victoria.
The building is in the Carpenter Gothic style, of board and batten construction, and was dedicated on Sunday, January 16, 1876. Cridge Hall, adjoining the church, replaced the old church hall in 1929. The architect was the noted Samuel Maclure. The hall was partially completed and remained that way for the following 70 years until the Restoration 125 Project. The Restoration 125 Project began in 1999 as part of our 125th anniversary. The exterior of the church was beautifully restored and painted. Since then the hall was raised, full basement added and three storey addition has been constructed to establish our Community Ministry Centre. These renovations were completed according to Maclure's original design.
Appleton Organ
The organ instrument in the Church of Our Lord was built in Boston in about 1827 by the renowned organ builder, Thomas Appleton. Originally this would have been in Appleton’s traditional style of five parts, with three towers and two flats. Later, S.S. Hamill rebuilt the"facade" in the "prickly Gothic" style then popular. The organ was sent around the Horn to San Francisco where John Bergstrom did further renovation.
There are a number of stories circulating concerning the way in which the organ came to Victoria. It has been claimed that the ship carrying the organ was sunk, and the organ was then salvaged by Sir James Douglas who gave it to the church. Whilst this cannot be substantiated, it is certain that Governor James Douglas purchased the organ for Church of Our Lord, it was brought to Victoria in 1875, and installed for the opening of the church in January 1876.
Parishes should elect their representatives as early as possible in 2008. Doing so will enable these representatives to make the necessary arrangements for Passports and travel. If your parish waits too long, your representatives may enounter problems getting things done in time.
