W Harris

WILLIAM HARRIS (1854-1913)
ARCHITECT

“I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord” Ps. 122:1

            Our diocese has a rich history of architectural styles, due in part to the influence of the people who built our buildings, the building materials available, and social and theological movements. For instance, the availability of timber over brick, the presence of skilled architects and artisans, the financial resources of congregations and the Oxford Movement –all these were among the factors that determined what was built.

            This article takes a brief look at the architecture of one particular person, William Harris, who embodies many of the elements mentioned. Harris was born in Bootle, Lancs., England and with his parents and four siblings immigrated to Prince Edward Island in 1856. From 1870-1875 he was apprenticed to the Halifax office of Scottish architect, David Stirling. Stirling was a first generation Victorian Gothic revival architect and Harris, with this training, added styles from a variety of Gothic periods and places. He lived in a period when architects felt free to borrow, imitate or be creative in other ways. Throughout his life, Harris’ style continued to evolve and he progressed to designs that capitalized on the quality of acoustical space. From the early 1900s, Harris also incorporated the then novel idea of basements under his churches for social and secular community events.

            Harris designed houses, commercial spaces, civic buildings and churches of various denominations:

In Prince Edward Island, among others: Elmwood House (Charlottetown); The Provincial Court House; King’s County Playhouse (Georgetown); the 25 room mansion Beaconsfield, now the headquarters of the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation House; All Soul’s Chapel, St. Peter’s Cathedral, and pulpit (Charlottetown)

            In Nova Scotia, among others: All Saints Church (Springhill), St. John’s Church and Presbytery (Windsor); Trinity Church (Sydney Mines); St. Andrew’s Church (Mulgrave); St. James’s Anglican Church (Herring Cove)—his first church built in 1872; St. James’s Church (Mahone Bay). His brother Edward Alexander Harris was incumbent from 1886-1887.
Still in Nova Scotia, Harris was the architect in the early 1900s for the new community of Broughton, Glace Bay, which was to serve a coalmine in that area. Although nothing remains now, fifty buildings were erected according to Harris’ plans.

            A survey completed in 1992 reveals that 58 of Harris building were still standing in PEI, 43 in Nova Scotia and 1 in N.B.   Of these, 32 are churches.

            In this diocese, Harris is chiefly remembered for his church designs and these are part of our architectural legacy. He might well have been remembered as the builder of both the Anglican Cathedral in Halifax and the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Charlottetown, but that was not to be. However, Harris and his brother Robert (1848-1919) left the Anglican Cathedral in Charlottetown a memorial of their work in All Soul’s Chapel in St. Peter’s Cathedral. Robert was an artist and he embellished All Soul’s Chapel with a series of 18 paintings on the theme of the Communion of Saints.

With thanks to Wikipedia and Churches of Nova Scotia by Robert Tuck. (Toronto: Dundurn Group, c2004)

If you want to hear more about the Harris churches in PEI, please click here