Notice of Intention to Designate 1436 Highway 7A Geographic Township of Manvers

Statement of Reasons for Designation
Design and Physical Value
1436 Highway 7A has design and physical value as a representative example of a Gothic Revival church constructed for an Anglican congregation in Manvers Township in the second half of the nineteenth century. Constructed in Bethany in 1876, the church, known as St. Paul’s Anglican Church, is demonstrative of the popular Gothic Revival style which was ubiquitous in church design at this time and was particularly pervasive within the Anglican Church. The church demonstrates key characteristics of this architectural style including its steeply pitched roof, lancet windows, and tower with entrance porch and spire.

Historical and Associative Value
1436 Highway 7A has historical and associative value as the former St. Paul’s Anglican Church in the village of Bethany. Serving as the local Anglican church from 1876 to 2005, the church is directly associated with the history of the Anglican church in Bethany and in Manvers Township more broadly, as a central community institution that played a vital role in the religious and community life of the village and surrounding area. It yields information regarding the religious life of the community in the late nineteenth century but also speaks to the demographic shifts occurring within the township and the development of Bethany as the township’s main hub after the arrival of the railway in 1857. It also yields information regarding support of domestic Anglican missions by southern parishes through the church’s specific association with missions in both the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. 

Contextual Value
1436 Highway 7A has contextual value as a contributing feature to the historic landscape of the village of Bethany and as a local landmark for its role as the former Anglican church in the village. The property supports the historic character of the village as a major institutional structure built during its primary period of development from the late 1850s through to the end of the nineteenth century and is historically linked to its surroundings as part of this phase of development. As part of the concentration of historic buildings that form the settlement along the Highway 7A corridor, it helps define the area as a settlement site separate from the surrounding rural area. The property is also a landmark for its distinct historic architecture, its former use and its prominent location at the western gateway to Bethany.

Further information respecting the proposed designation is available at the City’s Economic Development Department. Any objection to this designation must be filed within 30 days of February 3, 2025. Objections should be directed to: Cathie Richie, Clerk, City of Kawartha Lakes, P.O. Box 9000, 26 Francis Street, Lindsay, ON K9V 5R8. Objections may be filed electronically at clerks@kawarthalakes.ca.

For more information regarding the property, please refer to its Heritage Evaluation Report.

Any inquiries may be directed to:

Economic Development Officer- Heritage Planning
City of Kawartha Lakes,
180 Kent Street West, Lindsay, ON  K9V 2Y6
(705) 324-9411 ext.1366
eturner@kawarthalakes.ca