I was able to make another trip out to All Saints Anglican Church in Granville Centre yesterday. The demolition work is moving forward and I figured that I may as well get some photographs to document the process. The first thing which I noticed when I arrived at the site was that some of the clapboard had started to come off. On closer inspection, I saw that a series of birch bark strips had been nailed in place between the vertical pine boards which were used as the underlay of the church. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, birch bark was used as a form of weather stripping to prevent drafts from blowing into the building. Wanting a memorial of the church, I harvested a few of the pieces of bark which were blowing around for the museum's collection. The rest of the images in this post really speak for themselves.All for now,
RGS
This is heartbreaking, and shocking, and infuriating. It is also deeply worrying, because the custodians of this building also own some of the most extraordinary historical architecture in the country.
ReplyDeleteI am a CFA who has come here specifically to study such architecture. And as astonished as I am at the richness of this heritage, I am sometimes even more astonished at the cavalier attitude of a few of its custodians.
So, what can be done? If not for All Saints, then for the many other heritage buildings that will soon be in the crosshairs? Is there any way we can rally opinion, cajole, fight apathy and advance an alternative vision?
Does nova scotia have the equivalent to the National Trust in Britian
ReplyDeleteEquivalent is probably the key word in your question. We have both the Nova Scotia Heritage Trust and the Heritage Canada Foundation but neither group has near the power or resources of the British National Trust. It woulod be nice if we did have something similar.
ReplyDeleteRGS
what a pity that the church is allowed to be torn down. It alters the feel of a town or village and takes away its character.
ReplyDelete