Trinity Anglican Church is designated a Local Historic Place for its historic architecture, as well as for its religious significance in the community.
Trinity Anglican Church is recognized for its architecture. The church is a good example of late 19th-century Gothic Revival religious architecture in the Sussex area. Designed by Saint John architects John T. C. McKean and G. Earnest Fairweather, it was built between 1874-1876 under the supervision of then rector, the Rev. Canon Charles Medley, son of Bishop John Medley, the first Anglican bishop of Fredericton and driving force behind Anglican religious architecture in New Brunswick at the time. The church is also recognized for its interior fittings, including a rood screen, board and batten paneling, the pulpit which was a gift from Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton, in 1913 having been used in the Cathedral for 60 years, and a walnut and ash altar which was the gift of Michael Howley, Catholic Bishop of Newfoundland. The windows of the church include a series of stained-glass windows depicting all twelve of the apostles. The locations of the pulpit on the right and the lectern on the left as you face the altar are opposite from the usual locations in most churches, due the location of the original entrance which would be obstructed if the pulpit were to be located on the left.
Trinity Anglican Church is also recognized for its association with the long-standing Anglican congregation in Sussex. The original Trinity Anglican Church was built in 1804 in Sussex Vale (now Sussex Corner). In 1873 it was decided that the church at that location was not able to accommodate the congregation and the decision was taken to build a new church where Trinity Anglican Church now stands. Trinity Anglican Church, the oldest church in Sussex, has been the place of worship by the local congregation continuously since 1876.
Source: Town of Sussex - Historic Places file #1 |