Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to attend the designation of Trinity United Church in Thorold, Ontario, under the Ontario Heritage Act. This attractive Gothic Revival or Regency Gothic style stone church, with beautifully detailed stained glass windows and impressive exterior, was completed in 1849 and remains on its original site, making it a landmark in the community. It is the oldest church continuously used for worship in Thorold.
Noteworthy features are the three-bay front facade with central tower and the attractive two-tone walls combining grey limestone and red sandstone. The current seating arrangement reflects the Akron plan, typical of post-1870s Methodist churches, with curved tiger-oak pews facing a communion table set centrally within the choir stalls. The incised Gothic decoration on the pews mirrors the slope of the church windows.
The first sermons were preached by the Reverend Egerton Ryerson, the renowned Methodist minister and pioneer of public education in Ontario.
I compliment Heritage Thorold LACAC for its interest in the history and architecture of our region. I salute Trinity United Church for helping to protect and steward the heritage of Thorold, our province of Ontario and our country, Canada.