Origin The Anglican
diocese of Fredericton was established in 1845, with
John Medley as its first bishop. Medley was a
Tractarian and a proponent of
Gothic Revival architecture. As a clergyman in the
Diocese of Exeter he had supervised the restoration and building of several churches according to the Gothic Revival principles of the
Eccelesiological Society, and had been the founder and secretary of the Exeter Ecclesiological Society. Ecclesiology held that new church buildings should imitate those of the 13th and 14th century
Decorated Gothic period, which displayed three essential characteristics lacking in Fredericton's existing wooden parish church: "reality", which meant that the building's structural elements such as
rafters must be visible; a large
chancel clearly separate from the congregation; and open bench seats rather than
box pews. Medley chose the 14th century St. Mary's Church in
Snettisham,
Norfolk as the model for the new Fredericton cathedral. Before leaving England, Medley hired the
Exeter architect
Frank Wills to visit St. Mary's and make detailed plans, which Medley had with him when he arrived in Fredericton on 10 June 1845. The Ecclesiological Society's newsletter,
The Ecclesiologist, took issue with Medley's choice of St. Mary's, "though magnificent as a parish church", as his model. Site preparation work began in August, and the
cornerstone was laid by Lieutenant Governor
William Colebrooke on 15 October 1845. Frank Wills, who had followed Medley to Canada, supervised the work on the cathedral. He also designed and oversaw the building of
St. Anne's Chapel of Ease, which Medley had built in order to hold services while the cathedral was under construction. St. Anne's Chapel of ease was Constructed in eight months between 1846 and 1847. The west window, by
William Warrington, is a "virtual likeness" of the west window of St. Mary's, Snettisham, which Warrington had restored in 1846. The cathedral was rededicated on 24 August 1912. Of note, the only aspect of the tower saved, was the clock. Erected by Dent Co. of London, UK in 1853. A fire in the bell tower on 6 August 2006 activated the sprinkler system, causing water damage to the choir area. Complete repairs took several months, during which the cathedral was closed.
National Historic Site of Canada The cathedral was designated a
National Historic Site of Canada in 1983. According to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board it is "one of the best examples of ecclesiological Gothic Revival architecture in Canada and it established an architectural pattern followed in the design of many large and small churches in 19th-century Canada". ==Music==