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Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Thornhill

Church History

The parish of Thornhill is the 10th oldest parish in the Diocese of Toronto, and Trinity Church is the oldest original church building still in use in the Diocese. Begun in 1829 and completed in the early summer of 1830 it fulfilled the long felt need of Anglicans in the district for a church of their own. Prior to that they had held services in private homes, and with other religious denominations had shared the Cober schoolhouse on the site of the present Langstaff School . Occasionally on special occasions they traveled down Yonge Street to services at St John's Church in York Mills. 

In 1828 Thornhill was one of the several places selected by Archdeacon Strachan and Bishop Stewart to receive the ministrations of professors of theology and divinity students who were sent to conduct regular services. Erection of the church soon became necessary. The two laymen chiefly responsible for the undertaking were William Parsons and his brother-in-law Benjamin Thorne, after whom Thornhill got its name.

The names of original members of the parish, culled from old record, include Captain John Arnold, a United Empire Loyalist who settled in Thornhill about 1800; Sutton Frizzell, who bought property at what is now the North-east corner of Yonge and John Streets in 1810; John Langstaff, who rode horseback from Amboy, New Jersey, in 1808 and became the first teacher in the log schoolhouse which was the forerunner to the Langstaff School; Henry Richards, grandson of Jeremiah Atkinson, builder of the first mill in the hollow on Yonge Street. Mr. Richards was the sexton of Trinity Church for more than 40 years, and his son Henry also held that position. 

With the vestry book lost in a fire, many details of the first 30 years of Trinity Church are missing. However, Mary Sophia Gapper O'Brien left interesting descriptions of the early days in her writings. 

Mary Gapper O'Brien's journal (in the Archives at Queen's Park) contains a number of references to the church. When Trinity Church was dedicated on February 28th, 1830, she wrote: "We had service in the morning in our church. Dr. Strachan came out expressly to officiate. He read for the first lesson the Dedication of the Temple, and preached for an hour and a half, a sermon which, if not perfect as a composition, was so good in matter and feeling that most of the party left the church with most charitable feelings towards the preacher and, it is to be hoped, farther benefit. It happened that the Methodist preacher who was expected at a neighboring place came late, and his congregation agreed to join them. Thus we had a very numerous assembly but I have not heard how they were affected. At least the visiting congregation had to sit through a sermon which was equally long as those to which they were accustomed in their own meetings." 

Church History - The Building

The 15 years after the building of the church were years of prosperity and expansion in Upper Canada . Within a decade the congregation had grown to such an extent that some change became necessary to accommodate the large numbers attending services. In 1840, by an addition to each side of the church, the seating capacity was almost doubled.

In 1866 the high box pews were lowered and benches for kneeling were added, and in the same year the first stained glass window appeared as a memorial to Mr. and Mrs. Parsons. 

In 1910 the old box pews were removed from the church and sold to the Trench Carriage Works in Richmond Hill for use in the manufacture of cutters, and a new set of pews was bought from the Valley City Seating Co. at a cost of $470.00. 

In 1914 the present altar, a memorial to Joseph Robinson and his family, replaced the original altar which had been made from packing cases, and a new pulpit replaced the old high pulpit which had stood on the north side near the vestry door, and which had been reached by several steps. A third improvement in that year was the installation of electric lights. 

By 1918, before two new memorial stained glass windows could be installed it was necessary to do considerable work on the sills and the foundation. By 1946 there was obvious need for further work. It was during this year that the Parish Council faced with a major expenditure for repairs, and seeing the need in the near future for increased accommodation, made an effort to assess the situation and to make plans for the future of Trinity Church. Already there were signs of a post-war expansion north from Toronto , with three new subdivisions planned or begun in Thornhill itself. Farsighted laymen on the Parish Council, worried by the speed with which available lots in Thornhill were being bought up, foresaw a time when the problem would be church accommodation for new members, with no preparations made to meet the situation.  

At the vestry meeting in 1947 a startling suggestion was made to the congregation that a site more suitably located in Thornhill, quieter, and off such main highways as Yonge Street and Number Seven Highway, should be purchased. Such a site was available on Brooke Street thanks to the kindness of Dr. Lorne Pierce and the co-operation of Mr. Thoreau MacDonald. Though it was felt that it would probably be ten years before any final decision need be made about building a new church, wisdom dictated that we should buy at once. The vestry agreed, and a site with three hundred feet of frontage was purchased from Dr. Pierce with the assistance of the Church Extension Committee of the Diocese. So quickly did conditions change that within two years it was realized that something would have to be done immediately. After several vestry meetings the decision was taken to move the church to the new site, to renovate it, and to enlarge it.  

On Wednesday, June 7th, 1950, at 6:45 p.m. a sad service took place in the church in the presence of the Rector, the wardens, G. Billerman and S. S. Tobias, and the lay delegate to Synod, Harvey Shepherd. The following, with the signatures of Bishop Beverley and the above officers, is the entry in the Service Register. "Service for the removal of Sentence of Consecration on the occasion of the removal of Trinity Church , and its building on a new site on Brooke Street ". 

The Albert Clark Construction Co. of Weston then began the task of moving the church.

W. Sydney Kertland, architect, and great-grandson of William Parsons, and himself a member of the parish, drew the plans and undertook the supervision of the task. The work was financed by the sale of the Lawrence Memorial Hall, by contributions from the congregation, and by placing a mortgage on the rectory. Trinity Church was dismantled board by board, and re-erected on its present site. The only change has been the addition of a new chancel, which provides greater width in the sanctuary, and two small windows over the altar which are the parish memorials to members who served in the two world wars, five of whom made the supreme sacrifice. During the process of moving, the balcony, which had been boarded up for great many years, was re-opened. In the early days it had been the choir gallery. Trinity Church , just as it still stands today, was re-dedicated by Bishop Beverley on May 22nd, 1951.

In its new location on Brookee Street , Holy Trinity has continued to thrive, and has been a welcoming place of worship and service to many over the past 60 years. The Rev. Canon Reginald Howden, followed by the Rev. Bob Grisdale, and then the Rev. Dr. Linda Nicholls, along with a number of fine assistant ministers have given spiritual leadership. Currently the Rev. Canon Greg Physick is the incumbent, ably assisted by the Rev. Dan Graves. The new parish hall has been well used for church bazaars, rummage sales, Footlights Club presentations, special events, coffee hours and as a rental facility.

A lift was added in recent years to assist those who find the stairway a challenge, and to make sure that our church is accessible to all.  Increased financial support for the church has been welcomed through renting the parish hall to a weekly art group and various other groups such as jazzercise and children choir. A Korean Church also rents the sanctuary on a weekly basis, and Thornhill Nursery & Kindergarten uses the church basement facilities. We welcome such community interests and appreciate the financial support.

Wonderful celebrations were held to commemorate significant  anniversaries, including the 135th, 140th, 150th and 175th, with memorable teas, dinners, skits and gatherings, sometimes in pioneer dress.  These events were well attended and continue to provide happy memories.

On February 28, 2010 we celebrated 180 years of worship and service in Thornhill. It is with much happiness and thanksgiving that we feel blessed to be able to worship in such a beautiful and historic church. Like many areas in the Greater Toronto Area, our church faces the challenges  of a rapidly changing community, and it is with prayers, hope and optimism that we look forward to  seeing Holy Trinity Church continue in the future as a welcoming place of worship and service.