Toronto of Old: Collections and recollections illustrative of the early settlement and social life of the capital of OntarioScadding, Henry
History
Toronto of Old: Collections and recollections illustrative of the early settlement and social life of the capital of Ontario
Scadding, Henry
Toronto (Ont.) -- Description and travel; Toronto (Ont.) -- History
The original western door was not closed up. Its use, almost
exclusively, was now, on Sundays and other occasions of Divine Worship,
to admit the Troops, whose benches extended along by the wall on that
side the whole length of the church.--The upper windows on all the four
sides were now made circular-headed. On the east side there was a
difference. The altar-window of the original building remained, only
transformed into a kind of triplet, the central compartment rising above
the other two, and made circular headed. On the north and south of this
east window were two tiers of lights, as on the western side.
In the bell-turret was a bell of sufficient weight sensibly to jar the
whole building at every one of its semi-revolutions.
In the interior, a central aisle, or open passage, led from the door to
the southern end of the church, where, on the floor, was situated a pew
of state for the Lieutenant-Governor: small square pillars at its four
corners sustained a flat canopy over it, immediately under the ceiling
of the gallery; and below this distinctive tester or covering, suspended
against the wall, were the royal arms, emblazoned on a black tablet of
board or canvas.
Half-way up the central aisle, on the right side, was an open space, in
which were planted the pulpit, reading-desk and clerk's pew, in the old
orthodox fashion, rising by gradations one above the other, the whole
overshadowed by a rather handsome sounding-board, sustained partially by
a rod from the roof. Behind this mountainous structure was the altar,
lighted copiously by the original east window. Two narrow side-aisles,
running parallel with the central one, gave access to corresponding rows
of pews, each having a numeral painted on its door. Two passages, for
the same purpose ran westward from the space in front of the pulpit. To
the right and left of the Lieutenant-Governor's seat, and filling up
(with the exception of two square corner pews) the rest of the northern
end of the church, were two oblong pews; the one on the west
appropriated to the officers of the garrison; the other, on the east, to
the members of the Legislature.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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