In 1901 the Anglican church school house, used by the children of local coal miners, was moved from Wellington to the corner of Buller Street and 3rd Avenue in the rapidly developing new town of Ladysmith.
In 1902 the former school building was enlarged to serve as a place for worship and Sunday school as well as a parish hall, “until such time as a church could be built”. Mr. H. Marshall donated a bell to the church in 1904 and in 1908 the building was named St. John’s. After the decision was made to not build a new church, the building was renovated in 1910 to give it more of the look of a church and a steeple was added above the belfry. In 1955 a church hall was added.
Located at 314 Buller St., St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church served as an important hub for religious and community events, contributing to the community of Ladysmith for 115 years.
As the building aged it became more and more difficult for the congregation to maintain. In 2016 the church was disestablished and the congregation dispersed to other local Anglican churches. The last service held in the St. John’s Church in Ladysmith was on June 30, 2016.
However, St. John’s had one last gift to give to the community.
In 2017, the property was sold to the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association (LRCA) on the understanding that the LRCA would use the property to provide much needed affordable housing for Ladysmith seniors, people with developmental disabilities and families. In 2019 the church building was demolished. Prior to the demolition, the bell was carefully removed from the belfry by F&M Installations Ltd. and stored by the Ladysmith and District Historical Society. Construction of the Heart on the Hill affordable housing project began on the site of the former church in 2020.
Prior to purchasing the property, the LRCA made a commitment to St. John’s Anglican Church to honour its legacy. The time for that has come. Now that the Heart on the Hill is complete and is tenanted, the bell will be returned to its original site in a permanent installation at 314 Buller St. The process of planning this tribute to the former church was supported by many volunteers, including board members of the LRCA, past rectors of St. John the Evangelist and architects from Checkwitch Poiron. Members of the Ladysmith and District Historical Society restored the bell, built the stand on which it will sit, and prepared a plaque explaining the bell and the site’s history and significance.
The bell will be located outside the entrance to the community space at the lower level of the Heart on the Hill at 314 Buller St. Everyone is invited to celebrate the installation of the bell at 3 p.m. on Sept. 12. Visit this piece of Ladysmith’s history and remember the past and present legacy of St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church.
