Cloverdale’s Christ Church turned 140 this year.
Built in 1884, Surrey's oldest church is 12 years younger than Anderson Cabin, the city’s oldest building.
To celebrate the milestone, organizers are holding an open house at Christ Church on Oct. 5.
“Our Christ Church in Surrey Centre is 140 years old this year,” noted Alan Clegg, a member of Christ the Redeemer church, which is across the road, and a board member of Surrey Centre Cemetery committee. Christ Church is located on the edge of the cemetery and is managed by Christ the Redeemer. “It is the oldest still functioning church in Surrey," Clegg added.
He always hears people say they've been driven by the church “a 1,000 times,” but they’ve never gone in the old building.
“Now’s their chance.”
Clegg said the open house will run from 2 - 4 p.m. with a history talk schedule to run at 3 p.m.
“We’re doing a verbal history of Surrey Centre, including the Church, and Five Corners,” explained Clegg. “There’s a 7-11 there now, but that’s where the first post office was.”
He said they’ll cover Boothroyd House, the early Surrey Centre school, and other things related to the Surrey Centre neighbourhood.
“The first municipal hall was across the street from the cemetery and that was 1881,” Clegg added. “We’ll cover the local history, the railroads, and the involvement of the church in those days. We’ll also talk about how they handled funerals and weddings way back in the 1890s and the turn of the century. It was the only church in town.”
The church was built in 1884 by Cloverdale’s pioneers. It has a wood frame and was constructed in “Carpenter Gothic style.” According to the City of Surrey, the 19th-century building “features lancet type windows with stained glass in apse, a steep pitched roof supported by scissors truss, and a slender bell tower.”
Clegg said the foundation stone was laid Aug. 6, 1884.
ROYAL OAK
There is also a Royal Oak next to the church. A plaque on a big stone there notes the tree behind it is a Royal Oak. The trees were planted to commemorate the 1937 coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
Roughly 17,000 "royal" trees were planted in Canada in 1937 from 10,000 acorns and 7,000 saplings. The acorns and saplings were shipped to Canada from the royal forest, part of Windsor Great Park.
Christ Church is located in Surrey Centre along the edge of Surrey Centre Cemetery at 16591 Old McLellan Road in Cloverdale.
The celebration will run from 2 to 4 p.m. with a verbal history presentation set for 3 p.m.
Clegg said light refreshments will be served and he encouraged visitors to park in the lot at Christ the Redeemer.
