Foxleigh

Foxleigh Anglican Church can be found on four hectares of land approximately 24 kilometres east of Regina in the Rural Municipality of Lumsden No. 189. The church, a small, wood-frame built in 1906 and surrounding property have been designated a Municipal Heritage Property.

Foxleigh’s architectural characteristics are reminiscent of the Gothic Revival style. This style, also referred to as Victorian Gothic or Neo-Gothic, was an architectural movement which began in the 1740s in England. Its popularity grew rapidly in the early nineteenth century, when increasingly serious and learned admirers of neo-Gothic styles sought to revive medieval forms, in contrast to the neoclassical styles prevalent at the time. In England, the revival was intertwined with deeply philosophical movements associated with the growth of religious nonconformism.

Carpenter Gothic houses and small churches became common in North America and other places in the late nineteenth century. These structures adapted Gothic elements such as pointed arches, steep gables, and towers to traditional North American light-frame construction. The invention of the scroll saw and mass-produced wood moldings allowed a few of these structures to mimic craftmanship of the High Gothic. But in most cases, Carpenter Gothic buildings were relatively unadorned, retaining only the basic elements of pointed-arch windows and steep gables.

Foxleigh Anglican Church is symmetrical with a central gable and upper stained glass windows which feature decorative tracery. The pointed-arch windows and doorway are characteristic of the Gothic Revival style, as well as the spire and steeply-pitched roof.

The Historic Places website explains, “the significance of Foxleigh Anglican Church lies in its association with the establishment of rural ministries in the Qu'Appelle district by the Anglican Church. Reverend William Simpson, of Wycliffe College in Toronto, arrived in 1902 and was successful in establishing prosperous and thriving congregations of early settlers in the Condie and Foxleigh areas. His work encouraged similar efforts throughout the Qu'Appelle region, such that by 1911, services were being held in 24 locations. Important to the Anglican community as a place of worship, Foxleigh Anglican Church was also a central location for social gatherings of the early settlers”.

Foxleigh Anglican Church has also been known as: Parish of St. Matthews; Foxleigh & Winetka; Foxleigh Church; St. Matthew's Anglican Church.

The church was featured in a photograph in Randy Boswell and Lynn McAuley’s book, “Province with a heart: celebrating 100 years in Saskatchewan”.

Photo credit - Lindy Thorsen, 2005