This 1½-storey wood frame and stucco building at the southwest corner of Smithfield Avenue and Jones Street (formerly Norman Street) in West Kildonan (now part of Winnipeg), measuring 30 feet by 85 feet, with a chancel on the north side measuring 20 feet by 30 feet and a clergy's vestry and chapel on the south side measuring 20 feet by 30 feet, was designed by local architects Gilbert C. Parfitt and David Wynyard Bellhouse. It was constructed in 1922 by contractors Robert McInnis, Robert Entwhistle, and John A. Vert at a cost of about $12,000 for the congregation of St. Martin in the Field Anglican Church.
The structure had a seating capacity for about 300 people and it combined elements of Tudor, Gothic Revival, and Craftsman styles. It was dedicated officially at a ceremony on 1 November 1922 attended by Archbishop Samuel Pritchard Matheson, Archdeacon W. H. Thomas, Archdeacon Robert Benjamin McElheran, Dean of St. John’s Cathedral John William Matheson, and Canon Walter Muckleston Loucks.
In 2014, due to declining attendance at services, the congregation merged with that of the former St. Anne’s Anglican Church and St. Barnabas Anglican Church to form a new parish called St. Francis Anglican Church. Services were held in the former St. Anne’s Anglican Church on Burrin Avenue and this building was put up for sale. It became the home for the Hephzibah Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Among the clerics who served at St. Martin in the Field was Edna Lenora Perry.
Architectural plans for St. Martin in the Field Anglican Church (1922)
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 1 July 1922, page 38.
St. Martin in the Field Anglican Church under construction (August 1922)
Source: Winnipeg Tribune, 23 August 1922, page 5.
St. Martin in the Field Anglican Church (November 1922)
Source: Winnipeg Tribune, 2 November 1922, page 20.
The former St. Martin in the Field Anglican Church (December 2017)
Source: George Penner
Hephzibah Redeemed Christian Church of God (June 2023)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.92996, W97.11957
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Gilbert C. Parfitt (1886-1966)
Memorable Manitobans: David Wynyard Bellhouse (1861-1952)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Barnabas Anglican Church / Pacific Community Methodist Church (730 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Anne’s Anglican Church / St. Francis Anglican Church (253 Burrin Avenue, Winnipeg)
“Start erection of new church - St. Martin’s parishioners, Seven Oaks, to have $10,000 building,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 August 1922, page 5.
“Work starts on new St. Martin’s Church,” Manitoba Free Press, 1 July 1922, page 38.
“Fine homes feature Winnipeg’s building activity,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 August 1922, page 5.
“Large congregation at church opening,” Manitoba Free Press, 2 November 1922, page 4.
“St. Martin’s new church is dedicated,” Winnipeg Tribune, 2 November 1922, page 20.
West Kildonan fire insurance map, #2 November 1961, City of Winnipeg Archives.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
“Keeping old church’s spirits alive,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 June 2014, page 26.
We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk.
Page revised: 4 August 2025
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