Christ Anglican Church 150th Anniversary Quilt

Date2013

Credit LineGift of Carol Talbot, London, Ontario, 2021.

Object number2021.002.001

Label TextThis quilt was made for the 150th Anniversary of the Christ Anglican Church, and the different squares represent different aspects of the church’s history and was made by multiple members of the congregation. The first square represents the historical connection of the church to the greater London community, through the Old South Street Hospital, the University of Western Ontario, and the Huron Diocese. The next represents the Solstice celebrations that the church has had in recent years. A 1975 fire that did extensive research to the church, as well as the 1977 pipe organ to replace the one damaged in the fire are also represented in the quilt. Throughout the quilt are references to the amount of joy the congregation get from coming together as a community. The depiction of “rainbow people” going up the church ramp is an example of this. The people depicted are visibly of different ages and different abilities. The quilt references back to before the congregation had an actual building to hold their services in, using a tree stump as the altar in 1861/2. In opening their doors to the greater London community, Christ Anglican Church Quilt references the Black History, AIDS Awareness, and Earth Day celebrations that they host, as well as several groups that use their facilities and take part in the celebrations such as; Womenspritisong, Boomba Tuneday Drum Circle, Sacred Circle Drum Dancers, and Joyful Noise. By extension, the parish’s incorporation of dance in the services and celebrations are depicted as well. The piecing of the quilt was only the beginning. The community came together again and everyone got the chance to add a few stitches to the quilt that represented such an important aspect of their life. When it was finished in 2013, it was “danced” up the aisle and laid upon the altar. The history of the church itself reaches back to 1863 when SOHO was growing, and an additional Anglican Parish was needed to accommodate the large population. The funds for the church were raised by the Ladies Committee of St. Paul’s, a group now referred to as “The Mothers of Christ Church”. Services originally took place in the Central School House on Wellington, before being moved inside the newly built building in 1863. The building itself was designed by William Robinson, an architect responsible for several churches in Southwestern Ontario.

NameQuilt