Timothy Eaton Memorial Church is a church located at 230 St. Clair Avenue West in Forest Hill,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. Originally

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

, since 1925, it has belonged to the

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholi ...

. The church is named in memory of

Timothy Eaton Timothy Eaton (March 1834 – 31 January 1907) was an Irish businessman who founded the Eaton's department store, one of the most important retail businesses in Canada's history. Early life and family He was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, ...

, founder of the

Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's grew ...

department store chain, whose family donated the land the church sits on. It was completed in 1915 in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style by Wickson & Gregg.

History

The Methodist Social Union of Toronto approached members of the Eaton family for their support in the creation of a church in the area. As a memorial to her husband,

, Margaret Wilson Eaton and her son,

John Craig Eaton Sir John Craig Eaton (April 28, 1876 – March 30, 1922) was a Canadian businessman and a member of the prominent Eaton family. Life and career He was born in Toronto, Ontario, the youngest son of department store magnate Timothy Eaton and h ...

, donated the land for the church and financed the construction of the original structures. The Sunday School building was completed in 1911 and used for worship services until the sanctuary opened. The design work for the church building was done by the architectural firm of Wickson & Gregg. Construction was completed in 1915. One of the church's best-known features is a 1915

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

reproduction of '' The Light of the World'' by English Pre-Raphaelite painter

Holman Hunt William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolis ...

; it was dedicated in memory of Timothy Eaton. After the death of Sir

, additional memorial windows were added. The majority of the stained glass in the church was created by the Robert McCausland Company of Toronto. Famed Air Force ace Billy Bishop was married in the church, and his funeral was held there four decades later. The property has been listed in the

City of Toronto Heritage Property Inventory The City of Toronto's Heritage Property Inventory is a list of buildings, structures, and properties in Toronto that are identified by the city, for the purposes of preserving their original facades and appearances. The inclusion of any property on ...

since January 2008.

Broadcasts

This congregation has been known for its preaching ministry and music, and it has maintained radio and later internet broadcasts of its services.

References

External links

Timothy Eaton Memorial Church website
{{Authority control United Church of Canada churches in Toronto 20th-century United Church of Canada church buildings Churches completed in 1915 Gothic Revival architecture in Toronto Gothic Revival church buildings in Canada Eaton's

History

Broadcasts

See also

References

External links