Our Story
The Early Church of England in Exeter
A great deal of the early history of the Church in Exeter is shrouded in conjecture, based on a few facts. Religious services were held in the first school in Stephen Township – a log structure situated on the London Road. Ministers travelling from London to Goderich frequently held services in the homes in Usborne Township.
The Days of Christ Church The “Crystal Palace”
When we come to the year 1859 we are out of the realm of guesswork. The minutes of the Vestry Meetings of the Church people in Exeter date from that year and continue unbroken to the present. Christ Church had its beginning in December of 1862.
The last services in this Church were held on the third Sunday in Advent (December 16) 1888. The old wooden church stood on Victoria Street just east of the present arena, opposite the old Public School. For almost fifty years after it ceased to be used as a place of worship, it served as an exhibit building during the “Fair”. It became known as the “Crystal Palace”.
Goodbye old Church, having for 25 years the name of Christ. Never handsome, never comfortable, never churchly in appearance – yet still it was hallowed by the prayers of a generation and filled with memories golden and grey.
