The final addition to the church building proper was the bell tower in 1926. Dr. Robert Brett, founder of the town's sanitarium and hospital and later Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, promised the parish a "peal of bells" as a memorial to his two sons. The steeple over the tower was donated by the pioneering Brewster family in memory of their mother, Isabella Thompson Brewster.
Tapering gently from the ground, [the] graceful Rundle rock columns buttress the tower and lead the eye inevitable to the spire. Among tapering pines and spruces, its height mirrors the trees; its slender spire reflects the boldness and gentleness of Mt Rundle which is its proper backdrop. Until mid 1989 an ancient spruce which stood before it vied for prominence with the spire. The tree shaded and protected from rain the mingling parishioners which gathered under it before and after services, weddings and funerals. The widening of the street, and the trees height and age conspired against it: its weakness and isolation made it a threat to the bell tower, so it was cut down. It was probably the last sentinel, other than the cornerstone, to the site and the church in its hundredth year.
St. George's-in-the-Pines - Book, p. 24f
The eleven bells, the largest weighing 1008 pounds and the smallest 140, were cast by John Taylor and Company, Bellfounders, in Loughborough, England, and shipped via the Panama Canal, arriving in 1927. They do not swing but are rigidly attached to steel beams and struck by clappers controlled by levers from the clavier just below them in the tower.
Over the years since 1927 these bells have been very much a part of the life of Banff and St. George's.
A photo album of St. George's Church Bells - can be found here |
One of the delights of St. George's are its stained glass windows.
A pamphlet available to visitors details the history of these windows, and the persons whom they commemorate, many of whom are well known in Banff and Alberta history.
Several of the windows are traditional stained glass, but other windows are quite unique, incorporating not only biblical themes but also scenes of nature and mountain recreation.
These were designed by the Reverend Tom Lonsdale, former minister of Rundle Memorial United Church in Banff, who on retirement followed his wife to St. George's.
Skiers and mountain climbers, moose and bighorn sheep and mule deer, lofty peaks and beautiful Lake Louise all grace these windows. |
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