The year 2003 marked the 150th anniversary of the building of St. Andrew's Stone Church. It was also the year we started the restoration in earnest. In that year The Friends of St. Andrew’s applied for and received a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in the amount of $75,000 in order to continue vital restoration work.
Sometimes the work was beyond the scope of our volunteers, so we secured the services of professional trade contractors, for all electrical, plastering, masonry, roof, dry wall and window upgrades. A new exit door (required by fire code) on the east wall was installed. Our volunteers climbed up to the top of the walls removing the blue stucco from all of the interior walls. Professional plasterers using traditional historical techniques and materials fixed the major cracks and smoothed over some of the smaller ones.
Although we thought we were doing the right thing in painting the walls, over the years since they were painted, we have had issues with peeling. We have consulted a number of experts, and have still to find the solution. It may be that, with the harsh weather that the building is exposed to, and the fact that the building is not heated, there is not enough air circulation. We are monitoring the situation, and will continue to search out the answer.
Our campaign to "Bring Back the Pews", allowed individuals to sponsor a pew for the restoration and rebuild of the pews, The next major project “The Window Sponsorship” started in 2011 which saw each of the 8 Gothic-style windows replaced using the historic glass and exact replicas of the original wood frame styles. Dedicated volunteers stepped up to the challenge to paint the interior and exterior of the new windows.
As budgets allowed we hired professional to remove the older stone mortar on the walls and replace with what arguably more resembles the original Field (rubble) Stone facade
More recently The Town of Caledon hired a restoration company to refurbish the east wall to match the other 3 walls.
Then in 2011, using old photographs to ensure historical integrity, The Town of Caledon replaced the original brick chimney. This was the final chapter in the exterior upgrade.
We are always eager to have new people involved in this wonderful project. Please go to the Contact page, if you wish to know more about any aspect of the restoration and use of St. Andrew's Stone Church. St. Andrew's Stone Church is a unique and striking historic landmark in the Caledon countryside.