Lower Canard Baptist Church

The Lower Canard Baptist Church was located on the corner of Wellington Dyke Road and Canard Street on land leased from Lawrence Eaton for ninety-nine years. Built by John Margeson in 1857, it had Gothic windows and a steeple with four peaked finials and could seat one hundred people. A vestry, located on the left (south) side of the church was added later; along with this there was also a separate horse shed. After World War I with more frequent use of the automobile, more people attended the Upper Canard Church. The church at Lower Canard was neglected from lack of funding and the main part of the church was demolished in the mid-twentieth century, around the time the 99-year lease was up. The vestry was the last part of the church to remain, and was last used as a farm building, but was eventually demolished too.

This church had two entrances on the gable end, common for some early Baptist churches in Atlantic Canada. When this is found, it often means that one was intended for the men to use, and the other for the women, with separate seating inside. This church is unique in terms of style, and size. One of the most eye-catching features of this church is the four-pointed crown adorning the top of the belfry, also found on the Clarence United Baptist Church in Annapolis County. The belfry is enclosed and has gothic shaped openings to allow sound to travel, suggesting that this church has a bell. The front façade is broken up into three bays, with a centrally placed gothic window in the middle bay and a doorway on either side. Prior to the addition of a vestry three more of these gothic windows could be found on either side of the structure. This church also was a prime example of a building of its time with Gothic style tracery windows with label moldings and narrow pilaster or corner boards, typical of many country churches of this period.

Information provided by Churches of Kings County Nova Scotia and the church.