St. Matthew's Anglican Church (Ottawa)
St Matthew's Anglican Church is an Anglican church in the Glebe neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1898 and is among the oldest Anglican parishes in central Ottawa. History Establishment St Matthew's was established after the creation of the Diocese of Ottawa. From 1910 to 1945, St Matthew's was the largest parish in the Diocese. First Avenue Church The first building on First Avenue, immediately west of Bank Street, which was of frame construction, was opened on July 17, 1888. The original building on First Avenue at Bank Street was a wooden structure designed in 1898 by noted architect John William Hurrell Watts. Two new transepts were added by Watts in 1903. "Rev. J. A. Tancock", the first rector served from February 1888 until he resigned on August 1, 1901. "Rev. Robert W. Samwell" (1864-1901) was transferred from the parish of Wales, on the St. Lawrence, near Cornwall before being appointed second rector at St Matthew's from 1901 until his illness of typhoid fever and pneumonia which had lasted over fifteen weeks until his death on August 24, 1902. During his illness the parish was in the hands of a divinity student C. Franklin Clarke. The church