William Critchlow Harris
William Critchlow Harris (30 April 1854 – 16 July 1913) was an English-born Canadian architect, primarily noted for his ecclesiastical and domestic projects in Maritime Canada. He lived there most of his life; however, for much of the time, he led an itinerant existence, travelling throughout Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, pursuing and executing design commissions across the region. He was influenced by the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style (for his domestic buildings) and Victorian gothic (for his church designs).
William Critchlow Harris
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- Name
- William Critchlow Harris
- Born
- 30 April 1854
- Birthplace
- Liverpool, Lancashire, England, UK
- Died
- 16 July 1913
- Place of death
- Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Occupation
- architect
- Nationality
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Known for
- All Souls' Chapel
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William Critchlow Harris (30 April 1854 – 16 July 1913) was an English-born Canadian architect, primarily noted for his ecclesiastical and domestic projects in Maritime Canada. He lived there most of his life; however, for much of the time, he led an itinerant existence, travelling throughout Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, pursuing and executing design commissions across the region. He was influenced by the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style (for his domestic buildings) and Victorian gothic (for his church designs).
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wikidata · Q8007292 · wikipedia · William Critchlow Harris
In this article
Biography
Biography
His greatest disappointment was the loss of a commission late in life to design the Anglican Cathedral in Halifax (1905-1910). The commission was awarded to New York City architect Bertram Goodhue, and Harris was given the unhappy task of overseeing the completion of the more famous architect's work. His brother was the noted artist Robert Harris.
Photo of the main building at Université Sainte-Anne, Church Point, Nova Scotia. Photo was taken ca. 1995. It was scanned from a print and modified in Paint Shop Pro to remove parallax and improve contrast.
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Hensley Chapel, Kings Edgehill School, Windsor, Nova Scotia. It was jointly designed by David Stirling and William Critchlow Harris (1877).
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — William Critchlow Harris • Born — 30 April 1854 • Birthplace — Liverpool, Lancashire, England, UK • Died — 16 July 1913 • Place of death — Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada • Occupation — architect
Notable works
Notable works
• Illustration — Université Sainte-Anne, Church Point, Nova Scotia • Illustration — St. John's Church 1898 & rectory 1898 in Windsor, Nova Scotia • Illustration — Georgetown, Prince Edward Island Kings County Provincial Court House • Illustration — Hensley Chapel Kings Edgehill • Illustration — All Souls' Chapel (Prince Edward Island) • Broughton, Nova Scotia (plan and buildings), Glace Bay, Nova Scotia • Frederick Borden house, Canning, Nova Scotia • Elmwood House, Charlottetown, PEI • St. James Anglican Church, Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia (one of the famous Three Churches) • St. Mary's Church, Indian River, PEI • Trinity Anglican Church, Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia (one of only two surviving churches that combines the talents of William and Robert Harris)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1854–1913
The full dated record · 6 entries
1854
William Critchlow Harris born at Liverpool.
1888
All Souls' Chapel is dated 1888.
1892
All Saints Anglican Church is dated 1892.
1898
Lawson House is dated 1898.
1902
Historic St. Mary's Church is dated 1902.
1913
William Critchlow Harris died at Halifax.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Liverpool.
Birth place
Halifax.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q8007292: William Critchlow Harris
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “William Critchlow Harris”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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Citations
References
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Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q8007292: William Critchlow HarrisWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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