Despite not being a member of the Anglican communion, as a life-time citizen of St. John’s I feel it necessary to add my voice to those objecting to the annex proposed to be built beside the Anglican Cathedral.
My first objection is that this glass and concrete cube is completely out of character with the age and dignity of the cathedral, which is one of the most beautiful buildings in St. John’s. If constructed it will obscure and belittle the lines of this Gothic church.
Secondly, I am horrified that a churchyard where hundreds or thousands (the exact number is irrelevant) of our ancestors are buried will be desecrated in this cavalier fashion.
My third, and for me the strongest objection, is that this excavation will destroy the only grove of mature trees in this area. These trees are well over a hundred years old and are irreplaceable.
Pay no heed to the architect’s drawing, or to the promises that these trees will be preserved. Trees are the lungs of a city, and the lungs of the planet.
If we desecrate this ground, not only do we break faith with those who have gone before us, but also we will make St. John’s uglier, more soulless, and less healthy for the generations who will follow us.
Bernice Morgan,
St. John’s
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