"The established church in Canada is nothing to crow about, according to the new minister at St. John's Bradford Presbyterian Church and Second West Gwillimbury Presbyterian Church. Student minister Bill Lennips, 39, sees a lot wrong with the organized church and he wants more emphasis on the age-old teachings of the Bible. The new minister laments over the church's loss of a leadership role in the issues of the day. Mr. Lennips is replacing Rev. Harold Heustin, who retired earlier this year. He is no stranger to the Bradford area, having worked as a Christian Reformed lay evangelist in River Drive Park from 1969 to 1974. He left the Christian Reformed Church, feeling there was undue pressure to have children attend Christian separate schools. He and his wife Betty have six children: Cindy, Jim, Martin, Robert, Douglas, and Billy. Mr. Lennips says the church should be more active and its ministers less distant from the public. He said new policy committees that have been established by Canadian churches - including the Presbyterian Church - are a step toward a more active role for the church and an impact on world events."

"A congregation of more than 150 people gathered at the Auld Kirk in the Scotch Settlement near Bradford on Sunday afternoon. The churchgoers were attending an outdoor service arranged by the South Simcoe Presbytery."

"The Auld Kirk, a historical church located at the Scotch Settlement will be the scene of an old time church service Sunday, June 22 at 3:00 p.m. The service is being jointly arranged by the Barrie Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church and the Simcoe Presbytery of the United Church. The Auld Kirk is on the 6th line of West Gwillimbury Township south of Highway 88 at the Scotch Settlement. The outdoor service will be led by Rev. Henry Dahlin, minister of Bond Head United Church and Chairman of the Simcoe Presbytery. Also participating in the service will be Rev. Ken Purdon, minister of Burton Ave. United Church in Barrie and Rev. Ed MacDonald, minister of the Presbyterian Church in Orillia and moderator of Barrie Presbytery. The guest preacher will be Rev. W. Stanford Reid, Professor of History at the University of Guelph.
The Auld Kirk's beginnings go back to 1823 when a log church was built by the settlers of the Scotch Settlement. In 1827, a frame church was built and the original log building was moved and used as a school until 1840. The present Auld Kirk building was erected in 1869 at a cost of $1,000. Due to a dwindling population the church was closed in 1885 and for some years fell into disrepair. In 1912, it required a new roof. In 1953, the restoration of the cemetery was started and in 1958 restoration work began on the church."

"He was a special kind of man. A ready smile, a razor-sharp wit and a concern for his fellow man.... these were the engaging qualities of Frederick Christopher Cook, town councillor, churchman and fraternal brother. Fred Cook was an unassuming man, who reached out and touched the lives of thousands of people. His dedication to public service as a town councillor will be remembered by the many Bradford ratepayers who came to know him and trust him as a man of honesty and directness. Fred was a warm man, who understood people's problems and did all he could to solve them. Besides his open humbleness, he was a man who was concerned about the future of his community."

"The Grade One students at Bradford Public school performed two plays last Friday for their parents. One play dealt with Santa and his reindeer, while the other was about the birth of Jesus. The shepherds and wise men gathered 'round and looked on as Jesus was born in a manger."

The former Anglican Church Manse is located at 81 Frederick St. (on the northeast corner of Church and Frederick Streets). The structure was built around 1880 in the Eclectic Neoclassical style. The two-storey, rectangular building has a medium-pitched, hip roof. The line at the front façade suggesting that the building originally had a full-width, front porch is another Regency Revival feature. The symmetrical window openings (with high floor to ceiling heights), a centre hall plan, and a wide entrance with sidelights and a transom are neoclassical features. Dichromatic brickwork at the quoins and window labels, as well as the ‘droopy’ label stops at the windows are Gothic Revival features. The house has solid, brick construction and a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the existing porch and entrance motif are unsympathetic with the original design. It also notes that, unlike the originals, the replacement windows have no muntins. (1, 2, 3)

Contains articles and clippings related to the buildings and architecture of Bradford West Gwillimbury, from A - E

Audio of an interview with Harry and Margaret Brown on July 28, 1992. The audio only contains the final part of the interview, with the early part cut off. They are interviewed by George Jackson. Harry and Margaret speak about their lives in Mount Pleasant and Bradford, mainly of their church life and daily routines. See the Related Descriptions below for the summary.