The St. Andrew’s Rectory was the centre of religious, political and social decisions from the time it was built in 1854. Its founder, and first resident, was the rector and builder of St. Andrew’s Church, Reverend William Cockran. This Georgian Scottish-Manor house was built from local materials including limestone from nearby quarries and pine lumber from across the river at Birds Hill. It became the preferred Red River style for wealthy officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company who retired to the Red River Settlement with their Métis families in the 1850s.
Though this house seems too “grand” for an Anglican parish priest, Cockran wanted a house that could become the residence of a bishop. He felt that St. Andrews would become the centre of the Anglican Church missions for the whole of British North America. Although his dream never came to pass, he continued to establish new churches and communities including Portage la Prairie, High Bluff, Poplar Point and St. Peters.
St. Andrews Heritage Centre began as a volunteer group that was formed in the early 1980s to write Beyond the Gates of Lower Fort Garry (published in 1982) to celebrate the RM of St. Andrews centennial. St. Andrews Heritage Centre continues to operate within the rectory, which now serves as a museum and venue for public programs.
