St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Cowichan Station

As I reported two weeks ago, the Cowichan Station Area Association, operators of the Hub, is looking at taking possession of the deconsecrated St. Andrew’s Church. Negotiations are underway with the Anglican Diocese of B.C. Apparently the beautiful century-old church beside the Koksilah River needs serious and expensive repairs and funding remains to be determined.

Should a deal be struck the CSAA wants to use the former church as a non-denominational community centre, “a place for weddings and funerals or a quiet place for contemplation,” said spokesperson Melanie Watson. The fact that it comes with a wraparound cemetery obviously narrows down its potential options.

Ten years ago I published Tales the Tombstones Tell: A Walking Guide to Cemeteries in the Cowichan Valley, the culmination of 100s of hours of boots-on-the-ground research, 100s of photos, miles and miles of driving, and the drawing upon decades of archival research.

I love cemeteries. To me they’re oases of peace and quiet even when situated beside busy thoroughfares. A sense of peace transcends all, at least it does for me. Morbid? Hardly!

St. Andrew’s, Cowichan Station, is one of my favorites. Situated beside the Koksilah River and our last surviving wooden truss road bridge, within yards of the original sandstone E&N overpass, it and its surrounding cemetery is worth a visit at any time, particularly on a spring morning. Be sure to check out the headstone that shows in the left foreground of the above photo—this has to be one of, if not the, most distinctive grave markers in all of B.C.

Anyway, the news of its possible new lease on life set me to thinking that many Chronicles readers (for shame!) won’t have read Tales the Tombstones Tell. Which explains why the chapter on St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Cowichan Station, is next week’s Chronicle.

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PHOTO: St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Cowichan Station. —www.templelodge33.ca