Municipal Heritage Site No. 361
Kaleida, south of Manitou, is an unincorporated community southwest of Morden. In 2015 it had a population of eight.
In 1892 this church was built near Kaleida by Harry Bowler and Richard Steward, with Samuel Magee as the carpenter. It cost around $6,500.
The church was designed by Winnipeg architect Charles Wheeler. It was named Winram Memorial in memory of the Hon. William Winram. Originally from Olverston, England, he had settled in the Riverdale district. First elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1878, he was a Member for 13 years, and the Speaker for three. He died in 1891.
Winram Memorial is constructed of fieldstone from the Pembina Valley. The effective placement of these red, black and grey stones results in a refined building. With the buttresses at each corner and other features it resembles a typical small English country church. However, at 28 x 44 feet it is larger than many similar earlier ones.
The interior’s wooden Gothic Revival details are lit through coloured glass windows. These were supplied by the Winnipeg firm of Ernest Edgell.
Information about those involved with the church the over the years is on a plaque in front. Regular services are no longer held but the building is open.
The church’s present name comes from the amalgamation of the parish of St. Mary with the congregation of St. Alban in Snowflake.
The church and cemetery were designated as a Manitoba Heritage Site on March 28, 2011.
• Photographed in 1990.
• Published in Senior Scope, December 6, 2018.
• Included in Testaments of Faith, Manitoba’s Pioneer Churches.