William Critchlow Harris

William Critchlow Harris, architect (b at Bootle, near Liverpool, Eng 30 Apr 1854; d at Halifax 16 July 1913), brother of painter Robert Harris. Brought to Charlottetown as a child, he attended Prince of Wales College and in 1870 joined architect David Stirling in Halifax. In 1875 he established his own practice in Charlottetown. His buildings reflect a talented and original approach to the High Victorian Gothic style. Over 120 are extant in PEI, NS and NB. They include St James Anglican Church, Mahone Bay, NS (1886); St Paul's Anglican Church, Charlottetown (1895); and his masterwork, All Souls' Chapel, Charlottetown (1888), which contains 18 paintings by his brother Robert. In 1904-05, he designed Broughton, a town of 12 000 persons, for the Cape Breton Coal Iron and Railway company. Fifty of its buildings were built before the company declared bankruptcy in 1906.