The Rev William Cockran arrived in the Red River Settlement from England in 1825. By 1828, he was holding services in private homes in the area then known as Grand Rapids. A wooden church that measured 50 x 22 feet was built in 1831 and dedicated on May 7, 1832. By 1844, the church was already too small for the growing congregation, and plans were made to build a larger, stone church. The Rev. John Smithhurst laid the cornerstone on 4 July 1845. Local material and volunteer labour was used for a good part of the construction. Cockran himself did a lot of the manual labour, although he took a temporary leave of absence halfway through the construction. Duncan McCrae was hired to do the masonry work. The church took five years to complete and was consecrated by Bishop David Anderson on December 19, 1849. The name St Andrew was chosen to acknowledge all the Scottish Presbyterians who attended the services because they had no church of their own. One year later, Henry Budd, the first Aboriginal to be ordained in the Anglican Church, was ordained a deacon at St Andrew's Church. A large limestone rectory across from the church was built in 1854. Cockran died on October 1, 1865 near Portage la Prairie, and in accordance to his wishes, was buried near the entrance of St Andrew's Church. A large stained glass window installed in 1890 is in memory of him. On 12 November 1922, a memorial arch was dedicated in memory of the men of St Andrew's Parish who fought in World War I. In 1931, a winter chapel was built. The chapel was used in winter months when the congregation was too small to heat the entire church. It was removed in the 1970s. Over the years, St Andrew's Church has undergone several substantial restoration projects. The foundation and east wall had to be repaired in the 1930s and in 1989 the parish began the large task of stabilizing the walls. The work was completed in 1995 and a rededication service was held 14 May 1995. Today, St Andrew's Church is a Provincial Heritage Site and a National Historic Site, as well as being the oldest Anglican Church in Western Canada still in continuous use. It is open to tourists everyday during the summer. St Andrew's Rectory is a National Historic Site owned by Parks Canada and serves as both a museum and as the residence of the priest. Many of the original 1849 fixtures including the altar, pulpit, bells and font, are still in use. St Andrew is part of a three point parish that includes St Thomas, Lockport and St Matthew, Cloverdale.