Detail of Rugby Chapel plaque located outside of the front door of the chapel. Text: “The gift of the students and staff of Rugby School, England, Rugby Chapel was erected by the students of Emmanuel College under the leadership of George Exton Lloyd, M.A., Principal, 1908-1916. / Rugby Chapel replaced an earlier chapel, built in 1909, and served as the chapel of Emmanuel College until the erection of the Chapel of St. Chad in 1966. / Memorials within the Chapel record the service of pioneer workers and of men who gave their lives in the two world wars. / In Aeternum Domine Verbum Tuum Permanet / 1970”.

Bio/Historical Note: Rugby Chapel is situated on a parcel of land on the University of Saskatchewan campus adjoining College Drive. The chapel is a wood frame, single-storey building constructed in 1911. Heritage value of Rugby Chapel resides in its association with the history of Anglican education in Saskatchewan, and of the University of Saskatchewan. Constructed after the move of the Anglican Emmanuel College from Prince Albert to Saskatoon in 1908, Rugby Chapel is the first Anglican permanent place of worship built on the campus of the nascent U of S. Built with funds raised by students in Rugby, England, the chapel served the needs of the Anglican community on campus for 54 years, gradually becoming a repository for religious artifacts associated with the Anglican tradition in Canada. Heritage value also lies in the chapel’s architecture and its historical integrity. Built in the Gothic Revival architectural style, it resembles the design of many English stone-built churches featuring a Norman tower with parapet, tracery and stained glass windows and exposed rafters. The Institute for stained glass in Canada has documented the stained glass at Rugby Chapel. It is one of the few remaining Anglican places of worship in Saskatoon that is constructed of wood and one of the few wooden buildings remaining on the grounds of the U of S. Its interior and exterior have remained virtually unchanged since its construction (2022).