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Historic St. Philips Anglican Church gets new look
– area no longer a haven for vagrants
It was an eyesore and a haven for thieves and vagrants, but the century-old St. Philip’s Anglican Church and its environs are now getting a much needed facelift.
Thanks to several concerned citizens, the historic church, flanked to the north and south by D’urban and Princes Streets, has undergone a major transformation over the past several months.
The rusty, leaking roof has been replaced with one that is painted in striking red. The rotting outer pinewood walls have been replaced with a concrete facade. New windows are replacing the broken ones. Carpenters have pulled up the old floorboards and beams. Washrooms have been installed. The massive front door is being replaced.
Renovated section of the church
The carpenters who spoke to Kaieteur News said that they are preserving the old designs to the damaged structure.
St. Philip’s Green, the massive ground that encompasses the church, has also undergone a welcomed transformation. Workmen have cleared away most of the trees and bushes that had made the ‘Green’ a haven for thieves and drug addicts, who would often defecate in the compound.
The reverend John Smith, who died in the Georgetown jail on 6 February, 1824, after being incarcerated for failing to inform the authorities of an impending slave rebellion, is said to have been buried in an unmarked grave in a former cemetery on which St Philip’s Church now stands.
During a brief interview, Mr. Terrence Park, the caretaker, showed Kaieteur News some of the work that has been done, while reminiscing on how badly the church had fallen into disrepair.
He recalled that the church roof was the first part of the church to be targeted for repair.
“It was in a terrible condition. Some Sundays, when the rain fell, parts of the church would be soaked.”
According to Mr. Park, getting persons to fix the roof proved challenging, since some carpenters balked at the height.
One of the church’s stained-glass windows
Mr. Park explained that the presence of unsavoury persons in the compound also kept the faithful away.
“Members coming to church would be robbed during the daytime,” he recalled. “The junkies would break into the church.”
He recalled that some years ago, a human skeleton (suspected to be that of a vagrant) was found in an old tower, which was part of the church. The tower has now been pulled down. About a year ago, the body of an unidentified man was also found on the church’s compound.
Mr. Park said that the carpenters also became targets of the vagrants when renovations first began.
According to the caretaker, the workmen ignored his advice that they should shut the front door of the church while they were working.
This gave the vagrants the opportunity to cart off a few of the workmen’s tools.
However, with the grounds now cleared of vegetation, the churchgoers are now returning to St. Philip’s, while the vagrants have departed.
“They (the vagrants) are haunted. They can’t get anywhere to throw-back.”
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