St. Peter’s Church was originally constructed December 9, 1827. However, it was replaced by the present structure on June 29, 1855, St. Peter’s Day. Prior to the erection of the first church, services were held under a clump of bamboo trees.
On November 25, 1826 as recorded by the pencil minute of foolscap in the vestry book of the parish, a meeting was held in the house of Captain Thierens of Plantation Vissilvalligheid. At this meeting it was decided that a church and parsonage should be built. A site was chosen on the front lands of Plantation Enterprise, Leguan where the church is still functioning today.
The first church was built at a cost of £400 over a period of six weeks, and was located at the centre of the island. On December 9, 1827 this church was opened for service.
The land for the parsonage and the church was acquired in a rather peculiar manner; through a warrant issued by the Governor: Sir Benjamin D’urban on June 12, 1827, ‘authorizing and requiring in His Majesty’s name, John Theirens and Edward G. Boughton, members of the Vestry for the parish of St. Peters, forthwith to enter upon and take possession of the said piece of land and to give notice thereof to the proprietor of the said property and to offer him a fair compensation,’ to be decided by ‘two appraisers and an umpire of the chosen lot’.
In September of 1827, Mr John Campbell, proprietor of John Campbell & Co. agreed to sell the six acres of land required for the church. There was one small problem: the removal of a house constructed by Mr Alexander McRae ‘for the reception of persons with the most offensive disease, yaws.’
Nine years later, on August 8, 1836, the transport for the land of St. Peter’s was at last passed. The sum of 300 guilders per acre was paid by the governor, together with 4,000 guilders for repairs and 350 guilders for the sexton.
The church saw bleak times in the 1840s as many residents of the island migrated to urban areas. The cost of maintenance for the first church was enormous and there were calls for the erection of a permanent building.
It was under the guardianship of Reverend F. J. Wyatt (who would later be appointed as Rector of St. Paul in October 1853) that the desire for a permanent church gained support. Lieutenant Governor Walker laid the foundation stone for the present church on August 1, 1853.
St. Peter’s was constructed at a cost of £2,500, of which £1,000 was contributed by the Colonial Legislature, £100 by the Society For The Promotion of Christian Knowledge, and the remaining sum of £1,400 by private individuals resident on the island. The church was designed by the colonial civil engineer Mr. J. F. Bourne, with contributions by Rev. F. Wyatt and Dr. Boughton.
The church, which is built of brick, was originally covered by a roof of wallaba shingles; this was later replaced by metal roofing. At the left of the north western entrance stands a detached bell tower, surmounted by an octagonal brick spire.
The length of the church is 70 feet, exclusive of the apse. The windows are pointed and are filled with handsome stained glass. The seven in the apse depicts the life of St. Peter, and those in the nave contain flowered quarrels and roses with rich borders. These were imported from England at a cost of £950.
On St. Peter’s Day, June 29, 1855, His Lordship Bishop William Piercy Austin consecrated the building in the presence of the governor, Mr. P. E. Wodehouse, the
governor’s secretary, Chief Justice Mr William Walker, members of the Court of Policy and other prominent individuals.
With its artistic design and leaning tower, St. Peter’s Church, located on the 10,843 acre island of Leguan is regarded as one of the finest brick structures constructed in Guyana.
This church, with its tiled sanctuary, massive brick work, asphalted floor, architectural rafters, and windows portraying events in the life of the patron saint, testifies to the artistry and craftsmanship of Guyanese builders.
Today, while it stands as an important part of Guyana’s built heritage, representative of an integral chapter of our social and cultural development, sadly, it has fallen into a state of dilapidation, with a roof that is in dire need of repair among other areas.
While the National Trust is charged to promote and safeguard the nation’s heritage, we wish to remind citizens that preservation is a task which requires the cooperation of all and urge Guyanese to take an active role in ensuring the long term survival of Guyana’s patrimony by assisting in one way or another in preserving this brick heritage building. Contact can be made with the Anglican Diocese under whose purview it falls.
[At this time, congratulations are in order for the church and its parishioners on its 186th anniversary, to be celebrated December 9, 2013.] (Originally published Dec 2010, courtesy National Trust of Guyana)
