THE Diocese of Guyana yesterday held the Patronal Festival of the St. George’s Cathedral where there was the Solemn Evensong and official launching of the Cathedral Restoration Appeal by the Very Reverend Paul Andrew Carto, the Dean of Georgetown and Rector of St. George’s Cathedral.During the launching of the appeal, Dean Carto
declared that is their duty to keep the wooden edifice intact and he disclosed that they have had engineering research completed for the restoration project which is estimated at about US$2.0M and four sub-committees were formed to undertake the project.

Meanwhile, Dean Carto introduced the Steering Committee and Vestry of the Cathedral after which the Archdeacons were presented a brochure each and a presentation of a cheque for G$100M was made to the Dean by a member of the Trustees.

The Dean said that the 2015 version of the restoration project is for all to assist and they can do so through the appeal form that was handed out yesterday.
COMPLETE REHAB
He gave a brief history of the exquisite edifice which is in dire need of restoration and pointed out that over the years, in its 121 years of existence, the wooden building has seen repairs but it is time for a complete rehabilitation.

Dean Carto told the gathering yesterday at St. George’s Cathedral that an evaluation was done through the services of Grenadian firm, TVA Consultancy Ltd. In May last year from two visits, the firm observed that there are few buildings in the world like the St. George’s so there is need to restore and preserve it.
Dean Carto disclosed that the first phase of the eastern wall was restored from a donation of G$1M from the National Trust of Guyana and the advance restoration of the northern wall will begin in two weeks from a donation from the Trustees/Diocese of Guyana.

He added that they will seek the services of the relevant authorities to rectify the flooding problem they encounter whenever it rains in an effort to safeguard the foundation of the building and they will soon be able to have a look at the roof as well to determine what repairs they should effect.

The service was interspersed with prayers, hymns and songs.

NATIONAL MONUMENT
St. George’s Cathedral is an Anglican Cathedral in Georgetown, Guyana and is one of the tallest wooden churches in the world, at a height of 43.5 metres (143 ft).

It is the seat of the Bishop of Guyana. St. George’s was designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield and opened on August 24, 1982. The building was completed in 1899. It is located on Church Street in Georgetown and has been designated a National Monument.
The history of the Anglican Church in Guyana can be traced as far back as 1781, when the Reverend William Baggs, Chaplain to Sir George Rodney, came to Guyana. However, his stay was short-lived and it was not until 1796 that the impact of Anglicanism was felt, when reverend Francis MacMahon began holding services in a room on the ground floor of a building that was on the site of the present Parliament Buildings.
The first church dates back to 1810 and was erected on a site that now houses St. George’s School. This church soon became too small for its increasing membership. In 1839 the foundation stone for a large church was laid and the small church was relocated at St. Matthew’s Parish, East Bank Demerara.
The second church was completed in 1842 and became the first cathedral, as a Bishop (William Piercy Austin) was consecrated and the Diocese of Guiana created on August 24, 1842.
However, because of a fault in the structure of the building, it began cracking in several places and soon became unsuitable for habitation. It was subsequently dismantled. In 1877, a temporary Pro-Cathedral was erected in the ground of the Deanery at a cost of G$10,000.
Arthur Blomfield then produced the first plan for the new cathedral – for a building in a stone with a central tower and two western towers; but these were rejected because of the weight and the expense.
His subsequent plans for a wooden cathedral were accepted, a design that kept many of the salient features of his first plan, such as the central tower and the Latin cross formation of nave and transepts. It was in the Gothic style of architecture, complete with flying buttresses but it also had a tropical flavour, ensuring air and light.
However, it was to be in timber and the committee emphasized that “woods of the country and no others were to be used,” although in fact pitch pine was imported from North America for the ceiling.
The foundation stone for the present St. George’s Cathedral, built mainly of greenheart, was laid on November 21, 1889 and the cathedral was consecrated on November 8, 1894 and dedicated by Bishop Swaby.
St. George’s Cathedral is characterized mainly by Gothic arches, clustered columns and flying buttresses.