St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown, Guyana, is approximately 43.5 meters tall and is built of wood. Consecrated on November 8, 1894, it replaced a brick cathedral, completed in 1842, whose tower was deemed too heavy for its foundations. Its history is that of a building made of greenheart, a hardwood native to Guyana, which the diocese must continue to protect.
In January 2015, Dean Paul Andrew Carto, rector of St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown, Guyana, warned that the building’s problems would not be solved by barbecues and bake sales. That statement sums up the challenge facing this landmark. In Georgetown, St. George’s Anglican Church is a large, 43.5-meter-tall wooden structure, and wood requires constant maintenance.
St. George's Cathedral, a 43.5-meter-tall wooden structure in Georgetown
St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, stands on Church Street and is approximately 43.5 meters, or 143 feet, tall. The UNESCO Tentative List lists the height as 43.59 meters and specifies that the building is made of wood, with the exception of the low masonry foundations. The primary wood used is greenheart, a hard and durable local timber. Pitch pine imported from North America was also used for the ceiling.
Guyana has been protecting St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown since April 2001, when it was designated a national monument. On November 15, 1995, the country also inscribed it on its tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage status, under criterion (i), that of a masterpiece of human creative genius.
When the brick gave way
Anglican services began in Georgetown in 1796. On the site of the present-day St. George’s Church, the first chapel was built in the early 19th century. It was succeeded by a brick cathedral, completed in 1842, the year the Diocese of Guyana was established. Bishop William Piercy Austin, the diocese’s first bishop, consecrated it. Its west tower was deemed too heavy for its foundations. The brick cathedral in Georgetown was subsequently dismantled following a structural failure. The exact year of this demolition is unknown. In 1877, the parish of St. George’s moved into a temporary church, the pro-cathedral, on the lawns of the Deanery in Georgetown.
Blomfield, the architect who never came
The plans for the new St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown came from England. Their designer, Sir Arthur Blomfield, never visited British Guiana. His designs proved impractical, and the church, built between 1889 and 1892, took on a Gothic style, with arches, clustered columns and flying buttresses, and was constructed primarily of greenheart wood.
The cornerstone of St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown was laid on November 21, 1889. The building opened for worship on August 24, 1892, while still unfinished. Bishop William Proctor Swaby consecrated it on November 8, 1894. Some Guyanese publications cite 1899 as the year of completion, a date not confirmed by official sources. The title of “tallest wooden building” remains disputed. Claims range from “tallest wooden building in the Western Hemisphere” to “tallest in the world” to “largest wooden church in the world.” These claims do not overlap, and the Georgetown building does not need them to remain unique.
St. George's Cathedral: A Restoration Project and a Roof Still Awaiting Work
In 2015, Dean Paul Andrew Carto determined that St. George’s Church required a complete renovation after 121 years of existence and repairs. That same year, the dean also reported that flooding during the rainy season was threatening the church’s foundations. An architectural firm from Grenada, TVA Consultancy, had assessed the building, and its structure had been deemed sound.
The restoration of St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown was launched on April 26, 2015, under Bishop Cornell Moss. Work began in 2017. The exterior and interior walls, the basement, and the ceiling were restored, and the electrical system was upgraded. The main phase was completed on October 17, 2020. The replacement greenheart wood came from the Iwokrama Forest in central Guyana. The project cost more than 200 million, of which 177 million came from the Diocese of Guyana and Suriname, according to Bishop Charles Davidson in 2020. The currency is not specified here.
Upon completion of the work, Carlton Joao, an executive at Banks DIH, the company supporting the project, said he was “a proud Guyanese today.” Columnist Ian McDonald, who has known the building for 65 years, wrote that it “shines for God and for man.” The main roof of St. George’s Cathedral, however, was not included. In November 2020, Bishop Davidson estimated the cost at approximately 150 million and was hoping for donations, while the National Trust of Guyana was waiting for the 2021 national budget to determine its contribution.
In Georgetown, the question raised by Dean Carto in 2015 continues to linger. Who will provide the funding, year after year, to keep these 43.5 meters of greenheart standing?
Frequently Asked Questions About St. George's Cathedral
St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown is approximately 43.5 meters, or 143 feet, tall. The UNESCO Tentative List lists its height as 43.59 meters. It is a wooden structure built on low masonry foundations.
Sir Arthur Blomfield, a British architect, designed St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown. He never visited British Guiana.
Bishop William Proctor Swaby consecrated St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown on November 8, 1894. The building had opened for worship on August 24, 1892, while still unfinished.
