Saving these Sacred Walls

Preventing the Demolition of Greyfriars Church in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago

Greyfriars Interior 1986. Photo Courtesy from Geoffrey Maclean.

Progress can be a merciless force. This force can flatten sites of great historical significance, and what it leaves behind are physical and mental scars of its careless destruction on the national identity of any country. What are lost are tangible links to the past, and a unique history being doomed to the history books, if so lucky to even make it into those pages.

The original Greyfriars Kirk around 1880. It has since been heavily modified. On the left is the old manse erected in 1841, which no longer exists. Photo courtesy from Angelo Bissessarsingh.

Painting of Greyfriars Church by the artist Michel Jean Cazabon. Photo courtesy from Geoffrey MacLean.

One such site that we are currently trying to save is Greyfriars Church, a Scottish Presbyterian Church located around Woodford (formerly Brunswick) Square. The site was bought from the Cabildo (town council) for £300, and the foundation stone was laid on 10th April 1837. The church was completed at a cost of £4,858 and opened to the public on 21st January 1838 and the original manse to house the Kennedy family was constructed in 1841 at a cost of £1,000 which was all raised by the congregation. The church was led by the first minister, Rev. Alexander Kennedy of Greyfriars Secession Church, Glasgow, with a mission to help the recently emancipated slaves. He was a fierce abolitionist and was critical of the Roman Catholic’s and Church of England’s discriminatory practices when it came to the question of the baptism of recently emancipated Africans.

The Rev Alexander Kennedy. Photo courtesy Geoffrey MacLean.

In 1846, Greyfriar Church welcomed Protestants who arrived in Trinidad from the island of Madeira who were escaping religious persecution by the Roman Catholic authorities and were welcomed by and allowed to worship at the church.

Image showing the original facade of the church in the early 1900's, before the renovations. Photo Geoffrey MacLean.

During its 176-year history, Greyfriars has been an open and progressive church. It has welcomed many people of different races to worship and even to get married, all at a time when interracial marriage was taboo. It was also one of the first places to have a public library, allowing free access to anyone who was interested in using the library.

Word that the church was going to be sold first broke in a newspaper article written by Josh Surtees, a journalist working with the T&T Guardian, who made it public that the church was being sold to Mr. Alfred Galy, a local business man who stated he brought the site for “sentimental value”. After years of neglect and its decreasing congregation over the years, and the many attempts to raise funds to save Greyfriars Church, the elders made the difficult decision to sell the property to help fund the restoration work on its sister church of St.Ann’s Church of Scotland on Charlotte Street, according to church officials.

Greyfriars Church Organ, 1986. Photo courtesy from Geoffrey MacLean.

Before the sale of the property was finalized all of the important items, the splendid pipe organ, the World War I and II memorials and the childrens’ tombstones were removed and are stored in the St. Ann’s church.

Looking up at the interior of the church tower. Image taken by Josh Lu.

In subsequent news articles Mr.Galy explained that there were no guarantees that church would not be demolished, and gave an estimate of 12 million dollars to do the restoration. He also made very disconcerting remarks that this 200 year old church had suddenly lost its soul and is an eyesore that is beyond saving. As the images in this blog show, that is not the case: it may be a shadow of its former self, but it just needs the love and care of a person who will value the heritage of the church for the future generation. Mr. Galy has talked about being a patron of the arts and talked about the many ways the church can be rehabilitated but all of that talk seems to be just that: talk.

Since the purchase of the site by Mr Galy, the Port of Spain City Corporation, Town and Country Planning, the Ministry of National Diversity and Social Integration, the Ministry of Planning and Citizens for Conservation have all been engaged with him about the State’s intention to purchase the site and to list it as a heritage site under preservation laws. Even before the sale, Citizens for Conservation (CFC) was approached four years ago for advice about the restoration of Greyfriars Church, and how much was needed to complete the project. The recent response was in no way a last minute scramble to save the church as perceived by some in the public. There were onsite visits by the CFC group and a restorer, and the relevant government ministries were informed about the situation.

The First Stage of the Demolition