National Trust of Guyana

Bedford Methodist Church

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Location: Lacytown, Georgetown

Classification: Religious 

Period/ Year Built: 1869

Historical Background / Description:

Bedford Methodist Church is located on Camp Street and North Road, Lacytown Georgetown. The church’s history can be traced back to 1868, when it began conducting services as an outlet to the Trinity Methodist Church. Open air meetings began in the early part of the same year at its current location. This site was selected as the new centre for Methodist work, since the denomination had experienced a spiritual awaking in the colony.

On May 31, 1868, an old domestic building on the property was temporarily used as the church’s place of worship, but the congregational quickly outgrew this building. In the early part of 1869, church services were moved to Robb Street and the community of Lodge to facilitate the construction of a new building. On August 2, 1869, the foundation stone of the structure was laid by Chief Justice of British Guiana, Sir William Snagg and on September 27, at 11 a.m., the new building was opened for divine worship. While the structure has been rehabilitated throughout its lifetime, the layout of the building remains mostly unchanged. However, on April 4, 2011, the building was threatened by a fire that damaged its washroom facilities; these were reconstructed in concrete. Some notable architectural features of this single-storey timber building include its rose and pointed arched windows.