Though the British wrested Trinidad from Spain in 1797, it was many years before the Church of England gained a footing in the island since the French-speaking, highly cosmopolitan population was almost entirely Roman Catholic.
The Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-of-Spain was consecrated in 1823 but the scattered nature of the Protestant population outside of the capital made establishment of other chapels quite difficult. About halfway between Port-of-Spain and San Fernando is the district of Couva.
In the early years of the 19th century, sugar was already the dominant monoculture and large estates such as Brechin Castle and the extensive holdings of the Rostant family. The village which emerged as Couva was to become a mercantile and administrative centre as well. Long before Chaguanas emerged as the most important town on the Caroni plains, Couva was a thriving settlement as detailed by J H Collens in 1887:
“Passing another of Mr Cumming’s estates, Exchange, on the right, and crossing the road, we enter the Couva Station. Here, in a cluster, are the post-office, warden’s and savings bank offices, Roman Catholic Church and School, and police-station. The last is a creditable building of concrete, containing also the court of the S J P, Mr John A Harragin.
Couva is a fast-growing, flourishing district, comprising four villages—Exchange, California, Spring and Freeport. The eastern direction of the road lately crossed leads to the new Presbyterian Church and School now in course of erection, near which is an excellent manse; the sites for all these have been generously given by Mr Cumming from the lands of Camden estate; then come Spring village, Spring and Caracas estates (Mr J Henderson), and finally Philippine (Mr L Preau), on the borders of Montserrat.”
The prosperity of Couva and its increasing prosperity meant that there was a large enough concentration of English officials and planters to warrant the erection of a church for their needs. A small wooden church dedicated to St Andrew was extant by 1826 on lands of Exchange Estate, but this seems to have been largely through the efforts of resident planters and not through any actual involvement of the Anglican church.
The chapel was expanded in 1844 which coincided with a colony-wide expansion in the presence of the Church of England, driven by the powerful influence of the strongly Anglophile attorney general, Charles William Warner, who was seen as the great enemy of the French Creoles and the Catholic church in his lifetime.
In 1883, the Rev H M Skinner rebuilt the old church which had become termite ridden. This new church was designed to accommodate 300 people and was tastefully constructed in cedar, with stained glass windows by Wailes and Strong of Newcastle. It was described thus by Collens:
“The western direction of the cross-road above alluded to leads past the Roman Catholic church, a wooden building lately somewhat improved by the addition of a tower and spire. On the opposite side is the Anglican Church of St Andrew, which, thanks to the energy of the Rev H M Skinner, rector, is a well-designed, roomy structure, with nave, aisles, chancel, porch and vestry, erected in 1883 at a cost of between $7,000 and $8,000. The interior fittings are of cedar, the stained windows being the workmanship of Messrs Wailes and Strong, of Newcastle. Its length is nearly 100 feet, breadth 34 feet, and it will seat 300 people. Beyond the churches is Mr Cumming's Perseverance.”
Rev Skinner’s chapel served the district until 2000 when it was replaced by this modern, yet tasteful structure. The main part of the church, its aisles, sanctuary and transept pay homage to the original design of the wooden church with its peaked roof and gothic windows. The belfry tower, with its Norman battlements and steeple, are a not incongruous addition (dating to the 1920s), as is the wheelchair ramp.
The whole structure is reminiscent of an English countryside chapel. The tower is decorated with a metal relief sculpture of Jesus. During renovations in 2000, part of the cemetery was sacrificed to make way for a car park. The grave markers were removed, but the names of the deceased were recorded on brass plaques and affixed to the wooden pews.
A single marble slab from 1869 was salvaged and placed near the new church on the northern side under the eaves. It was the tombstone of Joseph George Bowen who died at eight years and was the son of the warden of the district. The cemetery itself contains many interesting 19th and early 20th century graves, including some magnificent marble statuary, which has equal nowhere else in Trinidad.