St George's Anglican Church (ruin), Mile Gully

Historical Significance
Located on the outskirts of Mile Gully Town, the St. George's Anglican Church, otherwise known as "Duppy Church". This church was built out of a need for a place of worship for those members of the society who are a part of the working class. Several members of the society, including the Rector of the Parish Church, championed the cause for a church that would not only expose the working class to religion but also moral instruction.
It was on this premise that the owner of Wear Penn, Mr. Davy, offered one acre, one rood and eight perches at the western end of his property for the purpose of erecting the St. George's Anglican Church. Davy died in London on 29 September 1863. There is a tablet erected on the church wall in his memory. A record of the list of churches and missions of the Anglican Diocese 17/2/103 revealed that the St. George’s Anglican Church was consecrated in 1875, but was first mentioned on 15th July 1826 with missions at Carpenter’s Mountains and May Day.
It was the responsibility of the Church Missionary Society to pay a stipend to the respective clergymen who would have served the various churches. These men were usually recently ordained in Britain and later sent to serve their first office in Jamaica. As such, a Walter John was sent to St. George's Anglican Church in 1875 with a stipend of two hundred pounds.
St. George's was one of four "stations," or one of four churches within the district. Over the years, they would have seen a growth in membership. In the annual report for the Anglican churches, it was reported that St. George's had a congregation of 595 members with a total of 344.2.5 pounds in offerings between 1875 and 1876. It was most certainly significant, as the mother church (Mandeville Parish Church) had a congregation of 364 persons, with offerings totaling at 296.8.11/2 pounds in the same year. St. George’s Anglican Church is also associated with a number of prominent persons. For example, it was the childhood church of the Rt. Rev. the Hon. Dr. Alfred Reid (1937-2019). He was the 13th Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. He served in this capacity from 2000 to 2011.
The Church got the name “Duppy Church” as a result of it being abandoned. It is said that the church was abandoned because the population had migrated. As a result, villagers had to travel too far a distance to get to this place of worship. Thus, the need for a church closer to the village was set in motion. The St. George's Anglican Church was replaced by the St. Barnabas Church, which was constructed in the 1970s.

Inherent Features
The rectangular stone wall structure sits 40ft from the main road and is now without a roof, doors, or windows. The approximately 15ft tall building, with an approximate area of 800sqft is exposed to natural elements that have impacted the look, life, and state of the building.
The approximately 20 by 40 feet building is also without flooring. The flooring would have been elevated approximately 4 feet above the ground with wood finishes but is now covered with vegetation.
The building that has a foyer arched entrance is positioned facing the main roadway whose shape and form, along with the entire structure of the building, seem to be in good condition and would accommodate repair and re-use.

Identity- National, Regional and Local
The St. George’s Anglican Church resonates locally as it was born out of the need to have a church for the working-class people who lived within that time.

Integrity/Sustainability
The St. George's Anglican Church has fallen into disrepair over the years. Several windows and doors are missing, and parts of the roof have collapsed; thus, it now lies in a state of ruin.