St Charles’ Church, Regent

As the Liberated African Villages grew, it was decided that structures needed to be built to meet the spiritual and educational needs of the new settlements. The government agreed to fund the building of schools and churches. The government funded the construction of a stone church in the Regent, one of the Liberated African Villages. In 1816, St. Charles Church, named after Charles MacCarthy, was West Africa's first stone church. Today, it is the oldest stone church in Sierra Leone and the third oldest in Africa.

Due to Regent's growing population and Reverend W.A.B Johnson's inspirational and powerful leadership, the church on top of a steep hill quickly became insufficient for the 500 worshipers it had been intended for. Numbers fell after the Reverend's death and subsequent movement of residents to the city in quest of better prospects, but the historic significance of the church remains, and it still serves the community today.