City Tour...

Georgetown – Guyana’s Capital City and chief port, is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Demerara River; originally chosen as a fort to guard the Dutch settlements of the river. The city of Georgetown was designed largely by the Dutch and is laid out in a rectangular pattern with wide tree lined avenues and irrigation canals, that crisscross the City. Most of the City’s historical buildings are wooden, reflecting the unique 18 th Century and 19 th Century architecture.

Our tour begins at the Hadfield Street, end of the Avenue of the Republic at Parliament Building, which was designed by Joseph Hadfield and constructed in 1834. At this site Guyana’s emancipated slaves purchased for the first time their own land and Parliament still meets at this historic site. A short walk to the West of Parliament will take you to Guyana’s largest and busiest market – Stabroek Market, housed both on land and water.

The name Stabroek is derived from Guyana’s Dutch ancestry and the building was originally built of wood. Anything from gold jewellery to fruits and vegetables can be found. Heading up Croal Street back towards the Avenue of the Republic lies the Law Courts designed by C. Castelanni and opened on May 24 th 1887. In front of the Courts stands a statue of Queen Victoria, a tribute to Guyana’s British ancestry.

Obliquely opposite the Law Courts is St. Andrew’s Kirk, the oldest surviving structure of any church in Guyana, which was built in 1829. Travelling north up Avenue of the Republic and adjacent to the Law Courts is City Hall, which houses the administrative offices of the City. No walk would be complete without a visit to St. George’s Cathedral, one of the tallest free standing wooden building in the world. Located a few yards up the Promenade from City Hall, St. George’s was designed by Sir Arthur Bloomfield and the foundation stone was laid on November 21, 1889.

A glimpse of the Cathedral’s interior is highly recommended. In front of the Cathedral is Company Path Gardens in which is located a monument paying tribute to the founding leaders of the Non-Aligned Heads of Government Conference. Turning west along the Avenue and past the Bank of Guyana is the National Museum. Leaving the museum by the same route brings you back onto the Avenue, which leads into Main Street and the principal shopping area. A walk along Main Street’s tree lined Avenue will take you past shops and some of Georgetown’s most beautiful historical buildings like the Red House, Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, ‘State House,’ the official house of the President and further on the Prime Minister’s Residence.

The unusual structure at the top of the Umana Yana or “meeting place of the people” a thatched Benab built by the Wai Wai Indians. The final stop along your walk is the Seawall, which was built to protect the City, as coastland of

Guyana is three (3) feet below sea level.