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A glimpse of old Georgetown
Georgetown as our fore-parents knew it has changed dramatically, with fires and a taste
Old Parliament
for modernity replacing elegant wooden buildings, a tradition from our colonial era, with high-rise concrete and glass structures.
But if you look closely, you would still see signs of how our so-called ‘Garden City’ once looked in a bygone era.
THE OLD BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES
According to Mayor Greene in his book, “ In 1748, a Brandwagt, or single watch station was built on the East Bank at the mouth of the Demerara River, on a spot somewhere between D’Aguiar Imperial House (DIH) and the Magistrate’s Court. It was an observation station, and fort, solely for security reasons.” This Brandwagt was replaced by the St. Andrews Kirk which still stands
Old Parade
on the site.
Alms House- once located in Brickdam, Georgetown, was “ingenuity of architect, by Cesar Castellani. Completed in 1878. However the original structure was altered with additional structures to accommodate the overwhelming growth in population of the elderly and disabled. After some time of slow deterioration the original structure was demolished. The new construction now renamed the Palms which still holds the same objectives and nature of the institution.
Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception- foundation stones for this edifice was laid on April 21, 1868 by Governor Hincks in Brickdam, Georgetown. This remarkable timber structure was designed by the Architect, Cesar Castellani. On March 7, 1913, the remarkable 
feature of timber craftsmanship was destroyed by fire. This Brickdam Cathedral now stands in its place.
St Barnabas Church- once stood at Regent Street and Orange Walk, Bourda, Georgetown; in 1884 the Anglican Church of St. Barnabas was opened as a small building and later consecrated in 1938. “With flying buttresses and massive towers was sold to local business man and later demolished in 2011. The site where this treasure once stood remains vacant.
Umana Yana
Train Lines- in the ancient years in Guyana, trains were the means of transportation. Passengers were transported between Berbice and Georgetown. However trains were replaced by buses. The terminal in Kingston, Georgetown still remains but is now being used as a workshop by the Ministry of Works.
Have these changes been positive?
According to the Mayor of Georgetown Henry Green, “It’s a sign of Development but it can also be termed negative because of poor planning”. He lamented that Mayors from the past made some tragic decisions in terms of compromising our main canals which were designed to store and drain water from the city, in rainy weathers.
Church Street and North Road Canal has now been transformed into the Meriman’s Mall.
Puntrench Dam Canal was dug 40ft deep to store excess water in rainy seasons but was filled up to a lesser dept by mayors before independence.
He added that our present Government in developing our skyline, made poor plannings; businesses are built in residential areas and parking for customers are inadequate and insufficient.
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