Bath Settlement: a bustling location with immense agricultural opportunities

Nov 03, 2019 News

By Alex Wayne

I had heard a lot about Bath Settlement but I had no idea it was so breathtaking complete with wide open pastures, abundant tree species and twisting roads and alleyways.

Preparing eschallot for cultivation.

A section of the still developing village

The cheery chatter of villagers was a harmonious sound, coupled with the merry squeals of children prancing around in the village. In the shops housewives were heckling girlishly and arguing to the top of their voices over price increase for some grocery items. Many rolled their eyes at the shop owners while others were very outspoken in their disagreement.
I was somewhat enthralled that Bath Village still bore some resemblance of its yester-year infrastructure. From its many cottage styled houses, still many sandy streets and structures that took me back to many years ago, when many regarded ‘wish wash’ structures as wealth, even if they were not sporting the glitz and glamour that is associated with some structures today.

In almost every home there is a kitchen garden.

Large scale farmers use excavators to prepare their farms in the backland locations

The village has an arresting beauty that is presented quite nicely with a fusion of twisting roads, sprawling green pastures, adorable natural waterways, and green expanses of farm lands.
Upon entering the village one is greeted by the enticing evidence of its great agricultural potential by persons walking or riding around intent on trading their homegrown vegetables, ground provision, or fruits which always seem to be in abundance.
Bath Village District is an administrative division and is located in Mahaica-Berbice, Guyana. The estimate terrain

Farmers prepare their lands for cultivation of crops

elevation above sea level is about four metres. This village is located some sixty seven miles from Georgetown, and can be accessed by traveling the West Berbice Public Road.
Years gone by
Bath Village presently is the total opposite of what it was in years gone by. Today there are posh houses and businesses, and avenues for sport and recreation. The village has taken on a much modern aura with the introduction of a few stylish houses, and the village can be no longer remembered as the land of scattered thatched roof huts and bushy open pastures.
Making the comparisons was village elder Sunil Phagoo, who with a contented smile started an enthralling tale.

“I could remember my days as a young girl how we would run almost butt naked in dem bushy pastures, with our hair flying. When the rain came down we would splash and play in the muddy waters. But many times our mothers came after us with tamarind whips and there goes all the fun. Then in the afternoon we would go down to about two standpipes in the village, and many times fights broke out over whose turn it was to draw water. As young girls or boys clash in battle, a large crowd would quickly gather, each chanting for the person they supported. It was a sight to see them roll around like pigs in the mud, flinging cuffs, pulling hair, or digging faces. The crowd would scatter in all directions when village elders arrived, parting the fights with slaps and whip lashes.”
Phagoo said, “In those days there was no electricity and the ‘flambough lamps’ was the going thing. You had to cook with it, do your school work with it and to save the cooking oil or kerosene, blow out the lamps before going to bed. Many families live in small huts and only the wealthy were living in cottage houses. Mosquitoes were always a problem, but we used to light dried ‘cow dung’ and make smoke to chase them away.”

He said just before the early 1970’s the village began to show signs of development and it started with persons who erected many shops and stalls. Access roads were made to gain access to the village from various angles and things began to look a little brighter. The backlands of this village was a brilliant scattering of large farms and vegetable gardens which still remain until today. But almost in every yard one can see a promising kitchen garden.
Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice is a well-populated community which has seen considerable development over the years, with the establishment of several large-scale businesses and a new housing scheme in one section. It is said that before the transformation of the village, persons were poor and struggled to make ends meet, with many working at the Blairmont sugar estate and as farmers and fisher-folk. At one time the sugar estates in Berbice provided the main means of livelihood for many people, but there are others who work as teachers, photographers, accountants, clerks, sales persons, mechanics and a doctor, among other professions in and outside of the village.
This village is also popular for its large-scale eschallot farming and because of its rich soil, almost every resident has a small portion of their yards cultivated. Some also cultivate large kitchen gardens and some engage in poultry businesses and fishing.
In the 1930s, the Bath Sugar Estate was owned by the Davson’s Company. It was a very big village back then, and the name of the school in those days was the St. Nicholas Anglican Primary School.
Sources indicated that the village began to grow at its current location in the late 1950s, when management began giving the workers lands on the roadside. Many of the people in this village continued to work with the sugar industry after the exodus to the roadside, and the Bath Estate closure in the early 1970s.

A very busy village
As I walked around Bath Village, I was certainly taken aback by its arresting picturesque appearance. It oozed a certain rustic aura, that seemed mystically accentuated with its striking fusion of cottage houses and of course many posh structures.

In some cases the streets allowed a mind boggling view of some very alluring locations in the village.
As I walked through streets and alleyways, I was caught up in the vortex of car horns blaring, and the wail of vendors trading fruits or vegetables. Girlish peals of laughter pierced the air as young school girls huddle together in hushed voices certainly not discussing anything academic, but instead the suggestive advances of young boys in the classrooms.

I have certainly never seen so many vegetable stalls in one village, which spoke volumes of the agricultural potentials of the location. Men could be seen gathered around in large groups, playing card and sipping on rather chilled beers or in some cases stronger spirits at sports bars in the village. The small hair salons seemed filled to capacity with the sassy ladies having manicures, facials, or some getting the most extraordinary weave additions or extensions.

The coconut vendors were making the best of the rush hour crowds, and all around they were stuffing dollar bills into their pockets as thirsty residents rushed to purchase this nourishing ‘cool down’ supplement.

It’s the Friday market scene at Bath Village that would certainly grasp one’s attention. Here buyers could get practically anything that comes to mind that’s needed in the kitchen or for other household uses.
This well-populated community of Bath Settlement has seen considerable development over the years, with the establishment of several large-scale businesses and a new housing scheme in one section.
Those desirous of building can get their supplies at Double R Hardware Store and Katcha, both of which supply building and construction materials to customers throughout West Coast and West Bank Berbice.
Other businesses include Ram’s Jewellery, Spare Parts and Pawn Shop; Len’s Optical; Bunny & Sons Furniture Store; Kushi’s Beauty Salon; Love’s Variety Storeand others.
For the religious at heart they have choices between masjids, mandirs and the churches, depending on their choice of religion. I was particularly impressed with the warm welcome I received from employees at the ‘Green to Life Chemical and Plant Shop’, who also supplied important information about the village.
Young men were chatting amicably in the streets, while in some areas others were rushing off to tend to their various jobs. Mothers were rushing in and out of variety stores, stocking up on their household supplies; while, under some houses, husbands and grandparents relaxed in hammocks after spending a tedious early morning on many kitchen gardens or large farms.
Sacrifices always pay off
In 2016 I had the opportunity of visiting the home of the Ramcharrans and was very moved by their success story. It was pleasure to see that they were thriving even better.
Their success story has always motivated me, and has urged me to make sacrifices since they always paid off in the long run. Today they are living in luxury and comfort and they are quite proud of the success their sacrifices have brought them. They are doing quite fine now, but were plagued with deep poverty many years ago.
The family had begun by planting eschallot on a large scale many years ago and saved their dollars and pennies to give them all a very good life. Sunil Ramcharran was proud to tell their story.
“Eschallot made me what I am today. Many years ago, we used to plant the eschallot, and it was really hard work. The entire family would leave early in the morning with just light snacks and work all day in the hot sun. We used to feed pon water coconuts and fruits till we return sometimes in the night to our small one bedroom house.
Then we guh come home and cook dinnah, and if yuh see how dem pickney tired, dem can hardly eat dem food. Then selling de eschallot was an nadda story. Because sometimes competition and suh much eschallot deh bout dat de price always ah drap. But we endure we struggles and save we money and build ah nice house fuh de family, as yuh see today.”
The elderly camera-shy Lilawattie Rampersaud was still around, and though she shared much needed conversation, she bluntly refused to face the cameras.
“When me was wan lil gyal, this was nevah de Bath Settlement wha yuh ah see hay today. This place was share bush. One rich man in de village used to provide current through wire from he house to people who can’t afford it, suh nuff people used to use dem lantern and flambeau fuh move about and cook at night. Dem roads was not good as today, and we nah bin get prapah drains and canals like today. Things bin really hard in dem times, but we is hard wuking people and we duh we best fuh survive.”
Arresting beauty
That aside, Bath Village is a very picturesque and breath-taking village with its mesmerizing array of lush green sprawling pastures and natural waterways in abundance.

The lush green or golden rice fields display a picture of rice plants waving lazily in the cool winds. On sunny days the sun rays throw specks of diamond like ripples on the waves of trenches and ponds, the rhythmic movement of waves sometimes disturbed by bush fishes leaping and tumbling in delight.

On these days in particular, large lizards often bask in the sun’s glory on the dams, and hungry mongooses can be seen chasing after smaller animals.

With its promising agricultural potentials and very happy people, Bath Village is indeed a location suitable for those desirous of a little fun in the tropical sun. Join us again next Sunday, when we take you on a tour of Sea Field Village on the West Coast of Berbice.