This is the 26th city in Streets & Squares, and today we visit Georgetown, the capital of Guyana which was a British colony called British Guiana, until 1966. Long before that, between 1667 and 1814, it was Dutch Guiana. At that time the capital was called Stabroek, but was renamed Georgetown by the British in 1812, in honour of the English monarch King George III.
Georgetown sits on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River. Here too we find lots of history by just strolling along the streets and squares of the city. There used to be trams in Georgetown, operating from 1901 to 1930.
As always, clicking on the address links leads you to Google Maps, and clicking on the names to the person’s Wikipedia page. Don’t forget to also read about the people born in this city throughout the years.
AUBREY BARKER ROAD - Aubrey Barker, a surveyor from Guyana, who promoted education, training, research and projects related to the disciplines of land surveying, quantity surveying and land economy.
AUSTIN PLACE - Charles Austin was the son of Bishop Austin and Receiver General and Vlissingen Commissioner.
CHALMERS PLACE - Charles Cathcart Chalmers (18xx-1877), a Crown Surveyor.
CROAL STREET - John Croal (1788-1853) was the first Mayor of Georgetown. Born in Arbroath, Scotland.
CUMMINGS STREET - Thomas Cumming was a man who bought property around this area and developed a town plan with residential and commercial lots and streets. Born in Scotland.
FORESHAW STREET - George Anderson Forshaw, a former mayor of Georgetown.
HADFIELD STREET - Joseph Hadfield was an architect and former Crown Surveyor of the colony of British Guiana.
HINCK STREET - Francis Hincks (1807-1885) Irish Canadian businessman, governor of British Guyana and Canadian Minister of Finance. Born in Cork, Ireland.
MANDELA AVENUE - Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. Born in Mvezo, Union of South Africa.
POLLARD PLACE - William Branch Pollard (1806-1878) was former Auditor General and Vlissingen Commissioner. Born in Demerara, British Guiana.
QUAMINA STREET - Quamina Gladstone (1778-1823) Guianese slave who was involved in the Demerara rebellion of 1823. Has since become one of Guyana’s national heroes. Born in Ghana, Africa.
ROBB STREET - John Robb was a man who arranged the building lots and landscape in Robbstown.
SANDEMAN PLACE - Patrick Sandeman was the keeper of the Government Astronomical & Meteorological Observatory.
SENDALL PLACE - Walter Joseph Sendall (1832-1904) British colonial governor of Guyana. Born in England.
SHIVNARINE CHANDERPAUL DR - Shivnarine Chanderpaul* (1974) a Guyanese cricketer of Indian descent, considered as one of the greatest batsmen of all-time. Born in Unity Village, Guyana.
WINTER PLACE - F. A. R. Winter was a well-known merchant and the founder of Hand in Hand Insurance Company.
A to Z FROM GEORGETOWN
i.e. a list of people born in Georgetown. Just another fun way to know something more about the city. We pick a couple of people for each alphabet, if possible. The numbers you see at the end of each line indicate the year of birth. This list is updated from time to time. And last but not least: the flag of Georgetown, Guyana!
B - E. R. Braithwaite* novelist/teacher/diplomat (1912)
F - Sudesh Fitzgerald* pro darts player (1986)
G - R. B. Greaves* American singer (1943)
K - Donald Kayum* cricketer (1955)
M - Thomas Moulder* cricketer (1872) - Mary Noel Menezes* Roman Catholic nun/historian (1930)
P - CCH Pounder* Guyanese American actress (1952)
R - Walter Rodney* historian/academic/ political activist (1942)
V - Dušan Velkaverh* Slovenian lyricist (1943)
W - Letitia Wright* Guyanese-British actress (1993)
RELEVANT LINKS
CS.McMill - Georgetown trams - Guyana Chronicle - Guyana Times - Guyanese Online - Journey Back to Watooka: A Story of Guyana - National Trust - Newsroom - Wildjunket
Updated 4.9.2022
