Thomas Lands, which run for over half a mile westwards between Vlissengen Road and Camp Road being bounded to the south by the Cummingsburg Canal and North by the Atlantic. Their extent is 450 acres and formed part of Plantation Thomas, which belonged to the Quinten Hogg family, one of the wealthiest and most distinguished of our plantation owners.
In 1863, the Hoggs donated this area to the Georgetown Town Council on the condition that it was to be used for educational and recreational purposes. Continue reading →
This ward of Georgetown was named after Queen Victoria and was purchased by the Town Council from, Quintin Hogg, a planter, in 1887 to protect the city from unsanitary pig pens and prevent the erection of poorly constructed buildings by its proprietor. In the jubilee year of Queen Victoria, it was proposed by the Town Council that the streets be named after the Queens children.
However, this decision was not favourably received by the inhabitants of this ward of the city. Laluni and Anira Streets were named after tributaries of the Lama a tributary of the Mahaica River. Peter Rose Street bears the name of a former member of the Court of Policy. Forshaw Street was named after former Mayor of the city Mr. George Anderson Forshaw. Almond Street was named after an almond tree and Crown Street was named in honour of of the crown. [more]
This ward of the city derives its name from Joseph Bourda who purchased this area which later became his estate. In 1876, this ward was reorganized by the Vlissingen Commissioners who were appointed by the government to analyze the claims made by many persons who claimed to be the heir of Joseph Bourda.
Like many parts of the city the streets of this ward reflect the rich history of Guyana. Charlotte Street was named in honour of Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III. Alexander Street was named to commemorate the Czar of Russia Alexander I. Wellington Street was named after the Duke of Wellington. King Street was named in honour of King George lll .
Bourda Street was named after its founder Joseph Bourda. South Road was known as Love Lane, It was a footpath that was named in accordance with its geographical position as the southernmost street in this ward. Oronoque Street and derive their names from dams that were planted with Oronoque and Orange trees. Continue reading →
This ward of the city of Georgetown has an oblong form being one fourth of a mile broad and one mile long. It was established by the French in 1782 on the Company’s reserve and was named by the Dutch after Nicholas Gleevinck; Lord of Stabroek, the then President of the Dutch West India Company in 1784.
Many of the streets were named after prominent members of society. Several of the short streets running north to south of Stabroek were known by numbers before they were named by the Mayor & Town Council in 1901.
Croal Street, named after John Croal, a former Mayor of Georgetown, was also known as Red Dam due to its surface covering of red earth.
Hadfield Street was named after Joseph Hadfield, an architect and former Crown Surveyor, of the colony of British Guiana. Continue reading →
This area was first leased by Joseph Bourda in 1792 who subsequently rented this portion of Georgetown to John Robb who arranged the building lots and landscape. Hence it derives its name from the man who designed the area.
In 1864, the entire area was destroyed by a fire. Under the guidance of Mayor Edward John Barr the area was rearranged and streets were widened, giving this ward of the city of Georgetown its present urban layout. Continue reading →
Circa 1759 Cornelius Leary applied for and was granted a tract of land to cultivate cotton and coffee near the mouth of the Demerara River. When he died this estate was inherited by his wife Eve Leary. In 1796 when the colony was captured by the British the garrison officers established a village on the Eve Leary estate. Built by the officers at the garrison, Kingston with its small cottages set amidst gardens resembled a little English village.
Some claim that Kingston was named in honor of Lieutenant Robert Kingston who constructed Fort St. George, whilst others claimed that it was named after King George. The name of streets such as Parade Street, Fort Street, and Duke Street( was named in honor of one of the Royal Dukes, son of George 11) are a reminder of the military heritage of this ward of the city of Georgetown. Continue reading →
The United States is improving its visa application process so more people can visit America. 00:01:55 . Added on 01/06/2012,
The U.S. State Department has come up with a way to combat the impression among foreigners that it’s a pain in the ass to visit the United States.
See, the government knows that all the post-Sept. 11 rules have put a hurt on the tourist trade. The United States attracted 17% of the world’s tourists in 2000; now it’s only 12.4%. Continue reading →
by Ralph Ramkarran – Guest Columnist – Demerara Waves
I wrote and spoke about the issue of corruption in Guyana last year. This issue can no longer be ignored by the Government. Last Sunday’s newspapers carried almost a dozen stories in which allegations of corruption featured. Many of them were exaggerated, frivolous or speculative. But several of them are serious enough to compel the Government to take note. Corruption and allegations of corruption are not going to disappear if we do nothing else other than call for proof, claim that we now have regular reports from the Auditor General, or that we declare our assets to the Integrity Commission while the Opposition members do not. The time has come to take action.
Like many developing countries Guyana has not been able to contain corruption. Since 1992, spending, especially on infrastructure and procurement, has multiplied to levels that we could not have imagined. In any country, much less one with historically weak systems like Guyana, and a sharply divided and adversarial political system, it is not surprising that actual corruption and allegations of corruption are so rife. Admitting that corruption exists ought not an to be issue. It does exist and that cannot be denied. The challenge for the Government is to understand that the opposition is going to make the most politically of corruption and allegations of corruption and to recognize that the answer is to do something about it, not beat its breast about what it has done, which only exposes the inadequacy of its efforts. Continue reading →
