With Guyana’s capital in the midst of an oil boom, the city needs to balance modernisation with the preservation of its colonial buildings and the difficult history they represent...
On the mouth of the mighty Demerara River lies Georgetown, a capital city whose past pokes through on almost every street. Even the drive from the airport to the town centre reveals a cultural patchwork of Hindu prayer flags, mosques and brightly painted Caribbean rum shacks.
The roots of all this lie in Guyana’s history of European colonisation, when enslaved Africans and indentured labourers from India, Portugal and China were shipped in to work on the plantations. Not for nothing is it known as the Land of Six Peoples, yet from this dark past was improvised a cosmopolitan capital of infinite colour. Now, with Guyana in the midst of an economic boom, thanks to the discovery of offshore oil in 2015, the city is having to balance progress with the preservation of its historical buildings.
Georgetown might be self-sufficient these days, but its history and architecture were shaped by the French and Dutch. The latter established the Demerara colony 25km from the present-day capital, and its name offers a clue as to what drew them: sugar. By 1769, there were 206 plantations in the area and it had caught the attention of Britain and France.
The statue of Queen Victoria is a contentious reminder of Georgetown’s colonial past (Shutterstock)
You can see manatees in the city’s Guyana National Park (Alamy)
In 1781, the British took control and established the settlement that would later become Georgetown. This was made a capital the following year by its new French owners, only for the Dutch to later seize it back and rename it Stabroek after the President of the Dutch West India Company. Its old moniker lives on today in the capital’s iconic iron-and-steel Stabroek Market, known for its four-faced clock. The city wouldn’t get its present-day title until 1812, when the British renamed it after King George III.
Evidence of this relentless horse trading can be seen across the capital. Dutch heritage exists in everything from street names and the Georgetown Lighthouse to the sluice gates that drain the city, much of which lies below sea level at high tide. Even today, the capital’s Dutch-designed and British-built seawall is a popular spot for ‘liming’ (doing nothing) at weekends, especially on Sundays when the pop-up snackettes and bars emerge.
Georgetown’s design likewise reveals its colonial past. Laid out in a grid that has been interlaced with lily-filled canals running perpendicular to the river, its waterways follow the lines of the old sugar estates, helping to funnel excess stormwater to the sea. It is also wildly green, with tropical parks that are home to Caribbean manatees and over 200 species of bird. It’s little wonder the capital was once touted as the ‘Garden City of the Caribbean’.
St George’s Cathedral was built with a local hardwood called greenheart (Shutterstock)
The name of Stabroek Market recalls Georgetown’s early Dutch ruler (Alamy)
Today, historic Georgetown has a kind of faded glamour. The Great Fire of 1945 consumed many of its historic wooden buildings, but those that survived offer a glimpse of its elegance, even if some are in a poor state. Any visit should begin at the City Hall, which was built by the British in 1889 and is being renovated this year. This fairy-tale structure, with its wrought-iron crenellations, is often dubbed the best example of Caribbean Gothic architecture still standing. Afterwards, take a peek at the Prime Minister’s Residence, which used to belong to the Booker brothers, whose sugar empire was once so powerful that the country was jokingly called Booker’s Guiana.
Next make a stop at the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, which offers not only an insight into Guyanese Indigenous life, but has fine examples of local architectural features such as gingerbread fretwork and Demerara shutters. The latter is an ingenious kind of window that was designed to block sunlight but allow air to flow inside over cooling ice blocks.
Finish at St George’s Cathedral, which dates back to 1810 and is one of the world’s tallest free-standing wooden buildings (43.5m). Recently renovated, it has beautiful Gothic-style features juxtaposed with traditional and contemporary stained glass. There is even a chandelier donated by Queen Victoria, who remains a problematic figure here; her statue can still be seen outside the High Court, despite being dynamited anddefaced as a symbol of colonialism.
Today, the burgeoning oil industry is undoubtedly changing the face of Georgetown, as more and more steel-and-glass constructions are erected. At the same time, it has also brought much-needed funds for the conservation of its historic buildings. It is a tantalising conundrum for a city where history still lingers on every corner.
Georgetown’s wooden lighthouse was first erected in 1817 (Alamy)
Getting there: Never has it been easier to reach Georgetown from the UK. British Airways recently introduced direct flights from London Gatwick, which take 11.5 hours. These arrive at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, which is between one hour and 90 minutes’ drive from Georgetown. Eugene F Correia Airport lies in the city and is the point of departure for domestic flights and flights to Suriname, Barbados and Trinidad. It is also possible to enter the country by land at Lethem on the Brazilian border, or by ferry from Suriname.
Getting around: Georgetown traffic is not for the faint-hearted, and self-drive is not recommended. Travel around town instead with a local tour company and always take a taxi at night. Georgetown is best when explored with a city guide, or even a local chef who can highlight the many tastes and culinary highlights of the capital, ranging from a backyard café to dinner in a secret garden. Day trips further afield include boat journeys on the Demerara River, where you can look for hoatzin birds and howler monkeys in the morning and roosting scarlet ibises at sunset. You can also take a short flight to Kaieteur Falls, which is almost five times the height of Niagara.
Accommodation: A perfect base for exploring Georgetown is Cara Lodge, an award-winning heritage hotel that dates back to the 1840s and has welcomed visitors as prestigious as King Charles III and Mick Jagger. Alternatively, Rainforest B&B is a tranquil oasis that lies in the city’s Queenstown area; it has splendid art and Guyanese artefacts dotted about the house and tropical garden.
Further info: The author updated the current edition of the Bradt guide to Guyana which is still the only dedicated major guidebook for the country. John Gimlette’s Wild Coast (Profile Books, 2012) and Evelyn Waugh’s Ninety-Two Days (Serif, 2007) are quintessential reading.
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