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Top Attractions in Demerara-Mahaica

St. George's Cathedral

St. Georges Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Georgetown, Guyana and is one of the tallest wooden churches in the world, at a height of 43.5 metres . It is the seat of the Bishop of Guyana. St. Georges was designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield and opened on 24 August 1892. The building was completed in 1899. It is located on Church Street in Georgetown, and has been designated a National Monument. The history of the Anglican Church in Guyana can be traced as far back as 1781, when the Reverend William Baggs, Chaplain to Sir George Rodney, came to Guyana. However, his stay was short-lived and it was not until 1796 that the impact of Anglicanism was felt, when Reverend Francis MacMahon began holding services in a room on the ground floor of a building that was on the site of the present Parliament Buildings. The first church dates back to 1810 and was erected on the site that now houses St. Georges School. This church soon became too small for its increasing membership. In 1839 the foundation stone for a larger church was laid and the small church was relocated at St. Matthews Parish, East Bank Demerara. The second church was completed in 1842 and became the first cathedral, as a Bishop was consecrated and the Diocese of Guiana created on 24 August 1842. However, because of a fault in the structure of the building, it began cracking in several places and soon became unsuitable for habitation. It was subsequently dismantled. In 1877, a temporary Pro-Cathedral was erected in the grounds of the Deanery at a cost of G$10,000. Arthur Blomfield then produced the first plans for the new cathedral for a building in stone with a central tower and two western towers; but these were rejected because of the weight and the expense. His subsequent plans for a wooden cathedral were accepted, a design that kept many of the salient features of his first plan, such as the central tower and the Latin cross formation of nave and transepts. It was in the Gothic style of architecture, complete with flying buttresses, but it also had a tropical flavour, ensuring light and air. However, it was to be in timber and the committee emphasised that "woods of the country and no others were to be used," although in fact pitchpine was imported from North America for the ceiling. The foundation stone for the present St. Georges Cathedral, built mainly of Greenheart, was laid on 21 November 1889, and the cathedral was consecrated on 8 November 1894 and dedicated by Bishop Swaby. St. Georges Cathedral is characterised mainly by Gothic arches, clustered columns and flying buttresses. The interior of the church makes for fascinating history. Whether it is an article of furniture, the chalices, the memorial tablets or the Baptism registers they all tell a story. The story is not only about Guyanas history, but glimpses of its Caribbean neighbours are also revealed. There is a small Gothic shrine of carved oak in the northern aisle that commemorates Bishop Coleridge, first Bishop of Barbados, who was responsible for British Guiana from 1826 to 1842. The brass lectern, near the central altar, was given by the Diocese of Barbados when the present Cathedral was opened in 1892. The Sedilia was donated by Chinese Christians. The decorative stained glass windows reflect myriad colours in the sunlight. These windows depict scenes from the Crucifixion and the Ascension, among others. Consisting of two rows of six windows, The East window was donated by the McConnell family. The upper windows depict scenes from the Book of Revelation. The intricate ironwork depicts pictures of birds and flowers. The choir seats are beautifully carved. A large chandelier, a gift from Queen Victoria, hangs prominently within the cathedral. The wooden Centenary Cross in front of the High Altar marks the 100th anniversary of the Province of the West Indies, founded in 1883. The Cross was carried around the Diocese in 1983, marking the centenary. The pulpit, donated in memory of the Jones family of Plantation Houston dates from 1866.

Guyana National Museum

Guyana National Museum was established on 13 February 1868. The idea of starting a museum was conceived by members of the Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society of British Guiana. When RACS was established in 1844, one of its aims was to construct a Museum to house local minerals, soils, timbers, fruits, seeds, gums, resins, dyes and drugs, as well as the flora and fauna of the country. British explorer Robert Schomburgk, the German botanist Carl Ferdinand Appun, Mr Bratt, and W.H. Campbell presented gifts to the RACS in order to start a Museum Collection. A fire in 1864 destroyed the donated collections. A British Guiana Museum Company was established in 1867 for the construction of a building "which should be the permanent home of science, art, and industry." This project received great financial support from the public and the new museum on Company Path was opened on 13 February 1868. The Colonist newspaper of that date described it as a "magnificent structure." The museums first curator was Dr H Witlock, the Medical Officer of Health. He was succeeded by Mr Fresson. Everard im Thurn was later appointed by the government in 1877. He was a qualified curator who travelled to the interior in search of specimens of ethnology and other exhibits for the Museum. When the RACS launched the Timehri Journal, Mr im Thurn served as its editor. Other curators who made noteworthy contributions were John Quelch, James Rodway and Dr Walter Roth. In 1934 the Georgetown Public Free Library received a second storey, made possible thought grants from the Carnegie Corporation, which was used to house the Museum collections. The government assumed responsibility for the RACS Museum in 1936, renaming it the British Guiana Museum. It was administered by the Georgetown Public Free Library Committee. Mr P Storer Peberdy became the new curator in that year. During his administration the Economic, Anthropological and Historical Section was opened in the upper flat of the Public Free Library on 19 February 1937. The Director of Education and the Curator arranged for public lectures to be given in the Museum. Mr Peberdy travelled into the interior and obtained material which was added to the British Guiana Museum collection. He was succeeded by Vincent Roth in 1943. On 23 February 1945 a fire that started at the Bookers Drug Store, opposite the British Guiana Museum, spread to the Natural History Section of the Museum and the RACS Reading Rooms and Library. Fortunately, the Public Free Library was not affected by the fire, sparing the ethnological collection. After the fire, Lot 53 Main Street was used as a taxidermy laboratory for the reconstruction of natural history exhibits. Then governor, Sir Gordon Lethem, met with government officials on 16 March 1945 to propose the construction of a cultural centre on the site of the destroyed British Guiana Museum. The building would house the RACS Reading Rooms, the British Guiana Museum and an auditorium for dramatic presentations. It was recommended that a request be made for funding from the Colonial Development and Welfare Commission. Subsequently, the RACS began construction of the new Library and Reading Rooms. The colonial government voted sums of money for the education of Ram Singh, the museums taxidermist. In 1946 Mr Singh travelled to the United States to study taxidermy, botany, anthropology and zoology. He returned to British Guiana in 1947. Before his departure the taxidermy laboratory was removed from Main Street to the former Cummingsburg market . During the following years a temporary National History Museum was established and opened in 1949. As use of the Public Free Library expanded, new space for the museum was considered. In July 1950 the RACS assumed control of the British Guiana Museum from the Public Free Library. The new museum building at North Road and Hincks Street was reopened on 28 July 1951 by His Excellency, the Officer Administering the Government, the Honorable John Gutch.

National Museum of Guyana

Guyana National Museum was established on 13 February 1868. The idea of starting a museum was conceived by members of the Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society of British Guiana. When RACS was established in 1844, one of its aims was to construct a Museum to house local minerals, soils, timbers, fruits, seeds, gums, resins, dyes and drugs, as well as the flora and fauna of the country. British explorer Robert Schomburgk, the German botanist Carl Ferdinand Appun, Mr Bratt, and W.H. Campbell presented gifts (including 55 indigenous woods, minerals from England, and specimens of botany and geology) to the RACS in order to start a Museum Collection. A fire in 1864 destroyed the donated collections. A British Guiana Museum Company was established in 1867 for the construction of a building "which should be the permanent home of science, art, and industry." This project received great financial support from the public and the new museum on Company Path was opened on 13 February 1868. The Colonist newspaper of that date described it as a "magnificent structure." The museum's first curator was Dr H Witlock, the Medical Officer of Health. He was succeeded by Mr Fresson. Everard im Thurn was later appointed by the government in 1877. He was a qualified curator who travelled to the interior in search of specimens of ethnology and other exhibits for the Museum. When the RACS launched the Timehri Journal, Mr im Thurn served as its editor. Other curators who made noteworthy contributions were John Quelch, James Rodway and Dr Walter Roth. In 1934 the Georgetown Public Free Library received a second storey, made possible thought grants from the Carnegie Corporation, which was used to house the Museum collections. The government assumed responsibility for the RACS Museum in 1936, renaming it the British Guiana Museum. It was administered by the Georgetown Public Free Library Committee. Mr P Storer Peberdy became the new curator in that year. During his administration the Economic, Anthropological and Historical Section was opened in the upper flat of the Public Free Library on 19 February 1937. The Director of Education and the Curator arranged for public lectures to be given in the Museum. Mr Peberdy travelled into the interior and obtained material which was added to the British Guiana Museum collection. He was succeeded by Vincent Roth in 1943. On 23 February 1945 a fire that started at the Bookers Drug Store, opposite the British Guiana Museum, spread to the Natural History Section of the Museum and the RACS Reading Rooms and Library. Fortunately, the Public Free Library was not affected by the fire, sparing the ethnological collection. After the fire, Lot 53 Main Street was used as a taxidermy laboratory for the reconstruction of natural history exhibits. Then governor, Sir Gordon Lethem, met with government officials on 16 March 1945 to propose the construction of a cultural centre on the site of the destroyed British Guiana Museum. The building would house the RACS Reading Rooms, the British Guiana Museum and an auditorium for dramatic presentations. It was recommended that a request be made for funding from the Colonial Development and Welfare Commission. Subsequently, the RACS began construction of the new Library and Reading Rooms. The colonial government voted sums of money for the education of Ram Singh, the museum's taxidermist. In 1946 Mr Singh travelled to the United States to study taxidermy, botany, anthropology and zoology. He returned to British Guiana in 1947. Before his departure the taxidermy laboratory was removed from Main Street to the former Cummingsburg market (1946). During the following years a temporary National History Museum was established and opened in 1949. As use of the Public Free Library expanded, new space for the museum was considered. In July 1950 the RACS assumed control of the British Guiana Museum from the Public Free Library. The new museum building at North Road and Hincks Street was reopened on 28 July 1951 by His Excellency, the Officer Administering the Government, the Honorable John Gutch.

State House

State House located in Georgetown, is the official residence of the President of Guyana. It was previously the official residence of the Governor of British Guiana before the colony gained independence and became Guyana. The State House main building was built in 1858. It was the residence of the Governor General and in 1970, the countrys first president, Arthur Chung, resided there. Former presidents Forbes Burnham and Hugh Desmond Hoyte resided instead in Castellani House, which now houses the Guyana National Art Gallery. In 1992, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, after being elected president, moved into State House and since then it has served as the official residence of the President of Guyana. This building is a collection of additions, but there are a few distinctive characteristics such as the Georgian six-paned windows and the Demerara windows.

Company Path Garden

Company Path Garden is a small garden on the west side of the Avenue of the Republic in Georgetown, Guyana, between Church and North Streets. During colonial times, “company path” was the name given to a road used by the propertied class as an access road from the river to their lands. The company path, in this case, extended from the side of the Demerara River along the path on which the Bank of Guyana was built and eastwards beyond the Avenue of the Republic. In 1870, the entrance to the old Anglican cathedral, together with the entire width of Company Path, was handed over to the Mayor and Town Council by the Government. In 1908 part of the land was enclosed by an iron rail and planted as a garden – the Company Path Garden. It is now the site of the Non-Aligned Monument.

Georgetown Lighthouse

The Georgetown Lighthouse was first built by the Dutch in 1817 and then rebuilt in 1830 to help guide ships into the Demerara River from the Atlantic Ocean. The 31 m high octagonal structure is a famous Georgetown, Guyana landmark with its distinct vertical red and white stripes. The Lighthouse, located on Water Street, is a National Monument. The brick structure was commissioned on 1 June 1830, when it replaced a wooden lighthouse that had been built on the same site by the Dutch. British engineers constructed the present lighthouse, reinforcing the building by placing it on a foundation of 49 greenheart piles, making it durable nearly 200 years later. A floating light was placed at the Demerara bar in March 1838 and a system of signalling to the lighthouse was established. On 27 February 1838 a Committee of Pilotage was formed and entrusted with the signalling. Before establishment of the System of Signalling, a beacon had been erected on the East Coast Demerara and vessels entering had to contribute to the cost of constructing the beacon. About a half mile east of Fort Groyne there was a block house which was used as a signal station for vessels arriving, and for signalling to Berbice. The coastal signalling was done by semaphore stations. A steel balcony at the top of the Lighthouse offers a panoramic view of Georgetown and West Coast Demerara.

Georgetown Cenotaph

The Georgetown Cenotaph is a war memorial in Georgetown, Guyana, located at the junction of Main and Church Streets. The Cenotaph was unveiled on August 14, 1923, by the then Governor, Graeme Thomson, and the first Armistice Day observance took place at the Church Street Monument on 11 November 1923. On the four faces of the base of the Cenotaph are inscribed the four words Devotion, Humanity, Fortitude, and Sacrifice. The Cenotaph is a national memorial to Guyanese soldiers who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. Guyanese soldiers served and fought in such far off places as Egypt, France, Belgium, and East Africa. After the end of the Second World War in 1945, Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day or Remembrance Sunday, and observed on the first or second Sunday of November. Since 1956, it was internationally agreed to observe Remembrance Day on the second Sunday of November. Before 1923, the site where the Cenotaph now stands was occupied by an ornate drinking fountain which was erected in 1867 to mark the completion of the Water Works in 1866. That drinking fountain, no longer functional, now stands on the green opposite St. Roses High School in Church Street, just a few hundred feet from its original location.
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