The Townhall of Georgetown, Demerara

The Townhall of Georgetown was opened on 1st July 1889 by Lord Gormanston who was Governor of the Colony at the time. Georgetown had about 50,000 citizens and the Mayor and Corporation requested in 1887 for a townhall to be built for the municipality. The ground floor consisted of a Fire Brigade depot. The first floor contained several municipal offices. The upper floor contained the Assembly Room (90 feet x 40 feet) for public meetings and concerts. The central tower rises about 100 feet from ground level and was the look-out for the fire-watch. The building was  adorned with the arms of the colony (a ship in full sail) and the motto "Damus petimusque vicissim" which is the Latin for "We give and take in return". The building was designed by Reverend Ignatius Scoles S.J. with the contractors being Sproston, Son and Co. of London and Demerara. The image shows the Georgetown Townhall in 1889 British Guiana.



Sources
[image] Illustrated London News, 1889-10-05