The Georgetown Club and Assembly Rooms

The Georgetown Club was established in 1858 and located at the bottom level below the Assembly Rooms. The important planters, merchants and government officials were members. Women were not permitted membership. It was here that social interactions and business deals mingled. There were other exclusive clubs established later such as The British Guiana Club (1871) and The Demerara Club (1880). The Assembly Rooms were more for large public and private events and balls. For small gatherings the Assembly Room of the Georgetown Town Hall was normally used.

Image 01 - The Georgetown Club and Assembly Rooms (1900)

Image 02 - The Georgetown Club and Assembly Rooms (1924)

Sources

[Image 01] - Unknown
[Image 02] - Unknown

Main Street, Georgetown

Image 01 - Main Street and Tram with a North view (1915)

 Image 02 - Main Street looking north (1920s)

 Image 03 - Main Street looking north (1923)

 Image 04 - Main Street looking north and water fountain (1924)

 Image 05 - Main Street looking north (1935)

  

 Image 06 - Main Street looking south (1950s)

Sources:

[image 01] - Unknown

[image 02] - Unknown

[image 03] - Unknown

[image 04] - Unknown

[image 05] - Unknown

[image 06] - Unknown 

The Seawall Bandstand, Georgetown

The Georgetown Seawall Bandstand was built in 1903 and dedicated to Queen Victoria who died on 22nd January 1901. It was made of iron and is one of three bandstands (together with the ones in the Botanical and Promenade Gardens) in Georgetown. The Bandstand was used for performances by the colonial militia band. In 2010, the Guyana Police Force adopted it with the goal to restore the site and create linkages with the public. The structure to the north of the Bandstand is called the Koh-i-noor Shelter, after the large colorless diamond found in India and now set in the Queen Mother's Crown. The image shows the Georgetown Seawall Bandstand and Koh-i-noor Shelter in 1924 British Guiana.



Sources

[image] - Unknown

The British Guiana Mutual Building, Georgetown

The British Guiana Mutual building was the home of the British Guiana Mutual Fire Insurance Company established in 1880 to provided fire and general insurance services. In 1925, life insurance was added to the list of available insurance service. The image shows the British Guiana Mutual building in 1924 British Guiana.



Sources

[image] - Unknown

Demerara Rowing Club, Georgetown

Rowing was an organized sport in British Guiana. There was a clubhouse located in La Penitence, with swimming and rowing competitions done in the Demerara River close to Stabroek Market. The image shows the rowing clubhouse in 1924 British Guiana.



Sources

[image] - Unknown

Coconut Plantation of British Guiana

In addition to sugarcane and rice, coconut was a major crop in British Guiana. Large proportions of the coastland are suitable for growing coconuts. Human harvesters would climb the coconut tree with bare hands and feet. Some of the coconuts were husked and cracked open to release the inner kernel which is then dried to produce the Copra. Women and children would walk on the dried Copra to crush them into smaller pieces. The coconut and copra would be loaded on to cargo trains for transportation to Georgetown. The trains would have designated stops along the way and would collect sugar, rice and timber during its journey to destination. The end product of coconut was coconut oil. The image shows a typical coconut plantation of British Guiana in 1924.

 

Sources
[image] Raphael Tuck and Sons, British Guiana

Bleeding the Bully Tree for Balata

Balata is a hard rubber-like material that is made by drying the milky juice from the bully tree (Manilkara bidentata). The latex is extracted by cutting a network of zigzag lines into the bark of the tree and capturing the runoff materials in containers. The latex is coagulated into dried Balata which is used to make machine belting, golf balls and decorative artistic figures. The images show some aspects of the balata harvesting process in British Guiana.

Image 1 - Balata bleeders leaving for the Falls, Berbice river (1910)

Image 2 - Balata bleeders shooting rapids on the Cuyuni River (1913)

Image 3 - Bleeding the Balata tree (1924)

Sources:
[Image 1] Berbice Gazette Store, British Guiana, 1910
[Image 2] Unknown, 1913
[Image 3] Raphael Tuck and Sons, England, 1924

The Municipal Market, New Amsterdam

The original New Amsterdam started as a small village surrounding Fort Nassau in about 1733. The governing power at the time was the Dutch and many of the settlers were from Amsterdam, Holland. In about 1784 the village moved to the location at the Berbice and Canje Rivers and was officially made a town and the seat of government for Berbice. One of the main reasons for the move was to easily access the wealth of the land and to facilitate shipping along the waterways. During the period 1838 to 1844 a number of facilities (such as the Town Hall, the Supreme Court, Churches and Schools, Water and Electricity, and Gardens) were built to service the town. Also built was the Municipal Market of New Amsterdam. In 1891 the town became a Municipality. The image below shows the Municipal Market in 1924 at which time New Amsterdam was under the control of the British.

 

Sources
[image] Unknown