Water Street, Georgetown

Water Street was an active commercial zone in Georgetown, British Guiana. The street was called "Water Street" because it ran parallel with the river and was the original dam against flooding. The Portuguese owned many shops and large firms in the area. The "Great Fire" of 23rd February 1945 decimated this commercial section of Georgetown.

Image 01 - Water Street scene (1888)

 

Image 02 - Water Street, Georgetown (1890)

Image 03 - Water Street, Georgetown (1899)

Image 04 - Water Street from Church Street looking South (1906)

Image 05 - Water Street before the great 1945 fire (1945)

Image 06 - At street level on Water Street before the 1945 fire (1945)

 Sources:

[image 01] - Illustrated London News, "Across the two oceans", 1888-04-23
[image 02] - Unknown
[image 03] - Unknown
[image 04] - Unknown
[image 05] - Unknown
[image 06] - Unknown

People of Portuguese Origin

Image 01 - Portuguese couple in Demerara (1800s)

Image 02 - Portuguese family in British Guiana (1920)

Sources:

[image 01] - Unknown
[image 02] - Unknown

The Sacred Heart Church, Georgetown

By the 1830s, many Portuguese in British Guiana had settled on the East Bank of Demerara at Meadow Bank, Ruimveldt and Agricola. As such Meadow Bank was made the center of the Catholic Church with the establishment of the Catholic Mission of British Guiana. In 1857, Fr. Benedict Schembri S.J. of Maltese origin was working in Brazil and came to British Guiana to establish the Meadow Bank Church. Later, the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church on Main Street was opened on December 1861 by Fr. Schembri. The goal of this church was to provide a religious space where the Portuguese would be comfortable with their religious customs and in their natural language. Bishop J. Ethridge S.J. delivered the episcopal blessing on 22nd June 1862. The dimensions of the church was 100 feet by 30 feet, but over time expansion created new areas such as aisles, choir space, gallery, and two wooden towers. When the 1864 Water Street fire destroyed many Portuguese businesses, the church grounds were used to store salvaged goods. In 1866, the two presbyteries were converted into a schoolroom and in 1867 the bottom area of the presbytery was converted into a grammar school. Sacred Heart Primary School is one of the top schools in the country. The church and school were both destroyed by fire on 25th December 2004. On 18th February 2011 fund-raising began for re-building of the church. On 6th December 2015 the newly constructed Sacred Heart Church was opened in Guyana. The images show the Sacred Heart Church through time.

Image 01 - Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (1913).

Image 02 - Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (1915).

Image 03 - Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (1924).

Image 04 - Inside the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (1924).

Image 05 - Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (1961).

Image 06 - Fire destroys the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (2004).

Image 07 - The re-built Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (2014).

Sources

[Image 01] - Unknown.
[Image 02] - Unknown.
[Image 03] - Unknown.
[Image 04] - Unknown.
[Image 05] - Unknown.
[Image 06] - Unknown.
[Image 07] - http://www.sacredheart.gy/

Bibliography

• The History of the Sacred Heart Church, A Voz Do Portugues 2013.

The Portuguese in British Guiana

On 3rd May 1835, the Portuguese from Madeira arrived in British Guiana as indentured labourers [1]. They were industrious, thrifty, patient, persevering, and aspire to commercial trading [2]. After indentureship, they would rent or lease houses built by Creoles and convert them into shops, with rooms above or behind in which to live [2]. In this way wealth was accumulated quickly. Soon they controlled the bulk of the retail trade of the colony. The Portuguese retained their traditional cuisine such as cabbage, pumpkin soup, corn-meal, garlic pork, salt-fish, and wine that was imported from Madeira. Religion was a pillar of their culture and many were Roman Catholics. The Africans were school-masters, artisans, porters, gold and diamond diggers, and Balata bleeders. The East Indians loved the land and had a fondness for agriculture and pastoral activities. The Chinese were interested in trade and commerce, and they competed with the Portuguese in this regard. These main peoples together with the Amerindians were the driving labour force of the Colony [3]. The image shows a Portuguese grocery store in the Stabroek Market in 1900s British Guiana.



Sources

[image] -The UK National Archives, 1900s


Bibliography

[1] A brief history of the Portuguese in Guyana, Stabroek News, 2010-05-04.
[2] Bennett, G.H. (1866). An illustrated history of British Guiana. Richardson and Co.
[3] British Guiana (1924). British Guiana. Saunders and Phillips & Co.

A Shop in the Colony

The shop was a communal space where villagers would spend time interacting socially. The shop has the usual products to be sold, and there were spaces for a quiet rest, casual conversation and simply mingling with the common folks. Living spaces were usually above these shops and the owners mainly Portuguese. The sketch below shows a typical shop scene in British Guiana in 1843.



Source
[image] Illustrated London News, "British Guiana", 1843-03-11