| The Bourda Cemetery. The first cemetery in
the city of Georgetown was a privately owned cemetery,
a part of the Plantation Vlissingen owned by Joesph Bourda. Many of the
tombs date back to the early 19th century and many of
the prominent peoples of the colonial era such
as John Patoir, William Booker and the Bagots are buried there. |
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The National Art Gallery, Castellani House. This large
wooden building was designed by Cesar Castellani. It was once the
residence of the Director of Agriculture in 1888. In 1965 the
building was converted as the official residence by Mr. Linden Forbes Sampson
Burnham, then Prime Minister of British Guiana.
In 1993 the inaugural collection of the Art Gallery was held. |
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| The Botanic Gardens. The Government purchased 184 acres of the old coffee estate Vlissingen from
Joseph Bourda for the
purpose of establishing a Botanic Garden and station.
A loan of $50,000.00 was raised for the purpose of
laying out the gardens and to purchase the site. At first a
board of directors was appointed to advice on the proceedings but this
board was soon dissolved in 1893 and the supervision devolved on the superintendent.
Housed in these gardens are a the Seven Ponds Monument and the Mausoleum
a tribute to the nation's heroes. Sir David Rose, Governor General
of British
Guiana and former president Mr. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham are amongst
those buried there.
The Kissing Bridge is another noteworthy feature of the Botanical Gardens. |
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The Zoological Park. This park exhibits a variety of the
flora and fauna of Guyana. The first attempt to establish a Zoo dates back
to 1880, but the members of the Royal Agricultural Society were opposed
to the idea. However in 1952, the Zoological Park was declared open.
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The Bourda Cricket Club. This is the oldest cricket ground
in the Caribbean. The headquarters of the Georgetown Club are also housed
there. The ground has been the venue for many exciting games between international
and local cricket teams.
Dargan House, the office of The Guyana National Commission
for Unesco is a splendid example
of the traditional colonial architecture. Constructed
circa 1880 this building has the distinct heritage of bearing the
name of its occupant Patrick Dargan a liberator
for the working class against the plantocracy.
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| The Ministry of Agriculture, this stately wooden building is
yet another example of the distinctive wooden architecture of the city's
heritage.
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St. Barnabas's Church was built in 1884 as
a place of worship for the district of Bourda. Many changes
were affected as time evolved including the addition of a steeple and a Chapel of Corpus Christi in 1926.
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Bourda Market, originally built in 1880
it was soon reconstructed in 1902 to accommodate a growing number
of vendors and consumers of this ward of the city. Today this
market is the focal point for many commercial activities in the city.
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