Kingston is a former village in

Demerara Demerara ( nl, Demerary, ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state fro ...

. In 1837, it became a ward of Georgetown. The ward is located along the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

coast. Kingston is home to many landmarks and historic buildings.

History

Around 1759, Cornelius Leary applied for land, and established a coffee and cotton

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

near the mouth of the

Demerara River The Demerara River is a river in eastern Guyana that rises in the central rainforests of the country and flows to the north for 346 kilometres until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Georgetown, Guyana's largest seaport and capital, is situated o ...

. Eve Leary, his wife, later inherited the plantation. In 1796, the Dutch colony of

was captured from by the British. English officers started to built cottages and gardens near Eve Leary's estate. In 1837, the village was annexed by Georgetown. Many of the elite of Georgetown started to construct residences in Kingston. The origin of the name is disputed. Some historians claim that it relates to Lieutenant Robert Kingston who built the fort at Georgetown while others say it was named after King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

. Kingston was prone to frequent flooding giving its vicinity to the

. In 1892, the Georgetown Sea Wall was constructed to protect Georgetown. Many historic buildings and landmarks have been constructed in the Kingston ward. It is also home to many embassies. The ward contains two large hotels: The Pegasus, and the

Marriott Marriott may refer to: People *Marriott (surname) Corporations * Marriott Corporation, founded as Hot Shoppes, Inc. in 1927; split into Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation in 1993 * Marriott International, international hotel ...

. The

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital St. Joseph Mercy Hospital is a Catholic hospital. It is Located on Parade Street, Kingston in Georgetown, Guyana. It was established by the members of the Sword of the Spirit movement and was officially opened in 1945. The hospital includes a ...

, a Catholic non-profit hospital, and the headquarters of the Guyana Police Force are located in Kingston. The Kingston West area has the second highest concentration of Government Offices after Brickdam, Stabroek. The Ministries of Public Works (Head Office), Local Government & Regional Development (Head Office), Health (Junior Nursing School & Central Bond), Education (National Centre for Educational Research & Development), Natural Resources (Guyana Forestry Commission), the Guyana Power & Light (Wartsilia Power Plant), Guyana Elections Commission (Secretariat, Annex & CEO's Office), Public/Police Service Commission & the Court of Appeals are all located within this block. The Cuban Embassy, Inter-American Development Bank, US Peace Corps and the official residence of the Anglican Bishop (Austin House) are also located in this area. National landmarks include the Georgetown Light House and the Umana Yana. In November 2021, it was announced that area around the Sea Wall will be redeveloped into a tourist hub as part of the National Beautification Project by

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Arya Ali.

Sights

The main sights in Kingston are: *

Umana Yana The Umana Yana (pronounced ''oo-man-a yan-na'') is a conical palm thatched hut ( benab) erected for the Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers Conference in Georgetown, Guyana in August 1972 as a V.I.P. lounge and recreation centre. History The Umana Ya ...

and the

African Liberation Monument The Umana Yana (pronounced ''oo-man-a yan-na'') is a conical palm thatched hut ( benab) erected for the Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers Conference in Georgetown, Guyana in August 1972 as a V.I.P. lounge and recreation centre. History The Umana Ya ...

, a ''benab'' (conical palm hut) erected for the Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers Conference. * Red House, the former official residence of the Premier of British Guiana. Nowadays, it houses the

Cheddi Jagan Cheddi Berret Jagan (22 March 1918 – 6 March 1997) was a Guyanese politician and dentist who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964. He later served as President of Guyana from 199 ...

Research Centre. * Georgetown Lighthouse. *

Georgetown Seawall Bandstand The Georgetown Seawall Bandstand is an iron bandstand that is situated on the western end of Georgetown Seawall in Guyana. It is one of three bandstands in Georgetown, the other two being situated in the Botanical Gardens and the Promenade Garden ...

. * Immigration Agent General Office, the headquarters for administrating the Indian indentured servants. The building is nowadays used by the National Centre for Education Resource Development. * Austin House, the Anglican Bishop’s residence. * "We, the First People", a mural painted on the walls of the Canadian High Commission.

References

{{Settlements in Guyana Demerara Wards of Georgetown, Guyana Tourist attractions in Guyana