Kingston is a former village in

Demerara Demerara (; , ) 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 from 1792 unti ...

. 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 borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

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 Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

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 on ...

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

was captured from by the British. English officers started to build 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 King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

. 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. The St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, a Catholic non-profit hospital, and the headquarters of the

Guyana Police Force Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the country's largest cit ...

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 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 (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 Th ...

and the African Liberation Monument, 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 19 ...

Research Centre. * Georgetown Lighthouse. * Georgetown Seawall Bandstand. * 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.

Major Divisions

North to South

Water Street Fort Street High Street Duke Street Parade Street

East to West

Battery Road Young Street Barrack Street Cowan Street

Sub Districts

Kingston West: bordered by Battery Road to the North, Cowan street to the South, High street to the East and Water street to the West. Kingston East

References

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