National monuments are the vested responsibility of the National Trust and are gazetted as such, after cabinet has approved them. At present there are nine gazetted national monuments in Guyana.
The African Liberation Monument was unveiled on August 26, 1974, ‘Namibia Day’ by former President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham in memory of those who have struggled and continue to struggle for freedom from human bondage. George Henry was the architect of the monument which consists of five (5) polished ‘bull-forehead’ greenheart poles encased in a …
Umana Yana, a National Monument, is located on High Street, Kingston, Georgetown. ‘Umana Yana’ is derived from the Wai-Wai term for large meeting places traditionally erected by this Indigenous Guyanese community. The current structure is the third benab (conical, thatched shelter) built at the site and was completed in 2016; the first was constructed in …
State House, the Official Residence of the Executive President of Guyana is located with its main façade facing Main Street and borders New Market & Carmichael Streets, Cummingsburg, Georgetown. The structure is sometimes addressed as Guyana House and was formerly known as Government House. The original structure was built in 1823 on a small piece …
St. George’s Cathedral, one of Guyana’s ‘built wonders’, is located on the roundabout on North Road, Lacytown, Georgetown. The current building is the fourth to house Anglican church services and was designed by English architect, Sir Arthur Blomfield ARA, FRIBA, and consecrated by Bishop William Proctor Swaby on November 8, 1894. This Gothic Revival building, …
Red House, another 19th-century relict of colonial Georgetown, is located at 65-67 High Street, Kingston, Georgetown. The building was also called ‘Kamana Court’ and, more recently, the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (CJRC) which is currently housed at the location. Some significant features of this three-storied timber – mainly pitch pine -building include its cladding of …
The Non-Aligned Monument, a National Monument, is located at Company Path, Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown. The Monument was unveiled by His Excellency, Arthur Chung OE, the first President of Guyana, to commemorate the 1972 Conference of Foreign Ministers of Non-Aligned countries, and to honour the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Prime Minister Jawaharlal …
The Court of Policy dates back to circa 1752, when construction of the brick edifice commenced under the then Governor, Laurens Storm van Gravesande who had appealed to the Dutch West India Company for permission to construct a church for the colonists of Essequibo. Measuring some 12 meters (40 feet) in width and 18 meters …
Approximately 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the mouth of the mighty Essequibo River is Fort Island. On this island are the second and third oldest built historic structures in Guyana (completed by the Dutch administration in 1744 to protect it interest in the then colony). Fort Zeelandia and the Court of Policy. During the period …
Fort Nassau is located approximately 88 kilometers (55 miles) from the mouth of the Berbice River. This site is believed to have been the first settlement of the Dutch in the colony of Berbice. Early records of Fort Nassau revealed that it was erected on the eastern bank of the Berbice River in 1627, shortly …
Kyk-Over -Al, a small island, approximately 6070 square meters (1.5 acres) in size, is located at the junction of the Mazaruni and Cuyuni Rivers. This island was once the seat of government for the colony of Essequibo under the period of Dutch occupation in the 17 century. Kyk-Over-Al is said to have been the smallest …