Welcome to Port of Spain, the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. The city lies on the Gulf of Paria, on the northwest coast of the island of Trinidad, and it has been the island's capital since 1757. It even served as the de facto capital of the short-lived West Indies Federation, which united the Caribbean. Today it is a busy financial centre, home to the Caribbean's biggest stock exchange and to some of the region's tallest skyscrapers. Every year, the pre-Lenten Carnival fills its streets as the city's main festival. Let's begin at the great green heart of the city.
Queen's Park Savannah
Photo: Grueslayer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSpread out before you is Queen's Park Savannah, known locally simply as the Savannah, the city's largest open space. It covers about 260 acres of level land, and a walk around its edge is some 3.5 kilometres. This was once sugarcane farmland, bought by the town council in 1817 from the Peschier family, all except a small plot near the centre that served as the family cemetery and is still privately owned. It began life as a cattle pasture, became a park by the mid-19th century, and in the early 20th century, before any airports existed, it even served as an airstrip.
Magnificent Seven
Photo: Chris Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsWalk along Maraval Road on the western side of the Savannah and you will meet the Magnificent Seven, a row of seven grand buildings raised between 1902 and 1910. Each has its own personality: French Colonial, Scottish baronial, Indian and Moorish styles, often blended with Caribbean touches. Stollmeyer's Castle, the first to be built, is said to be modelled on a wing of Balmoral Castle. White Hall is made of white limestone from Barbados, and Queen's Royal College has a chiming, lighted clock tower. Archbishop's House was built as, and remains, the home of the Archbishop of Port of Spain.
Red House
Photo: Random 00021 at English Wikipedia - Anthony Mendenhall · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsIn the centre of the city stands the Red House, the seat of Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, built in the grand Beaux-Arts style. The first foundation stone for a government building here, on the edge of what is now Woodford Square, was laid on 15 February 1844. The original building was destroyed in the Water Riots of 1903, and the present one was rebuilt in 1907. The Red House has also seen darker days: in July 1990 it was the site of a coup attempt, when the Prime Minister and members of the government were held hostage for six days and 24 people were killed.
Royal Botanic Gardens
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsJust north of the Savannah lie the Royal Botanic Gardens, established in 1818 and among the oldest botanic gardens in the world. Wander across 25 hectares of landscaped grounds shaded by some 700 trees. Only about 13 per cent of them are native to Trinidad and Tobago; the rest were gathered from every continent of the world. Look out for a quiet corner with a small burial plot, where former Governors of Trinidad have been laid to rest since 1819.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Photo: 1Parishioner · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNow we come to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, seat of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain. The English governor Sir Ralph Woodford wanted a church suited to the growing and largely Catholic population, and the foundation stone was laid on 24 March 1816. The church takes the shape of a Latin cross, built of blue metal stone from the Laventille quarries, with iron frames for the doors and windows brought from England. It was consecrated only once all its debts had been paid, and in 1851 Pope Pius the Ninth raised it to the rank of minor basilica.
National Museum and Art Gallery
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAt the top of Frederick Street, just south of the Savannah, stands the National Museum and Art Gallery. It was founded in 1892 as the Royal Victoria Institute, and the building itself is a fine example of the Victorian colonial style of the British West Indies. Inside, seven major galleries hold some 10,000 items, from petroleum and geological exhibits to the national art collection and a collection of paintings by Michel-Jean Cazabon. Before you leave, look for the small gallery devoted to the arts of Trinidad's Carnival.
Lomakuume
