Kingstown

No content has been added to this space by the member.

Kingstown Market A bustling, vibrant market carrying a superb selection of fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, and fish. Particularly well stocked on Fridays and Saturdays. Local arts and crafts are frequently displayed in the courtyard. St. George’s Anglican Cathedral Built in the early 1800s in the Georgian architectural style it features spectacular stained-glass windows, one of which was originally commissioned by Queen Victoria to hang in London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral. Eventually the window found its way to Kingstown as a gift to the bishop. St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral Built in 1823, and rebuilt most recently in the 1930s by a Flemish monk, the cathedral displays an amazing mixture of styles, including Moorish, Romanesque, and Georgian, all fashioned out of dark volcanic-sand bricks. Kingstown Methodist Church Sparkling coloured glass in its windows and a massive intricately detailed pipe organ in the choir balcony opposite the altar accent the brightly coloured interior with its warm, open atmosphere. The Botanical Gardens The Leeward (west) coast of St. Vincent leads to many interesting sights. A visit to the Botanical Gardens, the oldest in the Western Hemisphere, is a favourite stop for both visitors and Locals. Here, rare and exotic flowers, plants and trees abound. The garden was founded in 1762 as a commercial breeding ground for plants brought from other parts of the world. St. Vincent was Captain Bligh’s original destination when the mutiny on HMS Bounty delayed his first scheduled arrival. He eventually completed a second voyage, and a descendant of one of his original breadfruit trees thrives in today’s garden. There is also an aviary for a close-up view of the majestically coloured national bird, the St. Vincent parrot (Amazona Guildingii). Guides are available and will happily escort you on a short, half-hour tour of the grounds for US$2 a person, longer tours are available for US$3 a person. Fort Charlotte On Berkshire Hill, just west of town, and over 600 feet above the bay, is Fort Charlotte. Named after King George III’s wife, the fortification was constructed in 1806. In its heyday, it supported 600 troops and 34 guns. Some of the old barracks now house a museum with the colourful history of the Black Caribs depicted on its walls. Fort Duvernette Alongside Young Island, this fort (built in 1800) is situated 195 feet above the sea and was originally intended to defend the anchorage at Calliaqua Bay. Transportation to the fort can be arranged with the ferry at the dock on Villa Beach. Black Point Tunnel Situated on the windward coast.This historical tunnel is the only road access point linking the south of the island to the North.Only one car can pass through this dirt tunnel at a time. THE DOCTOR CECIL CYRUS MUSEUM This museum is a distillation of the life’s work of Dr Cyrus, CMG MCH FRCS, a surgeon, over a period of 40 years in his native St Vincent. Shocked by the untapped ‘clinical goldmine’ of cases of great diversity and grossness, Dr Cyrus began to record them with a succession of humble cameras, as well as starting a pathological museum of tissues removed at operation. This material is now the Dr Cyrus Museum, which was opened in May 2002. Moreover, it provided the material for the publication of his “ A Clinical and Pathological Atlas: The Records of a Surgeon in St Vincent, The West Indies.” It received great reviews in prestigious journals. The museum consists of two separate sections. The larger consists of medical exhibits housed in 4 rooms, the smaller contains non-medical items.