Stabroek Market

According to Wikipedia, construction began in 1880 and the market opened on 1 November 1881. Nathaniel McKay designed it, and the Edgemoor Iron Company of Delaware in the United States built it. The structure is made of iron and steel with a prominent clock tower, and its style is Victorian. The building covers about 80,000 square feet, or 7,000 square metres. Wikipedia's article on Georgetown gives 1792 for the market, so sources differ, and the date of 1881 refers to the present building.

Georgetown was known as Stabroek from 1784, when it was renamed after Nicholaas Geelvinck, Lord of Stabroek and president of the Dutch West India Company. The name was kept for the ward around the market after the town became Georgetown in 1812. In 1842 the Georgetown Town Council officially designated the Water Street site as a market, though it had served that function for some time before.

The market is one of the main attractions of Georgetown and is said to be the busiest market in the city. Vendors sell goods including clothing, jewellery and produce. Taxis, minibuses and ferries use the area as a hub for passengers and cargo travelling to and from towns and villages along the Demerara River. The port of Georgetown lies to the west of the market, and the Demerara River is navigable by ocean-going vessels for roughly 100 kilometres upstream.

The clock tower is one of the best-known features, and the market appeared on a 1934 British Guiana stamp designed by Leonard Fryer. Wikipedia's article on Georgetown describes the market's cast-iron clock tower as dominating the skyline of the city centre. Other nearby colonial buildings include the City Hall, the Victoria Law Courts and the Parliament Building, so the market is a natural starting point for exploring the historic centre.

The market is crowded and lively, with narrow aisles and a lot of foot traffic. Visitors usually go with a guide who knows the layout, and a private vehicle and driver helps with arrival, parking and waiting. The market operates on its own schedule, so it is wise to confirm days and timings,. The lively bargaining and the variety of goods are part of the experience.

Georgetown's grid of streets, canals and seawall, described in Wikipedia, gives the market a setting that is part trading post and part colonial waterfront. A short walk from the market brings visitors to the waterfront, the law courts and the city's wooden churches, so a half-day on foot with a guide can combine them with the market.