THE NOMENCLATURE OF GEORGETOWN. 
ITS STREETS AND DISTRICTS. 
By Luxe M. Hitt, M. Inst. C.E. 
Some years ago, one of our late Governors suggested that before my final 
retirement from active work in Georgetown, I should write a paper giving a list 
of the street names of the city, together with explanatory notes of their origin, 
history, etc., with which I have been associated for so many years. 
As the time for such retirement is now approaching, it seems opportune that 
I should give effect to the suggestion, though I fear you may find the paper 
rather dry reading ; but its value as a record of some historical worthies may be 
sufficient excuse ‘for the writing of it. 
From Mr. Rodway’s story of Georgetown we learn that the capital of the 
colony was removed from the second island in the Demerara River by the 
French in 1782, and established at Stabroek, a Government reservation lying 
between Plantations Werk-en-Rust and Vlissengen, so named by the Dutch in 
1784 after Nicolaas Geelvinck, Lord of Biabeodle the then President of the 
Dutch West India Company. 
Stabroek now forms a central ward of the city, which gradually extended 
right and left along the river facades of the adjoining estates of Vlissengen, 
La Bourgade and Eve Leary to the north, and Werk-en-Rust and Le Repentir 
to the south, now comprising the city of Georgetown, which was first so named 
on the 29th April, 1812—just 98 years agzo—when George III was King ; and 
indeed many of our street names will be found to hang on to his reign and those 
of his immediate successors. 
Georgetown was created a city by Royal Warrant in 1842. 
I propose to deal with the several districts of the city, seriatim, according to 
the numbering of the wards, beginning at the sea margin and proceeding up the 
river ; but there are three streets common to most of the districts which run 
right through the city from north to south, which call for first mention : these 
are Water street, High street and Camp street. 
Water street was so named because it ran along the river foreshore or water- 
side, forming, indeed, the original river dam protecting the estates from the 
inroads of the tidal water along their river frontage. The building lots were 
at first all on the eastern side of the street, the allotments on the other side 
being termed mud lots, on which were gradually constructed landing wharves or 
stellings, with warehouses for the storage of goods and merchandise. Most of 
these mud lots were subsequently further protected by the building of river 
walls along their facades, and the space between filled up, forming the site for 
buildings on the western side of the street. 
High street forms the leading road or thoroughfare from the East Bank to the 
Kast Coast, constituting as it were the King’s Highway, which exists, or has a 
counterpart, in most English towns, 
