Historical Notes – St Vincent and the Grenadines

Extracts from “A Brief History of Paul’s Lot” by Dr Errol King

“A recollection of the events occurring in this section of Kingstown is useful to update the younger generation of things past, and to remind them as to how we arrived at the present state of events.{{more}}

Paul’s Lot extends from Grenville Street in the south, to Level Gardens in the north. On the east, it borders on Her Majesty’s Prison and on the west by the road leading to Kingstown Park. Technically, St.James Place is the southern-most part of Paul’s Lot as it appears on the official map, but the last time St.James Place was recalled was when Mr. Gerald Providence’s shop existed in the 1950’s near to the canal.

This village is a low lying area and is drained by two canals running in a north to south direction towards the sea. The Western canal comes down from Mrs. Jennings property, past the Association Hall and disappears under Grenville Street. The Eastern canal streams from the ‘Plan Houses’, past the Town Board and the Court House to dive under Grenville Street also. These canals overflow easily anytime there is a flood in Paul’s Lot, as this is a low lying area. Flooding is occurring more frequently since the creation of the Kingstown Deep Water Harbour in 1963.

PERIOD – 1940-1955

Three features of Paul’s Lot in this period were the C.D.C electric power plant, the St.Vincent Workingmen’s Association Hall and the Kingstown Town Board.

The Colonial Office in London authorised the Colonial Development Corporation (C.D.C) to spearhead the building of this electric power station in Paul’s Lot in the late 1940s. Before the introduction of hydro-electricity in the 1950s, this diesel-driven power plant was the sole provider of electricity in St.Vincent.

The St.Vincent Workingmen’s Association was formed in the 1930s under the leadership of George McIntosh. It was a political party, and also had a Society or Credit-Union component. Members of the Society paid small monthly dues which entitled them to benefits in case of death or disability. It functioned up until the mid-1950s. The Association Hall was a large building and upstairs was used for public meetings and was especially famous for dances. When Peace Memorial Hall was built in 1951, a lot of the dances formerly held at the Association Hall were transferred to Peace Mo.

The Kingstown-Town Board was transferred from the Market Square building to Paul’s Lot in the early 1950s. It is found near to the C.D.C building and the eastern canal. The Town Board is essential in running the affairs of Kingstown, with Planning, garbage collection, road repairs, etc…It also awards scholarships to enable students to attend secondary schools…”