Saint James 

is a district of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Port of Spain's last major municipal
expansion occurred in 1938, when the St. James district north of Woodbrook and west of St. Clair
was incorporated into the city limits. In the late 19th century, Indian indentured labourers on nearby
sugar estates established houses here, and St. James gradually became the centre of Port of
Spain's Indian population, with many streets named after cities and districts in British India. Western
Main Road, the area's major thoroughfare, has long been the city's main nightlife district, sometimes
nicknamed "the city that never sleeps".
Long Circular Road, which curves north from Western Main Road then east to meet Maraval Road,
forms part of the city boundary. Its "circle" encloses Flagstaff Hill, a small rise with the US
ambassador's residence at its summit, which lends its name to an area of apartment buildings at its
southern foot.
South of St. James and near the seashore at Invaders Bay is Mucurapo, a mostly residential district
which also contains the city's second-largest cemetery.

Contents

 1History
o 1.1Streets in St. James
o 1.2Military cemetery, crematorium, and other cemeteries
 2Culture
o 2.1Fast food restaurants and other options
o 2.2Groceries, meat shops, greengrocers and markets
 3Businesses, places to visit and other tourism activities
o 3.1Malls
o 3.2Banking
o 3.3Manufacturer and pharmacies
o 3.4Naipaul House
o 3.5NALIS - St. James Public Library
o 3.6Art Gallery
o 3.7The St. James Amphitheatre
o 3.8Green Spaces
o 3.9Public transportation
o 3.10Tourism activity
 4Notable people
 5References

History[edit]
St. James, 1857 (drawing by Michel-Jean Cazabon)

St. James became part of the city of Port of Spain in 1938.[1] Until 1992, the Civil Aviation Training
Centre (CATC), now a unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority, was located along
Long Circular Road in St. James.[2] Originally known as the Peru Estate, St. James was a sugar cane
estate that harboured[clarification needed] some of the first East Indian indentured settlers who travelled by
ships like the Fatel Razak and SS Ganges from Uttar Pradesh via Kolkata.

Streets in St. James[edit]

Many of the streets of St. James were named after the "older names" of South Asian places, such
as Agra, Baroda (Vadodara), Benares (Varanasi), Bengal, Bombay (Mumbai), Calcutta (Kolkata),
Cawnpore (Kanpur), Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Madras (Chennai), Nepaul (Nepal), Nizam,
and Patna.[citation needed]
There are also streets that are named after English persons or places, such as Clarence Street,
where an Anglican church and school are located.[3]
Other persons and characters are represented in the naming of streets of St. James, such as
Salazzar which is located close to the Police Station, Church St., Kathleen St., Romeo St.,
Coronation St., Avenue First, Mucurapo Road and Ethel Street.[citation needed]

Military cemetery, crematorium, and other cemeteries[edit]

Within the boundaries of St. James are a military cemetery, two other cemeteries and a
crematorium.
According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission,[4] which shows on its website photos of
the military cemetery in St James and a list of the deceased persons from World Wars I and II, there
are 40 casualties from World War I and II (whose names are listed at Memorial Park, off Queen's
Park Savannah).[5]
In recent times, the military cemetery has been used to bury persons who have died in the service of
Trinidad and Tobago who were members of the Defense Force, or the Army or the Coast Guard, to
name a few of the services which protect and serve the country.
According to "BURIAL GROUNDS, CEMETERIES & CREMATION SITES (TRINIDAD) Arranged by
Ward/District",[6] the names of the two other cemeteries which are located in St. James are as
follows:

 Western Cemetery, George Cabral Circular, Terre Brulee, St. James (This cemetery can
be accessed from George Cabral Street, off WMR), and Mucurapo Cemetery, Panka
Street, St. James.
According to the records available to the public, there is one famous person who has been buried at
Western Cemetery: former president of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (from 1987 to
1997) Noor Hassanali.[7]

 Woodbrook Cemetery, Mucurapo Road, St. James.[6] (This cemetery can be accessed off
Panka Street, St. James.)
There are public records on some "eighty seven (87) persons who were buried at Mucurapo
Cemetery over the years, some as early as 1936 - Ms Leonora Prince." Perhaps one of the largest
number of deaths in a single year are the "Whitlocks, where the parents and 3 children who were
missionaries returning to Africa died in the same year".
The Crematorium is close to the Military Cemetery, Flagstaff Villas and Long Circular Mall on Long
Circular Road. It was established around the 1980s, and was one of the first formal cremation sites
in the country; most people were familiar with the Hindu community's practice of burning bodies at
Caroni and later at Waterloo.[citation needed]

Culture[edit]
Fast food restaurants and other options[edit]
The largest Pizza Hut in the world is located in Saint James on Tragarete Road.[8]

Groceries, meat shops, greengrocers and markets[edit]

Over the years, there have been several groceries which have either closed after a number of years,
changed owners and, or have been rebranded, and, or remained open. As of 2000, several of the
groceries are located either on the Western Main Road of St. James or on one of the side streets.
Some of the older establishments are Woo Lings (1970s)[9] and The St. James Meat Cottage, which
has changed location and the size of its floor space over the years.
Given the cultural mix of persons who reside in and visit St. James, meat shops have been popular
as a source of economical suppliers of this staple over the years, with some of them offering meats
which are halal for the Muslim and other sectors of the population.[citation needed]
Green grocers have set up shop either off of pick ups or at the front and sides of person's homes
over the years.[citation needed]
The St. James market which is located near to Vidale Street was rebuilt during the last twenty years.
[citation needed]

Businesses, places to visit and other tourism activities [edit]

Malls[edit]
St. James spans a wide geographical area stretching from the St. James Crematorium via Long
Circular Road to Fatima College on Mucurapo Road in one direction and from close to the overpass
by Peakes to the Police Barracks along the Western Main Road in another direction. In this area,
there is at least one large mall, Long Circular Mall[10] and several mini malls or plazas scattered
throughout the district. A mini mall is classified as being either a one or a two-storey building with
several small stores, each of which sells a different range of items.
The Long Circular Mall has been in existence since the late 1970s with services such as shoe repair,
suitcases, shoes, flowers and books.
Attached to the Mall is a branch of the supermarket chain Tru Valu. Currently, there is a vendor
instore offering snacks prior to shopping. There is also an instore bakery which provides pre-
packaged items along with freshly baked goods.

Banking[edit]
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) opened a branch in the late-1950s at the corner
of Mooneram Street. This branch of CIBC was closed several years after the merger of CIBC
(Trinidad) and Republic Bank Limited. A food establishment is now located on this spot.
The CIBC branch was later followed by branches of the Royal Bank of Canada, at Bournes Road
and The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank), the latter occupying the spot where JP's (John Pereira)
supermarket opened in the 1960s.[11] There is also, currently, a branch of Republic Bank Limited
located within Long Circular Mall.[12]

Manufacturer and pharmacies[edit]

St. James is the headquarters of the Trinidadian-based soft-drink company Solo.[13] During the
1970s, this company was located at the corner of Western Main Road and Long Circular Road. The
operations of this company were moved close to Aranguez, where the soft drinks are currently
manufactured. From the Highway, the factory is visible if one is heading towards the Piarco airport.
There are at least four pharmacies in St. James along the Western Main Road. Many of these also
sell stationery and food items.

Naipaul House[edit]
St. James was home to Nobel Prize-winner V. S. Naipaul, who lived on one of the streets prior to
migrating to the United Kingdom. His home has been preserved as a historical landmark.[citation needed]
NALIS - St. James Public Library[edit]
The St. James Public Library is operated under the National Library and Information System
Authority (NALIS) and is one of twenty five (25) public libraries which offers services to the public
free of charge from Monday to Saturday every week.[14] The St. James Public Library is located on 31
Church Street, St. James. Church Street runs parallel to the Western Main Road, starts on George
Cabral Street and ends on Bombay Street.[15] The St. James Public Library was located at the corner
of Bournes Road and Western Main Road for many years and within the last five years moved to its
new location on Church Street.

Art Gallery[edit]
Since the 1990s, St James has been home to Horizon's Art Gallery which is located on Mucurapo
Road.[16] This gallery offers for sale paintings from local artists such as Louison Dermot, Boscoe
Holder, LeRoy Clarke, Glen Roopchand, Neil Massy. There are at least six open nights per year
where new works from artists are exhibited and the public is invited to view the paintings or artwork,
mingle and meet the artist.

The St. James Amphitheatre[edit]

The St. James Amphitheatre is located along the WMR and offers its services to the residents,
groups and those wishing to host activities in St. James.
In June each year, WEBEAT is hosted by the St. James Community Improvement Centre. "A new
feature has been added to the 2015 edition of WeBeat St James Live, to be held from June 5–13.
Staged by the St James Community Improvement Committee, the new event—Rum Street—will be
held in collaboration with Angostura."[17]
In the 2015 WEBEAT, regular attractions included "We Film Night (June 6), in collaboration with the
T&T Film Festival, WeTreat (June 7), Health Day (June 8), in conjunction with the PoS North Lions
and the North West Regional Health Authority; and, WeTalk Historian Talk Show with emphasis on
Youth (June 8). These events were free to the public."[17]
For several years in August, the RC. Archdiocese of POS - St Mary's parish hosted their fundraising
event "Toute Bagai" which was one of their main fundraising events towards the restoration of the
church building at 3 George Cabral Street, St. James.
During the year, at the Amphitheatre there are several performances by various Evangelical groups
which last for a week and are open to the public. Otherwise, the area is open to the public to walk in,
sit on the benches or gather informally. Due to the availability of ice cream vendors, and other food
sellers which operate in close proximity to the Amphitheatre, many persons use the area as a place
to congregate to enjoy ice cream cones or the food which was purchased.

Green Spaces[edit]
Within St. James, there are at least two areas which may be considered 'green Spaces", they are
the Ellie Mannette Park, the St. James Playground, the Grounds of the Police Barracks on the
corner of Long Circular Road and Western Main Road and the grounds immediately preceding the
Barracks.
The Ellie Mannette Park is located on Alfred Richards Street, just off George Cabral Street and
every year is the location for at least one concert which is held shortly after Carnival which features
drumming. In recent years, persons have started to offer for sale items of food and drink to persons
attending the concert.[18]
Over the last five (5) years or thereabouts, a number of the parks in the St. James area has
benefitted from the donation of exercise equipment, most of which were funded by the Digicel
Foundation.
Public transportation[edit]
St. James can be accessed via route taxis or maxi taxis or via the Public Transportation Service
Corporation (PTSC) buses.
The Petit Valley bus starts at the Port of Spain Bus Terminal, proceeds along Independence Square,
exiting through one of the side streets to Tragarete Road, through the Western Main Road, St.
James, via the overpass through the Main Road in Cocorite, then to Petit Valley.
The PTSC bus which operates from Port of Spain to and from Carenage or the bus which operates
from Port of Spain to and from Diego Martin passes along Mucurapo Road, St. James. These buses
would have started at the Port of Spain Bus Terminal, proceeded along Wrightson Road, with a turn
off which takes them to Ariapita Ave and then to Mucurapo Road, then to the Foreshore[19] to West
Mall where their routes separate. The Carenage bus continues along the Main Road to Carenage,
while the Diego Martin Bus proceeds to Diego Martin.