OLD BEDFORD Lorries form part of the few vintage transport that still remains in Mauritius, and is greatly admired by many both as a symbol of British and a memory of the 60s/70s. At the time, they were primarily used for carrying sugar cane, and even now some are still used for that purpose. Here …
Found at the foot of the Rempart Mountains, near Beau Songe, the Bassin Sugar Estate is now probably part of the Medine Sugar Estate due to the merging and consolidating of sugar mills during the restructuring years in the early 1920s. During the 1890s, a decline in sugar prices put several estates which had invested …
The Merven Building, from the Merven Brothers, laid its first stone in April 1950. Back in 1939, due to the success of similar apartment buildings being constructed (one opposite the Ritz Cinema, and the other near the St Therese Church) the Merven brothers seized the opportunity and purchased this plot of land from the property …
The Mauritius Volunteer Force represented the Soldiers serving the country at its own account. These soldiers of the British garrison were mainly of British, Indian and African origins, even though the officers were all British. Two places in Mauritius were these soldiers were frequently seen was in Curepipe and Port Louis. In those days the …
At the time when the races were among the entertainment time of families and fans of horse-racing. This practice dates back since the days when the Champ de Mars was converted from a military ground to a race-course round 1812 and in those days everytime the races were organized the Champ de Mars gathered big …
10th century – Phoenicians, Malays, Swahili and Arab seamen visit island but do not settle. Island named Dina Robin by Arab mariners. 1498 – Portuguese explorers stumble upon Mauritius in the wake of Vasco da Gama’s voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. 1510 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas visits the island and names it …
One of the sad moments in the history of Mauritius towards Independence is during the General Elections of 1967. While the elections went rather smoothly in most parts of the island, a small section in Port Louis knew some clashes and oppositions towards the voting influence. Whilst sources are not clear how this started, different …
Images of Quatre Bornes in the past are among the rare ones that can be seen. Even though the town doesn’t talk much about itself nor there are many interesting places to talk about either, it still remains a very nice region to live in. Found in between Vacoas/Phoenix and Rose Hill, the climate is the …
Gris Gris Beach in the south of the island is well known for its very rough sea and big waves crashing against the cliffs that offer a magnificent view over this part of the island. Because of the absence of coral reefs, the waves are untamed and offer a year-round view of big waves. Surfers …
One of the other sides of the Special Mobile Force (SMF) apart from being of military purpose, is also their music band and performances. Those who are acquainted to the region of Vacoas must certainly have noticed and heard the frequent music repetition, specially in the afternoons, of the SMF at the other end of …
There is this Mauritian song which says that the ‘Rum is not good’ (Rhum la na pa bon mem), but still it can’t be helped to avoid its consumption. Trades of the time, the big notice written on this, most probably chinese, shop or ‘tavern’ saying that they are selling rum! “Here we sell rum” …
Chaussée Street (La Chaussée) and its surrounding plots were initially marshy lands during the french period and later on converted to usable areas. Needless to say in those days how horse carriages and animal-driven transport, and also human-driven carts were the only means of urban transport. It is true the railways existed but these followed …
The Jummah Mosque located on Royal Street in Port Louis was opened in 1853 and has become the most prominent mosque in Port Louis, so much so, that the title of Pesh Imam (equivalent to high priest) was given to the priest in charge of the mosque. Between 1878 and 1895, various works were undertaken …
If there is one little and super economical transport that many Mauritians have used and some are still using is certainly the Honda PC50, much known as the ‘mini honda’. The Honda PC50 is a moped produced in Japan from May 1969 until February 1977. It is well known for being highly fuel efficient with …
Using animals as part of entertainment exist since the stand of time and this is something that might not change that soon, even though being discouraged little by little. During the early 1920s, there was this little street entertainment in Curepipe where the owner of the pet would train, dress in clothes and use his …
Life in the past wasn’t the same for everyone, nor it is today also. There has always been different levels in society and how things are. On one side we had those who lived more at ease and those who had to struggle to achieve. This is a truth we can’t hide but the good thing …
The “Place D’Armes” longing the Government House to the Labourdonnais statue in front of the harbour is one of the best known historical landmarks of Port Louis. The place is considered as the very heart of the city. Around 1865, Port Louis could boast to have a fleet of 1300 rented carriages and as many …
Converting the primitive harbour that the first french settlers knew into a civilised port was no mean achievement for Mahé de la Bourdonnais. That metamorphosis was the result of the joint efforts of European sailors, Seamen from India and African slaves. A navigable channel was marked out to facilitate the entrance of ships in the …
The history of Champ de Mars goes back since the times of Mahé de La Bourdonnais during which the french were still occupying the island, Isle de France, then. Mahé de La Bourdonnais chose this area as a training ground for field manoeuvres for his soldiers. The training exercises were performed each Sunday, and each …
Found on Poudrière Street, the Saint James Anglican (Protestant) Cathedral was at the times of Mahé de Labourdonnais (french occupation period) an old powder magazine (probably why the street bears that name) which with time didn’t really came to use. Due to the original nature of the building, the walls were very thick (9 feet …