Curepipe – The Old Market viewed from the Municipal Garden – 1970s

Curepipe Old Market Viewed from the Municipal Garden - 1970s

This Curepipe Market as we see in the image is no more and has been replaced by the current one we can see today in 2014 (picture further down). It was a much better looking building even though it had problems. In 1975, after the Cyclone of Gervaise, the Curepipe market faced much damage which …

Port Louis Theatre - Pope Henessy Street - Port Louis - 1905

The Port Louis Municipal Theatre is one of the oldest theatres and playhouses of the southern hemisphere. Talking about the history behind, Joseph Laglaine, health officer on board a french warship, was the first who thought of bringing a troupe to perform in Mauritius, at that time, Isle de France. The troupe landed in Port …

Family Gathering at Chateau Robillard/Gheude Castle - Mahebourg 1930s

Found in Mahebourg, the Chateau de Robillard or Gheude Castle was the dwelling of the Robillard family since the colonies and has been later taken over by the Government and now converted into the Naval Museum of Mahebourg. Whilst writing about private family matters isn’t much our ‘theme’, this image shared by Marie-Helene Letellier Oliver …

Metro Cinema in Vacoas - 1940s/50s - John Kennedy Avenue

Vacoas of the time looks to be a more animated town than the actual Vacoas. During the 1950s – 1980s, the town had 3 Cinemas, but now none. The METRO cinema in Vacoas was located right in the town centre (here) and was a very famous cinema of its time. During those years very few …

Curepipe - Royal Road - Merven Building - 1960s

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 …

Tien Tan Chinese Pagoda - Port Louis - Mauritius

Found at the foot of the Signal Mountain, the Tien Tan Chinese Pagoda is a very beautiful building with a very nice architecture. The place looks rather secluded but is very well maintenained with a beautiful garden of flowers. The pagoda is very often visited by Mauritians of Chinese culture and origin and building still …

Mauritius during the 1970s – Place D’Armes, The Market and the Harbour!

Port Louis during the 1970s has been a very memorable place for many Mauritians and city life was very ‘vintage’! The country was at its peak retro time and the lifestyle and life trend was full of souvenirs. Place D’Armes, as we had previously been writing many times, can be said to be the heart of the city and overlooking the Government House revealed the buzz of the city. The boats and ships of the harbour can very close to the quay and the waterfront that we could admire every details of them. Those vintage cars of the time were still in their ‘youth’! Morris Minors, Volkswagen Beetles, Bedford Vans, Wolseleys, Old Tiptop Buses (Bedford Buses), Morris Austins, Bedford Lorries and lots of others… a wonderful souvenir for many.

The Harbour with the Winnie and Betty trailer boats were yet to be discovered and ‘La Place du Quay’ was just already a wonderful waterfront. The Old Port Louis Central Market was still full of life and passion. Lottery tickets were still selling at 10 cents (10 sous)! Oh time, how you fly so fast!

Baie du Cap – Loin des Villes

Not purely ‘vintage’ but the guys of Baie-du-Cap did this very nice little video that we enjoyed very much and why not share this as well? Baie du Cap certainly is a very lovely little village in the south of the island of Mauritius and is well famous for these stairs of Macondé that lead up to the viewpoint of the bay and the district boundary as well… and of course the whole village deserves a special attention. Don’t forget to check out their other images and videos on the official facebook page of Baie-du-Cap!

Port Louis – Champ de Mars – The Crowd of the Maiden – 1966

Port Louis - Champ de Mars - Crowd of the Maiden - 1966 (Courtesy: Sophie Cayeux)

The Maiden is the most popular and important event on the turfist’s list. In Mauritius, the Maiden happens mostly in the month of September and during the event, thousands and thousands of horse-racing enthusiasts gather at the Champ de Mars in Port Louis. Be it for the game or as a family tradition, the Maiden …

Baie du Tombeau Beach - Mauritius- 1960s

Baie du Tombeau is found here and forms part of the Pamplemousses District. While most old pictures reference Baie du Tombeau as Le Goulet, the village dwells along the coast line from start to end and the sea shore is everywhere. Private bungalows occupy most of the coastline though and if someone wants to access …

M1 Motorway - St Jean - Ebene - Reduit - Mauritius - 1970s

Built around 1960, the Motorway stretches from Plaisance Airport to Grand Bay with a total distance of approximately 65 Kms, covering the different inland regions of the island from South to North and vice versa. With time, and due to both an increase in the population and motorized vehicles on our roads, the motorway knew some …

Port Louis - Bazar Central - the Market - 1923

After having moved around between the Company Garden (Jardin de la Compagnie) and the actual place of the Theatre for quite some time during the early colonial times, the Central Market finally settled in the where was previously the ‘Bassin des Chaloupes’ and its current location. The building we can see is standing since 1839. …

Sugar Cane Cutters - Cane Harvest Season - 1970s - Mauritius

The Sugar Cane Harvest Season in Mauritius normally starts in June every year and ends up around December at most. In the past, the sugar canes were harvested manually, that is, manual workers would equip themselves with their sickle (serpe) and in groups would cut down the sugar canes covering area by area, and later …

Port Louis - Colonial days - Royal Street - 1923

It looks certainly ‘new’ to see the Royal Street in Port Louis this wide and the busy feel it shows looks like the far west days. Back in 1816, the fire of the 25th September gave the enlarged the Royal Street up to 50 feet and this also changed how the street operated, from residential …

STRENGTH playing 'Child of the Universe' - Mauritius - 1979

One of the Mauritian Music Bands rocking the days of the late 1970s worth mentioning is certainly the STRENGTH band. Whilst many might not know of them they sure had a lot of fans (proof in the pictures)! The band was formed by a group of Royal College of Port Louis students and was quite …

Vacoas - Old Post Office - Train Station - 1940s

A part of the history of Post Offices in Mauritius will certainly mention how these Post Offices during the time when the railways were still in operation in the country were attached to their respective train stations as mails were transported quicker and easier from places to places. It was obvious that in the beginning …

Aloe Fibres Drying in Sun at La Ferme - Mauritius - 1968

Aloe Fibres have been used quite extensively in Mauritius during the past years for the creation of ‘Goni’ (Gooni) bags. Before the advent of polypropylene and plastic bags, goni was an indispensable element in the overall trade, not only in Mauritius, but throughout the world. It was used to pack and ship agricultural commodities such …

Port Louis - Guards of Honour Marching to the Government House on La Chaussée Street - 1920s

The Guard of Honour of the King during the early colonial times parading on La Chaussée street towards the Government House in Port Louis. Definitely looks like a ceremonial procession. It is somehow difficult to derive more information on this ceremony but another interesting observation is certainly how La Chaussée street looked like during those …

Creve Coeur Village is found here and can be said to be next the the village of Long Mountain. By interpretation, the name ‘Creve Coeur’ (french) means ‘Broken Heart’, but this naming might be erroneous or of a different meaning if you visit the village. Whilst it can be accessed by both the north (Terre …

Mahebourg - Naval Museum - Chateau Robillard - Mauritius

Located at the entrance of Mahebourg village, the Naval Museum was inaugurated sometime around 1950 and specialises in the history of Mauritius relating to the sea; sea battles, shipwrecks, naval war items etc. Image courtesy of: Sophie Cayeux The Museum is housed in the Gheude Castle, a magnificent French colonial mansion, built around 1772, used …

Vintage Mauritius

Mauritius in the early years.

Curepipe – The Old Market viewed from the Municipal Garden – 1970s

Port Louis – The Municipal Theatre during the Colonial Times – 1905

Family Gathering at the Chateau de Robillard – Gheude Castle – Mahebourg – 1930s

Vacoas – The Metro Cinema – late 1940s

Curepipe – Royal Road and the Merven Building – 1960s

Port Louis – Tien Tan Chinese Pagoda – 1980s

Mauritius during the 1970s – Place D’Armes, The Market and the Harbour!

Baie du Cap – Loin des Villes

Port Louis – Champ de Mars – The Crowd of the Maiden – 1966

Baie du Tombeau beach – 1960s

M1 Motorway from Ebene to Reduit – 1970s

Port Louis – Central Market / Bazar Central – 1923

Sugar Cane Harvest Season in Mauritius – 1970s

Port Louis – Colonial Times – Royal Street – 1923

STRENGTH at the Port Louis Theatre – 1979

Vacoas – The Old Post Office at the Train Station – 1940s

La Ferme – Aloes Fibres Drying in the Sun – 1968

Port Louis – Guard of Honour Marching to Government House on La Chaussée Street – early 1900s

The Road to Creve Coeur Village – 1950s

Mahebourg – The Naval Museum – Chateau Robillard – Gheude Castle – 1969