Port Louis – Colonial days – Royal Street – 1923 (Courtesy: John Coquet/Vacoassiens de tous temps)

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 to commercial! Street lighting of the time knew an evolution worth mentioning: from coconut oil lamps to gas lighting in 1865, petrole and finally electricity in 1909.

Even though in 1923 motorized vehicles were already being used on the island, horse-carts were still seen around and used quite much for short distances within the town. With time and with development, most of these old colonial buildings of the Royal Street have disappeared little by little, making place for modern taller structures. Somehow, some of them still remain discreetly with the hope of surviving a few years more.

Some old buildings still standing on the Royal Street as of 2013/2014:

Port Louis – Old Colonial Building – Royal Street

Old Port Louis – Creole House – Moka & Royal Street

Port Louis – Royal Street – Old Colonial Building

Others will be added later.