The Jummah Masjid is a mosque in Port Louis dating from the 1850s, with substantial additions built through the 1890s. It is located on the Royal Road, and is described by the Ministry of Tourism’s guide as one of the most beautiful religious buildings in the country. Throughout the year, the Jummah Masjid is visited …
The provision of postal services dates back to the year 1772, during the colonisation by the French. The first postal service was introduced on 21 December 1772. From the ‘noir facteur’ to information technology driven communication platforms and going through barouche, train, ship and airplane, the postal service has always been present in the transformation …
Old souvenirs of Port Louis will certainly include these old chinese and traditional shops of the Royal Street, today, which of most have been replaced by new buildings. At the south entrance of the street, Triangle Rouge was among those tennants of the colonial building which was acquired by the Mauritius Commercial Bank for their …
The Old Town Hall of Port Louis was a colonial building during the British rule and to which the architecture was overmatched by the current town hall. Back in 1945, after the World War 2 Victory, the building was decorated with capital ‘V’s to show the Mauritian participation in the War. And to say, Mauritius …
Found in the north west of the island, the public beach of Baie du Tombeau, more precisely, Le Goulet, dwells aside the estuary of the ‘Tombeau River’, and further nearby there also is the recent Hotel Resort of ‘Port Chambly’. In this picture of the 1980s we can still see part of the remains of …
A typical view of these old chinese shops and other similar trades on the Royal Street in Port Louis during the colonial times and summaries the common busy lifestyle of the city residents. Most of these have disappeared and even the structures have been replaced. This building of the Boulet Rouge shop now is among …
Home of the famous Mauritian Poet, Sir Robert Edward Hart (born in 1891), La Nef walls were entirely built of corals and the house now serves as a Museum in memory of the Poet. Unfortunately the original state of the house is no longer as due to deterioations to the structure it was demolished an …
Tickets Please! Says the Ticket Examiner when boarding the train. This train ticket served as a courtesy trip due to the Royal Visit of Princess Margaret in Mauritius back in Sep 1956. The Last passenger trains in Mauritius knew an end on 31st March of the same year, but Goods Train continued to operate till …
Found in Curepipe, the Royal College laid its first stone on the 1st October 1912 and two years later, on the 12th of January 1914, under the rectorship of Mr Westem Francis Russell the college was inaugurated and the institution was open to all students of the colony at the time. It is also said …
During the 1960s/1970s, after the dismantling of the railways and the cranes in front of the harbour, one could approach as close as nearly ‘pied-dans-l’eau’ to the harbour and admire those big ships which at that time would come very close to the docks. The waterfront was of a totally different setting and that was …
Found in the complete north of the island, Bain Boeuf near Cap Malheureux was is one beach where tranquility prevails. Being part of the fishermen village, the place is very relaxing and quite a few boats can be seen in the lagoon here and there. The beach though, isn’t what we can categorise as of …
Anyone who goes to Port Louis, be it for a simple courtesy visit or for professional activities, must certainly know the Company Garden on La Chaussée Street. The Garden dates back since the colonies and certainly has its own story, but this article is more about the monuments dwelling in this beautiful garden. Even since …
The Harbour Front of Port Louis back in the late 1950s was very different compared to now, if not to say, completely different today. The Albion Docks at the border of the harbour opposite the Labourdonnais Square could still be seen with the railway tracks crossing the front of Port Louis and the big cranes …
Very few of these old sugar mills still remains, certainly not operational and mostly in ruins or only the stone chimney. Mont Desert Carrié found in Mahebourg is believed to be what today is known as the Mon Desert Mon Tresor (MDMT) Sugar Estate. What says so? These two chimneys in their same probable distance …
When the French settled in Mauritius they built many Sugar Mills as at that time Sugar Cane was a highly profitable and prosperous activity. After the French period, the English Colony continued this activity with even more production and mills built around the island at different estates. With time, however, sugarcane knew a decline in …
Forming part of a recent tradition and celebrated every year now, China Town in Port Louis organizes this Festival whereby the chinese culture is much emphasized. During this festival, traditional chinese foods and snacks are sold to the public at a lower price that usual and the variety is mouth watering. Additionally, this event is …
This spot in Curepipe hasn’t aged much from the 1980s till now. Apart from the round-about which has been replaced by traffic lights, the rest is all to all the same. Of course, the cars have been replaced by equivalents of the current generation. This image taken from the Barclays buildings on an early morning …
During the early British period Mauritius was still under a high development phase, and Port Louis at that time was the main town knowing the most constructions and outcomes and the fact that the harbour was there, it was obviously the busiest place too. The Labourdonnais Square was yet just empty space with trees only …
LES Monuments, car il en existe deux à ce jour, de Laperouse se situe à Curepipe, le premier au commencement d’Eau Coulée et le deuxième à la fin du même lieu en partant de Phoenix vers Curepipe. Cependant, l’endroit à l’oppose d’Eau Coulée séparé par la route Royale porte aussi le nom de Laperouse par appartenance des terres au …
The Traditional Milkman/Milk Seller with his bicycle in front of the harbour at Place D’Armes in Port Louis. This method of selling and distributing milk has completely phased out of the country since the late 1980s, and the interesting part is how the milk was stored in those iron tanks placed on those classic bicycles. …