Stabroek Market is the largest market of Georgetown,

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

. Located in the centre of the capital city, the market is housed in an iron and steel structure with a prominent clock tower. British Guiana 1934 12c stamp Stabroek Market Georgetown

British Guiana 1934 12c stamp Stabroek Market Georgetown

Construction

In 1842, the Georgetown Town Council designated the current location of the market on Water Street, officially recognizing it as a market despite the fact that it had served such a capacity for quite some time. The market was designed by an American engineer Nathaniel McKay, and constructed by the Edgemoor Iron Company of Delaware, USA over the period 1880-1881. Construction of the

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

and

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

structure was completed in 1881 and may be the oldest structure still in use in the city. The market covers an area of about . and houses a wide variety of items for sale. Though the architectural style is elusive, the iron structure and the prominent clock tower is reminiscent of the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

(see British colonization of Guyana for more information).

Market

The Stabroek Market area is easily the busiest such place in the city, always bustling with people and activity. It is a central hub for taxis and "minibuses", and also for ferries that transport people and goods from all towns and villages along the

Demerara River The Demerara River is a river in eastern Guyana that rises in the central rainforests of the country and flows to the north for 346 kilometres until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Georgetown, Guyana's largest seaport and capital, is situated on ...

. Stabroek Market is widely known as the biggest market location in Guyana, where many sellers go to make a living. The market has attracted a great variety of business owners, whose wares range from jewelry to clothes to produce. Stabroek Market is filled with customers every day and is known for its clock located at the top of the building. Stabroek Market is located in the middle of what Guyanese people call "Town", where many other major businesses surround its tall and recognized building. Stabroek Market is one of Georgetown's main attractions and is renowned throughout Guyana.

Crime

Stabroek Market is generally not a high crime area, but robberies do occur from time to time. In 2011, a grenade attack at Stabroek Market killed one person and injured several others. "Breaking News: Man killed, several injured in Stabroek Market grenade explosion", Kaieteur News, January 5, 2011.
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References

External links

Aerial view
{{Buildings in Guyana Commercial buildings completed in 1881 Buildings and structures in Georgetown, Guyana Retail markets in Guyana 1881 establishments in the British Empire