A view from Fort Picton, overlooking the Caroni Swamp and the Southwestern part of the Gulf of Paria LAVENTILLE –GREAT TOURISM POTENTIAL Introduction In order to showcase Laventille’s Great Tourism Potential, Trini Riddims has developed the Tour dé Laventille experience. Our proximity overlooking Trinidad, gives you 3 hours of panoramic views, 6 historical sites spanning over one hundred years, and more! Trini Riddims will give you the best of Laventille and its great tourism potential. There is so much to explore in Laventille, as we will discover in coming episodes of this blog series. This first episode is to highlight these historical treasures, with an aim to justify that these landmarks should be recognized for their true historical significance, and as premium tourist attractions. “The beauty is in the eye of the beholder!” Check Out Tour dé Laventille Tour Dé Laventille Laventille Road is bounded by Piccadilly Street on the western end, which is the first street east of Port of Spain. Laventille is just around 15 minutes from any part of the city, and much less weekends and public holidays. We will be Starting East of the Dry River on Laventille Road, moving east toward the Rose Hill community, named after a cocoa estate, owned by Edward Jackson, born in England in 1798, arrived in Trinidad around 1825. The Rose Hill Moravian church (now demolished), was named after the Rose Hill estate that was established in the area in the 1820’s, The church built 1892.  See pictures here Makandal Daaga’s Birthplace At the top of Quarry Street and Laventille Road, stand the birthplace of the Chief Servant Makandal Akhenation Daaga ORTT. A recipient of the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Born in Laventille with the name Geddes Granger on August 13, 1935, died on August 8, 2016. A political activist and former revolutionary, became the President of the Student’s Guild at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus in 1970. He was the leader of the 1970 Black Power Revolution. Arrested and charged during the unrest, he then changed this present name after the 1970 Black Power Revolution of Trinidad and Tobago. Home of Desperadoes Originally based in the heart of Laventille, Desperadoes Steel Orchestra was originally called the “Laventille Band, is known for their steelpan innovations, through their charismatic leader and steelpan innovator Rudolph Valentino Charles, who is responsible for a host of extended range of instruments now used in all modern day steelbands. Fort Chacon/Churruca’s Observatory Fort Chacon/Churruca’s Observatory started around 1783 and completed in 1792. Built for the Spanish astronomer Don Cosmo Damien Chucurra, who accurately surveyed the first meridian of the new world. Now used as a repeater site for the police radio units. Were the last place where the Spanish soldiers held garrison when Trinidad was seized by Britain’s Sir Ralph Abercrombie. Observatory Street in Port-of-Spain was created for the Spanish astronomer Chucurra to get to the observatory in Laventille. Our Lady of Montserrat/Fatima Our Lady of Fatima Shrine has been the devotional centre for a religious society dedicated to Marian devotions since 1875. Fr. Marie Jules Dupoux, the first priest and architect built the first wooden church. In a letter dated 27 August 1885 written to his Superiors in France, Rev. B. Cothonay, O.P., gives a graphic description of the celebration of the Feast in honour of Nossa Senhora do Monte, the Day of the Assumption, which took place in Laventille that year.  The Virgin Mary statue stands on top a 16-metre belfry of church was a gift from France in 1876. Each year Pilgrims journey to the Laventille Devotions from all over the country. Fort Picton Fort Picton also called St. David’s Tower, was erected in 1798, one year after the British invasion. Named after British Lieutenant Colonel and second British Governor of Trinidad, Thomas Picton. Copied the design of a tiny round-shaped Martello Tower he encountered in the battle of Cape Mortella in Corsica. Fort Picton is forty feet high, and on the upper level, mounted an 18 pounder and a 6-pounder cannon.  The lower ground floor was the storerooms, magazine, and water supply. The cannon proof fort major flop was, its rifle loopholes in the walls pointed inland, hence the name Picton’s Folly. There are 74 Martello Towers in the world. Fort Picton may probably the only one in the Western Hemisphere. It was completed and operational on 18 November 1798. Laventille Water Trough Laventille Water Trough along the Eastern Main Road was constructed under British governor of Trinidad Lord Harris in 1853. This trough catered fresh spring water for the animals to be refreshed from their journey to or from Port of Spain. The water came from the nearby Madame Monéreau Spring, the main public source of water in the East Port of Spain. In 1846, a tollgate was erected in the area of this trough, where a fee was charged to carts entering the city. This was revoked in 1878 with the opening of the railway in 1876. A monument erected in 1918 to mark the spot, but  was removed to the National Museum when the roadway was widened. Read more here Church of St Matthias The Church of St Matthias fell under the jurisdiction of the Trinity Cathedral that lasted for over one hundred years. The church was consecrated in June 1855, by Bishop Parry. The land the church occupies according to some accounts was donated by a prominent slave owner William Pashley. The actual construction began before 1838 the year in which slavery was officially ended. The new section of the church was completed in 1996 and was consecrated on June 3rd, 1997, by the then Bishop Rawle Douglin.  The House of Angostura Founded around 1830 in the Venezuelan, by a German doctor, Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Sieger. By 1875 the family business moved to Trinidad and was run by Carlos, Alfredo and Luis Siegert, sons of Dr. Siegert, under the name J.G.B Siegert & Hijos, establishing ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters as