Independence Square, Woodford Square & the cathedral

Transcript

Everything the tour says, in order. Read it instead of listening if you prefer.

1. Before you start

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   Welcome to the Independence Square, Woodford Square & the cathedral audio walk in Port of Spain. 3 stops: Independence Square, Woodford Square and Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Morning cluster: the long downtown square, the small park beside it and the cathedral before the heat and the crowds; go on a weekday.

   Independence Square, Woodford Square and the cathedral (approximate box). Underfoot: busy pavement; slope: flat; shade: low.

   Port of Spain is a capital that works for a living. Its grid was laid out by a Spanish governor in the 1780s, its squares were filled by French Creole planters, freed Africans and Indian indentured workers, and its streets have produced two of the Caribbean's great inventions: the steelpan and a Carnival that a whole nation attends.

   Before you start: Downtown is busy by day and empty at night: leave by 17:30 or take a taxi. Keep phones and jewellery out of sight. Keep your eyes on the street, and pause the audio before you cross a road.

2. 1. Independence Square

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   Look for

   • The promenade and trees
   • Side streets and shops
   • Cathedral end of the square
   • Promenade under the trees
   • Cathedral towers from the square

   Stop 1 of 3: Independence Square.

   Go on a weekday morning: the long tree-lined square and the streets around it are busy and alive by day, and empty after 18:00.

   Look for The promenade and trees: The long shaded central walk. Look for Side streets and shops: Clothes, phone shops and vendors; keep your bag in front. Look for Cathedral end of the square: See the cathedral page for the stop. For a photo: Promenade under the trees, morning light. For a photo: Cathedral towers from the square, morning.

   Keep phones and jewellery out of sight. Busy on weekday mornings and lunchtimes; empty on Sunday and after dark. Fine in the open; ask before photographing vendors and people; do not photograph police or security. It is a working street and market: busy, hot and a little chaotic on weekdays. Free to enter; no ticket, no gate. Take a taxi to the square; do not walk from other clusters.

   Walk:Next, stop 2: Woodford Square. It's about 5 minutes on foot, about 250 metres to the north-west. Route: Walk (little shade). The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.

   Independence Square: hours, tickets and rules →

3. 2. Woodford Square

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   Look for

   • The park itself
   • Red House (exterior)
   • Holy Trinity Cathedral (exterior)

   Stop 2 of 3: Woodford Square. Arrival point: Walk north from Independence Square, about 5 minutes, or taxi to Abercromby Street.

   A short daytime stop between Independence Square and the cathedrals: the city's political park, the Red House and the Anglican cathedral around it; go on a weekday morning and leave before the afternoon.

   Look for The park itself: Benches, trees and paths in the middle of downtown. Look for Red House (exterior): The Renaissance-style parliament beside the park. Look for Holy Trinity Cathedral (exterior): The Anglican cathedral beside the park; visits by arrangement (check).

   The grid runs back from the waterfront, with Independence Square as its long central promenade, Frederick Street as the shopping spine and Woodford Square, the city's political park, a few blocks north. The Red House, opened in 1844 and rebuilt after the 1903 riots, is a Renaissance-style building that houses parliamentary offices beside Woodford Square. Holy Trinity Cathedral, the Anglican seat, dates from the 1820s and stands near Woodford Square.

   Busy at lunchtime with office workers; quiet on Sunday; political meetings some evenings (avoid crowds after dark). Fine in the park; do not photograph police, security staff or people in the Red House grounds.

   Walk:Next, stop 3: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It's about 5 minutes on foot, about 500 metres to the east. Route: Walk (little shade). The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.

   Woodford Square: hours, tickets and rules →

4. 3. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

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   Look for

   • Nave and altar
   • Twin-tower facade
   • Facade from Independence Square

   Stop 3 of 3: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Arrival point: Walk from Woodford Square, about 5 minutes, or from Independence Square, a few minutes.

   A cool 20-minute stop at the head of Independence Square: go on a weekday morning outside Mass, dress covered, and skip it during services and funerals.

   Look for Nave and altar: Stone and stained-glass interior; sit quietly. Look for Twin-tower facade: Best from the square in morning light. For a photo: Facade from Independence Square, morning.

   The British kept the French Creole planter class in place and added their own institutions: the Royal Botanic Gardens were laid out from 1818, the Anglican cathedral (Holy Trinity) opened in the 1820s, and the Roman Catholic cathedral of the Immaculate Conception followed in the early 1830s. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, with its twin towers, is a Neo-Gothic landmark at the head of Independence Square, completed in the early 1830s.

   Shoulders and knees covered; no hats inside. Quiet on weekday mornings; busy at Sunday Mass and on feast days. Shoulders and knees covered; remove hats.

   Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception: hours, tickets and rules →

5. End of the walk

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   That's the end of the Independence Square, Woodford Square & the cathedral walk. To carry on, Queen's Park Savannah & the Magnificent Seven is about 10 minutes away (taxi north). To carry on, Woodbrook & Ariapita Avenue is about 10 minutes away (taxi west).