Stabroek Market

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The Stabroek Market, which tries to sell everything – fruits, vegetables, livestock, meat, fish, furniture, manufactured household goods, tools, jewelry and more, is one of the most distinctive buildings in Georgetown, Guyana. It extends from Water Street to the bank of the Demerara River, adjacent to the Demerara Stelling.

In 1842, the Georgetown Town Council designated the area on which is located the Stabroek Market, giving confirmation to a name the area already had, as it was the most popular market area in Georgetown. The market was designed and constructed by the Edgemoor Iron Company of Delaware, USA over the period 1880-1881. Constructed of cast iron and galvanized steel, it was built in 1881. Designed by an American engineer Nathaniel McKay, this market houses a wide variety of items for sale. The market covers an area of about 80,000 square feet (7,000 m²), and is dominated by a broad, dashing clock-tower. Built partly on land and water the building may be the oldest structure still in use within the city. 50,000 square feet (5,000 m²) was reclaimed from the Demerara River.

Though the architectural style is elusive, the iron structure is reminiscent of the Victorian era of Great Britain.

Always congested, busy and noisy, the Stabroek Market area is the busiest in the city of Georgetown – a focus of taxis and minibuses, and close to the stelling used by the ferry moving people to and from the other side of the Demerara River, and also from other parts of the country, such as the Pomeroon area.