The Light House
The Georgetown Lighthouse was first built by the Dutch in 1817 and then rebuilt in 1830 to help guide ships into the Demerara River from the Atlantic Ocean.
The brick structure was commissioned on June 1, 1830 when it replaced a wooden lighthouse that had been built on the same site by the Dutch. British engineers constructed the present lighthouse, reinforcing the building by placing it on a foundation of 49 greenheart plies, making it durable nearly 200 years later.
A floating light was placed at the Demerara bar in March 1838 and a system of signaling to the lighthouse was established. On February 27, 1838, a Committee of Pilotage was formed and entrusted with the signaling. Before establishment of the System of Signaling, a beacon had been erected on the East Coast of Demerara and vessels entering had to contribute to the cost of constructing the beacon.
A steel balcony at the top of the Lighthouse offers a panoramic view of Georgetown and the West Coast of Demerara.