St. George Historic District
GrenadaNatural and Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee. Ministry of Finance c/o Physical Planning Unit
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Description
The urban pattern of the Historical District of St. George's consists of a planned part and an unplanned part, physically and visually partly separated by the ridge of a mountain on which the main landmarks of the town have been erected (Churchstreet) and as such has evolved as the spine of St George's. The planned part of the town was laid out on a grid system with a central square and has developed predominantly over the course of the eighteenth century. The present-day appearance of this part of St George's is to a large extent due to a municipal law that was passed after fires had razed the town in 1771 and 1775, requiring buildings to be made of brick or masonry with clay tile roofs and laid out as detached units instead of row houses. The original urban plan has remained intact since then and a large body of Georgian architecture adjusted to Caribbean circumstances has been preserved. The unplanned part has been shaped by the form of the natural harbour of St George's and the contour lines of the surrounding hills and developed from the early nineteenth century onwards. Historic buildings in the unplanned part of the St. George's Historic District are predominantly erected in wood in a vernacular Caribbean style. The urban pattern and architectural styles of the St. George's Historic District add up to present a blend of cultural features of outstanding universal value.