Evening Walk.

This walking / jogging trail starts in Iere Village just outside Princes’ Town and proceeds along the Naparima – Mayaro Road. It ventures through Princes’ Town and out through the villages of Craignish and Matilda and ends in St. Julien Village. Along the way it goes past the historic St. Stephen’s Anglican Church (ca. 1880) at the corner of Lothians Road and the Naparima – Mayaro Road in Princes’ Town at 10.270168°N and -61.377157°W. Prince George of Wales (later to become King George V) and his brother Prince Edward Albert of England planted two yellow Poui trees on the North West and North East of the church during their visit to the town on January 22nd, 1880 while on their way to visit the Devils’ Woodyard Mud Volcano in Hindustan. The Princes’ planted the Poui trees on invitation of the church Rector J.G. Knights. To commemorate this event, the town that was founded in 1687 and originally called “The Mission of Savannah Grande” was renamed “Princes’ Town” in their honor. Outside this church the rails of the Cipero Tramway (Trinidad’s first railway dating back to 1849) once lay. The Princes’ used this rail to travel from San Fernando to The Mission of Savannah Grande after disembarking their ship that was anchored just off the coast. This church also bore witness to the sermon by the Englishman Charles Kingsley in 1869. Kingsley was a priest, professor, historian, and novelist. He recorded his experiences at the church, of being in The Mission of Savannah Grande, and of its people, in his book “At Last, a Christmas in the West Indies.” In the graveyard of this church lies entombed the body of the Irishman Harry Bourne Darling. Darling was the manager of the Lothians Estate and offered Kingsley a place to stay while on his visit to Trinidad. Darling was an unheralded humanitarian who was reportedly very generous and kind to the indentured labourers on the plantations at that time. Darling had established a school for the so called “coolie” children many years before the Presbyterian Canadian Mission to the Indians (C.M.I.) came to colony of Trinidad. He died in 1897.
Whilst in Craignish it goes past the Craignish Shiva Mandir located at 10.272538°N and -61.362840°W. On the way back we pass the Princes’ Town Presbyterian Church (ca. 1886). The Presbyterian Church in Trinidad started in 1868 when Rev. Morton, his wife, and daughter from the Presbyterian Church in Nova Scotia visited the sugar estates islands of the East Indian Company. At this time the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland was already established in Iere Village, just outside Princes’ Town. The small mission that they had established did not last and it was handed over to the mission led by the Canadians. In 1871 Rev. Kenneth J. Grant opened a Presbyterian mission in San Fernando where the first Presbyterian Primary School was founded. It is called the Grant Memorial Presbyterian Primary School and continues to produce top performers in the Secondary Entrance Examination (S.E.A.) annually. In 1872 the Susamachar Church was formally opened. In 1891 the missions created by the Canadian and Scottish ministers were amalgamated into a Presbytery and in 1892 the Presbyterian Theological Seminary was opened. In 1896 the Scottish minister Rev. J.S. Wilson established the Marabella Presbyterian Church which was later re-named the Wilson Memorial Presbyterian Church. In 1931 the agreement between the Canadians and the Scottish minsters was dissolved and the operations in Trinidad became autonomous. It gained full independence in 1977. Today the Presbyterian Church in Trinidad has approximately 40,000 members, 105 congregations, and 100 house fellowships. The church operates 72 Presbyterian Primary Schools and 5 Presbyterian Secondary Schools.
The walk is fairly easy but best done in the early morning or late evening. Be alert for stray dogs and carefree drivers as there are many along these roads. Princes’ Town is usually quite busy so the pace slows significantly through here. Sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, a hat, and a litre of water is sufficient for this trip.
Happy Trails. ..