Victoria’s evolution through photos |13 July 2023
Acting Mayor Charlie addressing guests at the opening of the exhibition
Exhibition marks 245th Anniversary
An exhibition of old photos depicting Victoria’s landmark structures such as State House, Clock Tower, the Mayor’s Office, Market Street, St Paul’s Church of England and La Domus is now open for viewing at the National Museum of History in town.
The exhibition marks Victoria’s 245th anniversary since it was founded, and it is an initiative of the National Day Committee in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office.
It was officially opened by the Acting Mayor, Lydia Charlie, during a short ceremony last Friday afternoon.
When addressing the guests, she retraced Victoria’s historical evolution, from when it was founded in 1778 as ‘Etablissement Du Roi’, with the arrival of Charles Routier de Romainville with a contingent of 15 men, and the other historical events that ensued including when it was renamed Victoria in 1841 by the British, after Queen Victoria.
Other key events included the opening of the first post office in 1861, the Clock Tower and the Government’s office in 1903, and the State House in 1913, which replaced the Government House as well as Liberty House in 1953.
The exhibition also shows the old Royal Street and Market Street, Port Victoria, the Catholic Church and the taxi Supreme Court building which now houses the National Museum of History, and the Happy Youth Club inaugurated in 1963.
“This exhibition takes you on a retrospective journey so that you can appreciate the labour and the toil that our grandparents went through in the building of our capital town. It certainly evokes a sentiment of nostalgia,” said Ms Charlie.
She added that it “also reminds us that the momentum of evolution and progress the landscape of Victoria had to undergo a drastic transformation to accommodate an ever changing society”.
The exhibition has been put together within two weeks by Ms Charlie, Emmanuel D’Offay, Tony Mathiot and Karyn Zialor.
Speaking to the local media, historian Tony Mathiot said it was not complicated to set it up as the photos were already in the national archives and people will be able to enjoy photos of Victoria that have never been seen before. They have also produced a catalogue of the photos found in the exhibition.
Mr Mathiot said other than showcasing the various developments Seychelles’ capital has gone through, several buildings have also celebrated their anniversary this year.
“For example you have Liberty house that just turned 70, State House is 110 years, the Clock Tower and the Mayor’s Office are both 120 years old. So this exhibition is appropriate so that the public can learn about our town’s history,” said Mr Mathiot.
He is inviting the public to view it throughout the day, so they can learn and appreciate the interesting historical development of the country’s capital through photos.
Following a short opening ceremony last week, the guests were given a tour of the exhibition by the executive director of the Creative Seychelles Agency, Emmanuel D’Offay.
The accompanying pictures show some of the photos on display in the exhibition.
Patsy Canaya
Photos by Leanne Alcindor
