EXCEPT for the last 3-years, I have lived in Castries and/or worked in its Business District (CBD), which is defined by: Chausee Road to the east; the Castries River to the south; Manoel Street to the west; and Jn Baptiste Street to the north. Thus, I can claim to have experienced the good, bad, and ugly of the city. To say Castries was a beautiful City would be a stretch.
It did have some bewitching and beguiling features, such as its colonial style buildings—some of outstanding architectural merit—as well as a few, decent, open spaces, squares and parks. As teenagers, even the seedy parts of the City, such as “Shit Alley” – no explanation needed – and “Olive Green” had an inexplicable pull, as this was where we played “skittles” amidst the brisk trading, taking place between “ladies of the night” with their promise of pleasure, pencilled on their eyebrows, and their well-healed patrons. I have fond memories of Columbus Square (now Sir Derek Walcott Square), as this was where, as a boy, my Dad would often take me, while he communed with his friends over games of draughts and animated discussions of politics.
Over time, some of the bad and ugly features of the City were removed, including guest houses that doubled as brothels, and an open abattoir and fish market that formed part of the Castries market complex. They gave the CBD a distinctive malodor that often drifted with the wind to surrounding areas. Parts of the slum areas in Conway were thinned o.