1950s - Port of Spain - Trinidad and Tobago - 1950er - 8mm Footage - Karibik - Caribbean

A wonderful journey to the 1950s - to Port of Spain, capital of Trinidad and Tobago! It begins with sequences of police officers at the roadside and one of their colleagues who controls traffic at an intersection. Merchants with fruits, vegetables and all kinds of different things drive their wooden carts through the streets. The legendary Bonanza Store can be seen - as well as the Immaculite Conception Church and a large white mosque with its towers.
Fantastic old cars drive through the picture, in between horse-drawn carriages, buses, small trucks, cyclists and women carrying baskets on their heads to the market square. A monument to explorer Christopher Columbus, the Residental Area, New Asumption Church, Caribbean Commission - the images provide a cross-section of important buildings in the city at the time. A postman on his bicycle laughs into the camera, followed by pictures of the Sr. Andres Golf Course as well as green hills and valleys. The Maracas Bay and the beach were visited - as was the largest salmon tree in Trinidad and Tobago at the time.
The church in Santa Cruz Valley, the Port of Spain Post Office, the Union Hotel, which was then only accessible to men, the Colonial Commission, Charlotte Amelie Street and Frederick Street. Marine Square, Botanical Gardens, a guard in front of Governor's Palace, the library, the Queen Royal College, plus sensational street scenes from another time and world. This film is a pearl in terms of impressions of everyday life and life in the city.
The photos were taken in 1953 or 1954. It was not until 1962 that the city became the capital of Trinidad and Tobago as part of its independence from Great Britain. At that time the city had over 100,000 inhabitants. Since then, the population has decreased as residential areas have gradually been converted into commercial and industrial zones and settlement shifted to adjacent areas that are not formally part of the capital. Today the core area of ​​Port of Spain has less than 40,000 inhabitants, but the metropolitan area has more than 500,000.
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Eine wundervolle filmische Reise in die 1950er-Jahre - nach Port of Spain, in die Hauptstadt von Trinidad und Tobago! Sie beginnt mit Sequenzen von Polizisten am Straßenrand und einem ihrer Kollegen, der an einer Kreuzung den Verkehr regelt. Händler mit Früchten, Gemüse und buntem Allerlei fahren mit ihren Holzkarren durch die Straßen. Der legendäre Bonanza Store ist zu sehen - ebenso die Immaculite Conception Kirche und eine große weiße Moschee mit ihren Türmen.
Immer wieder fahren fantastische alte Autos durch das Bild, dazwischen Pferdekutschen, Busse, kleine Lastwagen, Fahrradfahrer und Frauen, die Körbe auf ihren Köpfen zum Marktplatz tragen. Ein Denkmal für den Entdecker Christopher Columbus, die Residental Area, die New Asumption Church, Caribbean Commission - die Aufnahmen liefern einen Querschnitt der damals wichtigsten Gebäude der Stadt. Ein Briefträger auf seinem Fahrrad lacht in die Kamera, es folgen Bilder vom Sr. Andres Golf Course sowie grünen Hügeln und Tälern. Die Maracas Bucht und der Strand wurden ebenfalls besucht - ebenso der damals größte Salmon Baum in Trinidad und Tobago.
Die Kirche im Santa Cruz Valley, das Port of Spain Post Office, das damals nur für Männer zugängliche Hotel Union, die Colonial Commission, die Charlotte Amelie Street und Frederick Street. Marine Square, Botanical Gardens, eine Wache vor dem Governor's Palace, die Bibliothek, das Queen Royal College, dazu sensationelle Straßenszenen aus einer anderen Zeit und Welt. Dieser Film ist eine echte Perle, was die Eindrücke von Alltag und Leben in der Stadt betrifft.
Die Aufnahmen entstanden 1953 oder 1954. Erst 1962 wurde die Stadt dann im Rahmen der Unabhängigkeit von Großbritannien Hauptstadt von Trinidad und Tobago. Zu dieser Zeit hatte die Stadt über 100.000 Einwohner. Seitdem verringerte sich die Einwohnerzahl, da Wohngebiete nach und nach in Handels- und Industriezonen umgewandelt wurden und sich die Besiedlung in angrenzende, formell nicht zur Hauptstadt gehörende Gebiete verlagerte. Heute hat das Kerngebiet von Port of Spain unter 40.000 Einwohner, die Metropolregion aber über 500.000.
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[@Kidd_X]

KZbin really is the closest thing to a time machine we will ever have.

[@davebaijoo6295]

Im always thankful that visitors captured great videos of trinidad during the 50s and 60s that we can access and marvel at.

[@visualhistoryaustria]

Yes, it's really amazing

[@thomasjerry7476]

Hello

[@anniela9289]

Wow! Thank you for this. I'm so amazed by how properly everyone dressed and a sense of pride by the traffic warden 😊

[@noelphillip5012]

Those are not traffic wardens they are police men

[@islandgirl3330]

In those days people dressed in clothes, not half naked like some of them do today at carnival time.

[@thegoodtrinilife832]

and how clean the place is

[@_Miss_K_]

Every one was slim and trim!!❤😊

[@memphisracer]

Recognized so many of these places.. amazing how many things changed while so many others stayed the same...

[@visualhistoryaustria]

Fantastic 😊👍

[@thomasjerry7476]

Hello

[@pymyriad]

like one vagrant

[@semoneg2826]

The video need to name the places for those that do not know

[@courtpaul9334]

Our beautiful nation of T&T 🇹🇹 has lost it's innocent 😔 But I'm also very grateful for this gem of video👍

[@jasonramsingh9947]

Wow, this is gold to those in the know! A brief glimpse into the past and what was! Thanks for sharing!

[@thomasjerry7476]

Hello

[@missk2593]

OMG Trinidad was so beautiful and the people were so properly dressed, the greenery so outstanding. Love this video🇹🇹❣️❣️❣️

[@edmundjoseph8828]

A picture is worth a thousand words. It is like a time traveler.

[@paulcomissiong7133]

Outstanding… I always hoped that visitors to our shores in this time, who, coming from the developed world and had the possibility of Camera equipment , would have kept images… Now, with technology, a peel back of layers is possible… This is so good to see… Gratitude here..

[@visualhistoryaustria]

Thank you 😊. That's fantastic! Our pleasure!!

[@thomasjerry7476]

Hello

[@sandraslight1535]

This is an amazing video capturing old time Trinidad. I was born there in 1953 and left in 1962. I have vague memories, so It great to reignite my memory. Fabulous. Thank you. 😀

[@VashtiPersad-w1r]

I was not born when these filming was done but I do love history ,my dad used to tell about how Trinidad was in the 40s and 50s ,and here I am seeing my country history and how it was in those days ,wish I can go back in time and really be part of that history. It's so beautiful to think that we are seeing it on live video.

[@virgingodd090]

Wonderful! My mom was a young lady then and I was not born as yet.

[@visualhistoryaustria]

That's amazing, thank you so much!

[@ldramsay-overall1257]

Likewise 👍🏽

[@thomasjerry7476]

Hello

[@davidmiles-hanschell]

This brief but excellent travelogue transported me back to early 1950 when with my sister Diana and parents, David Manning and Daphne Muriel disembarked from one of the Lady Boats,Lady Rodney? at Port of Spain docks from Barbados and were met by Uncle Valdemar Hanschell, who worked for Shell then,who had driven up from Point a Pierre to collect my sister and I and took us back down South while my parents presumably set about looking for a place to live. We weeks later moved into the oldest house on Carmody Road, St Augustine. A an amazing buzzing blooming confusion opened up before the eyes of an impressionable seven year old liberated from oppressive monocultural Little England.I've never been the same since.

[@stephenramnanan259]

Wow this is so fantastic , Trinidad in the years when my nane and nana was young people ,great 👍 video

[@roseogrady8785]

A blast from the past...I was there in 1960... Many Thanks.

[@KeilHoward-dt9mb]

These videos are so important for us as a people to see where we were and where we are today

[@WingManPilot]

...nowhere

[@angelalumwai6164]

Excellent. Thank you so much for posting this. God bless you.

[@visualhistoryaustria]

Our pleasure! Thank you!

[@intergalatic8mango]

Thank you for this gem of a history video. And what stands out is how modestly everyone is dressed.

[@shaun_rambaran]

Wow, look at how rundown the Jama Masjid was. Clearly at some point, a big effort was put into restoring it. Glad the building's looking much more happy these days!

[@Narsha2930]

Thank you for this... love the way people are so well dressed and the vintage scenery...

[@TrishaEvenstar]

Thank you for sharing this video!

[@visualhistoryaustria]

Our pleasure!

[@trinismall8113]

Truly truly amazing, I'm always excited about the old time days, thanks for sharing.

[@dhirajshah4933]

Peace and quiet town then. Beautiful 😍

[@roaringdream]

Felt like seeing a completely different place yet still seems so familiar to me

[@claudettepaul8212]

The Good old days. I was born in Toco in 1962, so the man on the donkey and loads on heads I remember too well. Compared to today so very sad. Oh how I miss those days. Thanks for sharing❤

[@zackerythomas3675]

This is very highly appreciated . Thanks a whole lot.

[@dellam.8321]

It grives me to see how nice T&T was

[@semoneg2826]

It's still nice God is good

[@carnage1284]

@@semoneg2826Yeah it’s still a beautiful place. Not as peaceful as back in the day but it’s still incredibly nice 😊

[@natasha5622]

Wow this is literally the time we were transitioning from old modern. I’ve never in my lifetime seen women with loads on their heads and I was born in the 70s.

[@thomasjerry7476]

Hello

[@lalchanpersad4979]

In order to cushion the load on their head, they used what was known as a Kata. It was a piece of cloth or a bunch of bushes rolled together in a spiral form. It was placed between the load and the head.

[@susanseales6857]

A moment in time...different generation back then...a different way of life...

[@minioncultmember4624]

wow just wow now i know what it was like when my grandparents were born...👍😮

[@Richiesrant]

It looks so much more civilized than it does now

[@matthewbridgelal2045]

Sweet sweet T&T how I love my country 🇹🇹

[@Angel228]

Thanks for sharing this... A glimpse of the past

[@AnthonyGarcia-ui5qr]

Thank you for the memories of how it used to be.Blessings

[@annmarieedwards5958]

Beautiful ❤️

[@kathleenkwong9864]

I loved those days. I was born in the 1950s.

[@angelalumwai6164]

Thank you for sharing your splendid video . Much appreciated

[@pamsamaroo3383]

Beautiful video. Are you an Austrian who visited Trinidad and Tobago during that period? Some places are easy to identify some are not. The streets were clean and organised, not much people. Vagrancy existed in those times too. Thanks for sharing.

[@fowlman7254]

Everyone so well dressed... love my country Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹 ❤️

[@anthonyblackman7669]

At minute 5:33 a woman with an ice cream pail on her head. Wow!! Don’t get me wrong, I’m old enough to remember women with baskets on their heads, but an ice cream pail?? Just wow!

[@cuthbertjolly4859]

Every man Jack wore his shirt tucked in his pants.

[@tinatina4131]

Wonderful...thanks for sharing.

[@donellesamaroohasan5655]

Hate that the roads are better in this then the ones that we have now.

[@ldramsay-overall1257]

Amazing 🇹🇹♥️🇹🇹

[@visualhistoryaustria]

Thank you 😊👍

[@bobbole7820]

Lived there in 70s, awesome memories, raising kids, private schools required, was peaceful and safe. Was. Good people always.

[@bobbole7820]

Lived in Shorelands in 70s, kids went to St. Andrew’s, wonderful school. Charles Solomon of the Solo sweet drink lived two doors down. I remember Lady Young road, Queen’s Park Hotel south end of the Savannah, roundabouts and water nut venders around the Savannah, $1 TT. Steel drum competition from each village before Carnival, trips to Maracas Bay north, pitch lake south, and the best PM, Eric Williams, popular DJ Renny Bishop, TT Radio. Met Eddie Grant in studio one night. It was the best if times, place and people. Who else remembers this?

[@myrnasanders9355]

enjoyed it thankks lik d music

[@donnalobiondo7850]

Thank you for sharing this amazing video love it .

[@leelanarinesingh8022]

Love D video. I was born in 1953.Great.

[@dianneseelal5767]

Amazing!!! Thanks a million❤❤

[@patriciamackhan9184]

Absolutely awesome 💯🙏💕

[@kevinkingslayer2450]

What I would give to go back.......🤔😔

[@stephenramnanan259]

Do you knew who filmed it by chance? Great video 😊

[@waterlady2788]

Thank you

[@tamjohn]

At 2:34 is Kent House on Long Circular Rd. next to KFC Maraval. At 2:47 I think that is the golf course that would become Fairways, Maraval in the 70's.

[@visualhistoryaustria]

Amazing! Thanks a lot!

[@angelalumwai6164]

Allan Tam. I recognise that name. I was in Trinidad in 1966 visiting from England.

[@KingHunter868]

Sweet sweet T&T is all I'm hearing as I watch this!

[@pamsamaroo3383]

Oh...how it used to be!!!!

[@gangaramdhan5784]

Nice very nice ❤

[@KingHunter868]

This is amazing!

[@anastasiasharidaali8217]

Wonderful video, the only thing though, they should have name the different places. Some could be indentify, but others cant..

[@franchesaestrada4753]

Life has changed so much

[@anthonyblackman7669]

Back when the old people were still with us, and they had a big say. You didn’t hear people saying “we suffering” and “the government wicked”, people took pride in themselves even when they had way less than us today, and they were very civic minded at that.

[@havelockvetinari8773]

Love the music

[@abigailaberdeen5100]

...the music...

[@martinjones8084]

What a treasure!

[@TRINIDADGUYANAMEMORIES]

memories

[@carlislec.9245]

Outstanding!

[@visualhistoryaustria]

Thank you!!

[@us24575]

The old time days.

[@themeditteranian8365]

My mother wasn't even born yet and wish you all could here me say it

[@moniquenorville1981]

Hi. Can I have permission to use a few clips. I have a group project to film a short story from V. S Naipaul's "Miguel Street" for my final project. It would be great to have opening and closing clips of Trinidad during the 1950's to really complete the short film.

[@visualhistoryaustria]

Thank you! Please contact us via [e-mail]

[@thomasjerry7476]

Hello

[@Da-Iceman.]

It looks like everyone was happy in the past.

[@greenfeathersun1863]

Love it wasn't born yet though but love history

[@J-678hdj]

2:27 recently visited family and this one looked identical to st Anthony church I visited. It looked too new to be from the 50s but would be cool if it is the same building

[@63Aidyl]

Well done.

[@moses910]

Wow

[@nphipps9406]

it would have been nice to show the place names, for better understanding

[@dennisleslie8962]

3:25 : Santa Cruz RC church and Presbytery.

[@dellam.8321]

Those were real police, not like we have now

[@TheKeithvidz]

I live minutes from POS and work in it.

[@visualhistoryaustria]

That's great 😊👍

[@TheKeithvidz]

@@visualhistoryaustria Ain't always the case before i got a half decent job. You posted on Bissessar's facebook page - post more!

[@astoldbychrisv9464]

Look at the beauty of Trinidad compared to now. Port of Spain so rundown, I don't know why it's still the capital.

[@islandgirl3330]

First of all, thanks to the person who made this video. In those days, very few people had cameras. I remember my father, who was a salesman at that time, had one of those cars. The rundown part is east dry river and was always like that. From Charlotte Street back to the Laventille hills. A bit of it was featured in the video. I did not see Woodbrook and other parts of POS going west and north except around the savannah, where the areas are not run down. East of Charlotte Street was never a very nice area. Beetham Gardens used to be mostly tin and box shacks and called shanty town. The people's mentality who live there just made it a bigger slum although they got government houses. The plan was to have a proper place for those people to live, but I don't think they know or remember that. Nothing is worst than galvanized fences. They should be banned in Trinidad. Sea Lots, I don't know why the government allowed this place to develop. They are to blame for these squatting areas that became deplorable slums. I saw nice houses in certain areas in Trinidad when I was there and some of the owners took no pride in their front garden walls and fences. What is a tin of paint to keep your walls clean. What is so hard to grow a decent green hedge. I just could not understand that part. I guess It is too much work for some lazy people to upkeep.. People have to be re-educated on how to keep their surroundings looking attractive. I don't know why this is not taught to the population on a large scale. West of Frederick Street and going up to the savannah is not rundown. All the cities in the world have run down areas even New York city. I have gone to some cities in my travels and have seen ten times worst. Manning had a dream for the place and started rebuilding the waterfront. The other government cancelled a lot of the plans to revitalise POS and some wanted South to be the capital, I don't know if the latter was gossip or true.. It may happen but after I am long gone. Thank God I will not be here. The present government is talking about rebuilding certain parts of POS. Lets wait and see. Do you know who owns the old downtown buildings from Frederick Street to the east to Nelson Streets. Maybe they should sell their properties to developers and get the place rebuilt. These people have no intention of rebuilding but plan to keep renters until the buildings fall down. That is how ghettos are created. The building owners maybe lack funds, maybe there is a lack of developers or there are greedy financial mentalities. I don't know. Look how long the Salvatori Building was demolished. Why was a building not rebuilt? Who owns the land? If it is the government, they should have built offices there a long time ago. Not a goid site. Another thing, taxes keep places like Toronto clean and in good shape. Are Trinidadians prepared to pay 1/3 of their monthly salary to the government in taxes and be taxed on everything that they purchase? I guess not. It is just an island. I have never seen a place where people complain and do nothing to improve the situation. That is the problem there.

[@gregorybaker9482]

Judging by the cars this was filmed between 1950 and at least 1956 when the Zephyr Mk1 which I am sure I saw in the film was manufactured until replaced by the Mk2 in the latter year. I saw what looked like a Hillman station wagon/van like our neighbour had but the scene moved too fast. Gas Brain....not much else to amuse yourself in the years before television.

[@ThomasHerry]

This place looks like modern day Cuba with all the old Cars.

[@shelliem68]

Try putting an officer in them shorts now😂

[@FREEFIREOFFICIALS-e4j]

thanks to this video i time travel 😂

[@narybey3515]

1 are the best days

[@clintonbeharry5291]

We was 1st. World ...till now😓

[@needarandomname4330]

Someone really did tell me that Donkey Carriages were common..

[@rolmaguiland21]

Look my family I short pants 🇹🇹🌹💯🦋🥰

[@faronm1307]

the year I was borne.

[@moses910]

Old time music would be most appropriate for this video... vintage calypso!!!

[@duaneraymond4252]

This is so tragic. This looks clean, orderly and nice. Trinidad now has degenerated more than you could imagine thanks to the tribal corruption of the PNM tons tons macoute...

[@judynicholas2680]

Keep your hateful remarks to yourself 👎

[@duaneraymond4252]

@@judynicholas2680 the remarks are about what political clowns took a beautiful, well-organised setting like that and turned it into downtown Port au Prince, Haiti and you sycophants can't handle it when some one calls you degenerates out. I will say what I want, when I want, without fear of any corrupt profiteer. BTW, firetruck you...

[@astoldbychrisv9464]

@@judynicholas2680 There is nothing "hateful" about the original poster's comment. Anyone who was born in Trinidad knows the truth of what's really going on. Corruption has taken over and the place is falling apart. You and others can be indenial all you want. However, that will not make the problem go away! Port of Spain looks terrible in 2022, when it should be well maintained and advanced. Most of Port of Spain is run down and lack proper infrastructure in modern times. The problem with many Caribbean people is we choose to sweep problems under the rug instead of tackling the problems to avoid further complications later. Go ask many of your relatives and friends how things are going when they chose to ignore their health, and come let us know.

[@dellchica2373]

@@judynicholas2680 facts

[@junewebb-baptiste2409]

If you are going to insult the police you should get your spelling right

[@lonedesertwolf9939]

The days of police in short pants and putty!

[@roxannd8536]

People would have been more fit, see the amount of bicycles

[@MsKristy90]

omg wow people use to dress properly back then.

[@shankariyer8378]

Just like India in the 1950s. A lady is seen touching the feet of a white man. Indian custom of respecting. However, touching the feet only because he is a white man is rather frustrating.

[@sandcrabspa4299]

Most folks were poor and segregated by social class. However, there was little violence.

[@semoneg2826]

We are still segregated by class today

[@Jack-jl2vf]

Was hoping to see a coal pot 😂

[@paulfrancis253]

Under colonial rule we looked safer undeveloped and poor

[@WingManPilot]

...Ah yes...the small islanders that came on the boat to sell their goods👍...and stayed🤔...destroyed it😮‍💨...now the country is no longer mine🤨

[@akil2746]

Small islanders been in Trinidad since the 1700's. Most of the slaves in Trinidad came from Grenada, St Vincent, Martinique, Guadeloupe etc. Also, after slavery many small islanders came in the late 1800's especially Bajans. In the 1900's it continued. It only stopped or slowed down in the last 30 years or so.

[@WingManPilot]

@@akil2746 no small islanders lived there prior to the Queen You dunce ...the small islanders came on the boat to sell fruit ...Eric Williams opened the doors to them because he needed more creole on the island to secure his voter base and racial disparity

[@brianclarke2100]

Maybe the colony should have remained in the colonies...

[@dellchica2373]

Now that island is a crime filled.dump. come back and do a reshoot of the same areas.

[@timmyark875]

Slavery days