Historical Society pushes to preserve Palmiste chimney

2026-03-01 - 03:27

Senior Multimedia Report radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt A call is being made to the Minister of Tourism and the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago to urgently preserve what is believed to be the last remaining sugar estate chimney in south Trinidad—a 60-foot brick structure in Palmiste that dates back more than 200 years to the colonial industrial era. Speaking to Guardian Media, Terence Honore, president of the Palmiste Historical Society, said the Cedar Grove chimney—located between Blocks 4, 5, 7 and 8—is “begging to be preserved” as encroachment creeps closer to the site, even though it sits on State land. The eight-foot-high bushes that once concealed the chimney have finally been cleared, revealing the full scale of the structure. But Honore warned that land grabbing and fence lines edging inward now pose a serious threat. “We have the cadastrals. We’ve seen that this is commercial open space,” Honore said. “There’s no designated owner on the cadastral, so what we have is a lot of encroachment. People from up on the hillside are pulling their fence lines because for the last 50 years, nothing has happened here. We need to move quickly on this.” He said the Palmiste Historical Society, formed in 2009 and comprising eight to nine residents and professionals from the area, has been working quietly for years to protect community heritage—including the well-known heart-shaped pond in Palmiste Park. “But few are aware of this hidden gem,” Honore said, gesturing to the towering structure. “This 60-foot brick chimney that stands in the vicinity of residential houses is begging to be preserved. We have made two or three efforts before to clear the area, to preserve the area and to protect what is left of the sugarcane heritage that we have.” Of the 18 grand estates across the North and South Naparimas—once the heart of Trinidad’s sugar belt—Honore said this is the only chimney left standing. Built of clay factory bricks imported from Scotland, the structure measures approximately ten feet at its base and rises 60 feet into the sky. It once served the sugar factory before later being repurposed for cocoa and copra production. Today, artefacts remain scattered on the grounds—silent reminders of the estate’s industrial past. “This is a tangible opportunity for us,” Honore stressed. “To preserve a site that is part of our heritage. This is not just about talk—this is about doing what is necessary to preserve our history, to protect our legacy and allow our children to appreciate the growth and development of our beautiful country.” He said efforts to secure official recognition have so far been unsuccessful. Honoré said the group met with the National Insurance Board (NIB), which once indicated a vested interest and surveyed the area about six years ago, but nothing materialised. Two teams from the National Trust also visited on separate occasions. “At that time, they indicated they had no funding,” he said. “We made presentations, we had tours, we wrote letters—even to the PDRC—but we were told it was outside their jurisdiction. So we are going back through the full circle again. “I am imploring, I am asking politely, I am begging that someone somewhere step up and assist us to clarify ownership so that we could proceed and make this place a heritage site.” Guardian Media reached out to Minister of Tourism Kama Maharaj, who said he was in a meeting and would comment later.