Curator, Elford Liverpool

The Guyana National Museum in Georgetown boasts a collection of flora and fauna, precious stones found in our land formation, archaeological findings, and examples of Amerindian arts and crafts.

It is an important national institution in Guyana, and is located on North Road Company Path in Georgetown.

According to curator Mr. Elford Liverpool, the museum is more than a place where exhibits are stored.

“The museum serves society by acquiring and conserving various artifacts that can be accessed for research or for pleasure since it exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of Guyana,” he explained.

The National Museum is divided into basically three sections: Natural History and Industrial sections found on the upper floor, and the Social History section on the ground floor.

The entrance to the National Museum

The Museum was first established in 1844 and was destroyed by fire 20 years later.

A new museum was subsequently constructed and managed by The Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society before the Government of British Guiana assumed control of the facility in 1936.

There was no permanent curator of the museum in the early years. Instead these services were achieved through Dr H. Whitlock a medical officer of health, who readily volunteered his skills.

It was he who facilitated the acquiring of the first animal exhibits at the museum.

In 1876 Dr Whitlock died and his services were for a short period executed by another individual, Mr. Fresson.

The members of The Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society soon realised the need for the service of a paid curator and Sir Edward Fim Thurn was appointed, serving from 1877-1879.

He was succeeded by Mr. E. A. Glaisher in March 1883.

Under Glaisher, the collection at the museum was enhanced with the presentation of mineralogical and genealogical exhibits by Mr. Harrington Brown.

In 1885, the museum’s progress was temporarily halted by the death of Glaisher and once more Mr. Fresson acted as Curator until the appointment of Mr. John J. Quelch who undertook the task of expanding the museum activities.

After Quelch resigned, Mr. Evans was temporarily assigned for a while then Mr. James Rodway undertook the task of curator and the exhibits were much enhanced in keeping with Rodway’s interest in botany.

In 1925 Rodway resigned and he was succeeded by the Dr Walter E. Roth who provided many anthropological exhibits relating to the indigenous population of Guyana.

In February 1945 there was the great Water Street fire which razed several buildings, including the Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society building where the museum was housed.

In 1946, the Legislative Council adopted a proposal for provision of $50,000 for the rebuilding of the museum.

An annual grant of $2,500 to $3,000 was released over a number of years for this purpose.

The reconstruction was undertaken by one Mr. Ram Singh, and his fellow workers who rebuilt the Museum Natural History collection.

However, so great was the volume of the new collection that the premises proved to be too small.

In the circumstances an alternative venue was sought. A lease of two-thirds of Cummingsburg market where the Government flats are now located was then used as the general store room for many years.

In February 1946, permission was granted and over the course of the next three months the premises was transformed to house and exhibit the Natural History collection.

The temporary museum was formerly opened by the officer administrating the government, Mr. W.L Heape on July 14, 1949.

In 1951, with much fanfare, the present building, after being dedicated by the Archbishop of the West Indies, Allan Knight, was declared opened.

“We have to continue to provide learning experiences for every visiting member of the public through preservation and display of Guyana’s natural history and other specimens, which is our mission,” curator Liverpool says.

The curator said that the some of the works to enhance the Museum include:

* Introduction of new exhibits among which are new animals that have not been featured in the museum before, such as amphibians and more birds;

* Enhancing the current displays by introducing variations, such as the anaconda. The museum currently has one exhibit of the snake but plans to mount another one using a fresh display; and

* Organising training sessions for staff so as to have them specialise in different areas to be able to conduct educational tours around the institution.

“These things will help us to provide a fresh and new perspective for the museum’s visitors, which number on average 100 each day,”

The ‘Comment Book’ at the front desk in the museum boasts signatures of individuals from across Guyana as well as from many overseas territories.

Some of the comments laud the National Museum for facilitating “An educational and historical experience;” “A very educational experience;” and “A visit that boasts an informative collection.”

In order to continue engendering such responses, Liverpool stated that his team is committed to bettering the Guyana National Museum.

Presently, the museum continues to grow with the staging of exhibitions and educational awareness programmes aimed at bringing the museum to life, a source of inspiration for those who walk through its doors every day.