In Trinidad, we call Belmont home. Belmont is a suburb of the capital, Port-of-Spain, lying on the eastern side of the city at the foot of the Laventille Hills. It is an area known for narrow streets and winding lanes with houses sitting close together. Belmont's development essentially began in the 1840's and 1850's when the British Royal Navy started to stop illegal slave ships and rescued the captured Africans who were on these ships. There is reason to believe that Robert Antoine would have been on one of these ships. The rescued Africans settled in Belmont which at the time was on the outskirts of the city's boundary. The map above shows where the various Africans settled. The sketch of the compound refers to the Antoine compound.
In the 1880's and 1890's the population of Belmont increased significantly as the black professional class began to build large homes in the area. Many of these homes survive to the present either as residences or business places and Belmont is one area in Trinidad where it is easy to see the varied architectural styles of the late 19th and early 20th century.
The sketch came from Andrew Carr's book, "A Rada Community in Belmont".
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