The UWI St. Augustine Campus brings together several cultural and historical perspectives in Saint Augustine: a precisely dated institutional history, architecture from different periods and university collections. For your travel plans, it offers a clear focus if you are interested in history, architecture and academic subjects. The campus’s history begins with a handover in 1921 and continues with the opening of the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture the following year. Its architecture and collections add further topics to this historical context.
Campus history and architecture
The grounds where the UWI St. Augustine Campus is now located were handed over to the West Indian Agricultural College in 1921. The college opened the following year, on October 16, as the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA). The handover of the grounds and the institution’s later opening were therefore two distinct steps in the campus’s history. Those interested in institutional history can follow a clear timeline rather than just a single date.
The Old Administration Building at the UWI St. Augustine Campus has rectangular columns of Masonic origin. Their shape and origin provide a specific architectural point of reference. The campus combines modern architecture and early 20th-century architecture with valued green spaces. Together, these offer a different perspective from the college’s history: architecture and campus character are distinct topics alongside its historical development.
Collections on campus
The Zoology Museum collection on campus includes animal specimens and the Banwari Burial. An August 2023 university announcement identifies the Banwari man/woman as one of the artifacts in the UWI Zoology Museum. The Archaeology Centre on campus mainly houses pre-Columbian and Indigenous artifacts from the Americas. The collections thus have distinct thematic focuses: animal specimens and the Banwari Burial feature in one, while archaeological artifacts from the Americas are the focus of the other. For travelers interested in scientific collections, this contrast offers another way to understand the campus.
Discover the wider destination of Tunapuna-Piarco
Within the wider destination of Tunapuna-Piarco, Mount St. Benedict is a historical point of interest in its own right. The mountain is home to Benedictine monks who settled there in 1912. Three monks from the Benedictine monastery of San Sebastien in Bahia, Brazil, came to the foothills of Trinidad’s Northern Range under the leadership of Abbot Dom Mayeul de Caigny. Their origins, leader and year of settlement give this regional topic a different focus from the campus history in Saint Augustine.
Caura Valley offers a landscape-focused addition within the wider destination. It is accessible via Caura Royal Road, which branches off Eastern Main Road. Along the winding access road through the valley, visitors can picnic or swim in the clear waters of the Caura River. Pool Number 1 and Pool Number 2 at the abandoned pumping station are described as popular spots for a “river lime.” These details offer different points of reference for planning: Mount St. Benedict represents the historical connection here, while Caura Valley is associated with picnicking, swimming and the named pools. Check local road and water conditions before visiting.
Discover more destinations: Piarco, Arouca, Saint Joseph, Tacarigua, Trincity, Kelly Village.
Return to the wider travel overview: Tunapuna-Piarco.
