Categories
All of these albums contain aerial photos, videos or both of the location in question. Visit Aerial Mauritius
There are many buildings from many different in many different styles which can be found throughout Mauritius. From the smallest wooden hut to the official residence of the President, and everything in between. Visit Buildings
There are many cemeteries and tombs found around Mauritius with many very old and sometimes quirky graves. The names of the more prominent families appear on some rather impressive tombs and most Mauritian families have their own burial plot into which, all of their dead are buried. This does often mean, the bones of those buried of those already buried, are collected during the re-digging of a grave to be re-interred with the latest burial. Whilst the cemetery can arrange for a grave to be reopened for a fee, it is common for the male members of a family to dig the grave.
Many of the historic cemeteries which remain in use have areas where the interred died from infectious diseases and these areas will never be reused for fear of infection. Visit Cemeteries, Tombs & Memorials
Chimneys started appearing when sugar mills moved to steam as the source of their power. Hot air rises and by providing a chimney for the hot air to rise in, the resulting draught can be controlled and better utilised. As the hot air rises, colder air is drawn across the fire by the pressure differential which leads to a more efficient fire. The fire was used to convert water into steam which in turn was used to power machinery. As technology progressed, the manner in which the water was heated became more efficient but this still required a chimney. The draught produced by the chimney depended on a number of factors including the location, and the height of the chimney. You will see a number of chimneys have been raised up higher than their original height, Albion for example. This could have been because the draught was initially insufficient or it could have been due to a different steam production method being used later which required a stronger draught. Many chimneys are on private land and whilst many land owners are happy for visitors to take photos, we recommend asking permission first. There are a couple of chimneys which were not used in this manner, including a bread oven. Visit Chimneys
There are a large number of islands found around the coast of Mauritius, from tiny bits of rock sticking out of the sea to larger, inhabited islands. Some of these have been fortified at various times in history and the remains of these fortifications from different historical periods remain in-situ. Visit Islands
Lime is an important part of the production of sugar as hydrated lime is used in the production of sugar to raise the pH level of the raw juice and to react with the impurities to form insoluble calcium organic compounds which can then be removed. Whilst most sugar mills had chimneys where lime was produced from coral, there were a number of lime production facilities around Mauritius as well as individual lime kilns which were used to supply the sugar industry with a constant supply. Visit Lime Kilns
Mauritius was serviced by a around 155 miles of standard gauge railway track on two primary lines and four secondary lines. Apart from the bridges and culverts constructed to traverse the many streams, rivers and ravines, a number of embankments were also constructed, some of which were constructed over small bridges or culverts. There were also a number of narrow gauge railways constructed to service some of the sugar mills. Visit Mauritius Railways
Military Camps A small number of military camps or barracks can still be found in Mauritius and are still for the most part, still being used for their intended purpose. Military Batteries The French built a large number of batteries around the coast but as the development of armaments progressed and the range of cannon increased, some batteries became surplus to requirements and many were allowed to fall into various states of disrepair and even ruin. Under British rule, some batteries were replaced with Martello Towers, some key batteries were enhanced and some batteries were removed. Batteries were only originally required in places where large numbers of troops could be landed swiftly and safely. There was no need to site a battery on top of a cliff, where boats could not pass through the reef or where boats could not land safely. This did mean that most batteries were built to protect beaches and have been bulldozed into obscurity in the name of traditional tourism.
Military Locations This category contains all of the military sites which do not fit under any of the other military categories. Military Forts The British constructed five forts around Port-Louis, Forts George, Adelaide, Victoria, William and Albert were primarily designed to protect the harbour and town of Port-Louis although with improvements in ordnance and military tactics, they eventually became obsolete. Whilst all of these forts remain standing, only Forts Adelaide and Albert can be visited.
The French constructed a number of batteries around the coast and a number of these included redoubts which were small, fortified sites designed as a defensible stronghold.
Five Martello Towers were constructed on the west coast of Mauritius and numbered one through five. Tower one was also called the Cunningham Tower and situated inside the walls of Fort George. Whilst this was the largest of the five towers constructed, it was removed in the first quarter of the 20th century. Tower two was constructed as a part of Fort Victoria and has also been demolished. Towers three, four and five are still standing with tower four having been turned into a museum at La Preneuse.
Hundreds if not thousands of pieces of artillery have found their way to Mauritius, either as a part of the defensive weapons on a ship which perhaps sunk off the coast or as a deliberate part of the arming of a battery or fort to defend Mauritius. Many obsolete cannon have been used as ornaments in both public and private locations, and the Special Mobile Force (SMF) have collected a large number of cannon which have been lying forlorn around Mauritius. There does not appear to be any formal record of the various cannon but this would be something worth compiling. The SMF also have a number of artillery pieces as gate guardians at some of their locations. You should ask permission before attempting to take photos of these cannon. Visit Military Locations
The National Heritage Fund, (NHF) working under the aegis of the Ministry of Arts and Culture is mandated to protect and manage a number of listed sites which have already been identified as being of significant, historic importance.
The majority of the sites we have recorded, those not listed under this category, currently fall outside of the remit of the NHF. View National Monuments.
This contains albums which might not sit comfortably in any of the other categories. Not all of these albums are historic in nature but perhaps one day they might be historic to someone. Visit Others
This category contains photos of both Mauritians and tourists. If we have met whilst out and about and we have taken your photo, this is where you will find it. Visit People
Images recorded at many of the different towns and villages found throughout Mauritius. Visit Places
From a peak of 259 sugar factories in 1858, there are now just 3 active sugar factories processing all of the sugar cane grown throughout Mauritius however each of these 3 sugar mills has an individual output which exceeds the combined output of the 259 sugar mills. Not every sugar estate had its own sugar mill, with mergers, purchases and centralization, many smaller sugar estates were consolidated into larger estates which in turn were further consolidated. Small planters, i.e. owners of small areas of land which grow sugar cane, will take their cane to one of the remaining mills for processing and will be paid by the weight. It takes roughly 10 tonnes of sugar cane to make 1 tonne of processed sugar. Visit Sugar Estates & Mills
Mauritius proudly boasts two UNESCO World Heritage sites, Le Morne Cultural Landscape in the south-west of the island and Aapravasi Ghat in the capital, Port-Louis. Visit Unesco World Heritage Sites
Although Mauritius has natural fresh water supplies, they have not always been available in the places where it was needed most. To that end, a number of freshwater canals were built to transport water from the source to where it was needed.
There have also been a number of reservoirs constructed to store supplies of freshwater. This category lists sites related to the storage and supply of freshwater. Visit Water Features