Company Gardens, Port Louis

The Company Gardens offer residents and visitors a place to rest or have lunch away from the surrounding traffic and commercial activity. The gardens take their name from the French East India Company, which administered Mauritius during the 18th century. Their origins can be traced to a plot cultivated by the first French settlers beside the Pouce River in the early 1720s. The low-lying site was originally marshy and prone to flooding. It was gradually improved, and during the administration of Governor Charles Decaen in the early 19th century, the area was developed into a public promenade, with waterways controlled and trees planted along its boundaries.

Today, the gardens contain statues, busts, and memorials honoring figures associated with Mauritian history and culture. Enter from La Chaussée street, on the west side, and look first for the neighboring monuments to Raoul Rivet and Rémy Ollier. Farther along, the statue of Adrien d’Épinay occupies the middle of the main garden, while the memorial to Léoville L’Homme stands near the rear exit. Cross Brown-Séquard Avenue to find the monuments to Brown-Séquard, Manilal Maganlal Doctor, and Ti-Frère; then cross Mère Barthélemy Street for the Sister Marie Barthélemy and Al-Idrissi memorials.

Decorative Chinese guardian figures can also be seen near one of the entrances. Although the gardens are sometimes informally compared with Central Park in New York, they are far smaller and are best appreciated as a historic green space closely connected with the development of the Mauritian capital.