The City of Port-Louis: Old & New Street Names

Hundreds of streets in Port-Louis have seen transformations throughout the centuries, from the French and British to the independence era. Only a few of their names, for example, have been altered. But even the younger generation continues to refer to them by their original names. For instance, while the majority of individuals still refer to Desforges Street, the new name is Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Street.

Street Names Changed From Ordinances

Following the passage of ordinance 23 by Sir F.A. Herchenroder and E. Koenig in 1903, the streets of Port-Louis were renamed from 1828 to 1903. After Mauritius gained its independence in 1968, the following table details the names of some popular streets, those that have changed and those that have remained unchanged.

Actual Name	Name As From 1903	Name Before 1903
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Street	Desforges Street	Rue de Paris
Dr Hassen Sakir Street	Pagoda Street	–
Sir Abdool Razack Mohamed	Rue de Pamplemousses	Rue Kléber
Dauphine Street	Dauphine Street	Rue des Francs-Maçons
Abbé Déroulède Street	Abbé Déroulède Street	Rajah Street
Edith Cavell Street	Edith Cavell Street	Rempart Street
Lord Kitchener Street	Lord Kitchener Street	Moka Street
Sir William Newton Street	Sir William Newton Street	Church Street
Souillac Street	Souillac Street	Rue de Brabant et de Beaucaire
Saint George Street	Saint George Street	Rue de Marengo
Ternay Street	Ternay Street	Rue de la Réunion
Volcy Pougnet Street	Volcy Pougnet Street	Rue Madame
Wellington Street	Wellington Street	Champ de Lort
Old Moka Road	Old Moka Road	Chemin de la Grande Rivière
Monseigneur Leen Street	Rue Commissaire	Rue Commissaire
Seeneevassen Street	La Paix Street	Rue des Pucelles
Chaussée Street	Chaussée Street	Rue du Calvados
Intendance Street	Intendance Street	Rue de la Préfecture
Mère Barthélémy Street	Creoles Street	Rue des Créoles
Pope Hennessy Street	Government Street	Rue du Gouvernement
Remy Ollier Street	Limites Street	Rue de Limites
Sir Virgil Naz Street	Touraine Street	Rue de Touraine
Brown Sequard Street	Pump Street	Rue de la Pompe
Jemmapes Street	Jemmapes Street	Rue de la Reine
Orléans Street	Orléans Street	Rue d’Arcole
Lislet Geoffrey Street	Lislet Geoffrey Street	Hazard Street
Monseigneur Gonin Street	Monseigneur Gonin Street	Rue de Bourbon
Léoville L’Homme Street	Léoville L’Homme Street	Prince Régent Street
D’Entrecasteaux Street	D’Entrecasteaux Street	Rue de la Côte d’Or

Conclusion

This table was created using data from Google Maps, maps provided by the City Council of Port-Louis, and information from August Toussaint’s book, Port-Louis Deux Siècles D’Histoire (1735-1935).