St Clair has long been known as the finest real estate in the island. In a recently bygone era of colonialism it was the preserve exclusively of the uppercrust of the ruling classes where elegant mansions were set in extensive grounds. Today, many of those fine homes still exist, but some have been turned into office space, particularly for government ministries.
St Clair was developed as a sugar estate, as part of the Peschier family holdings in the late 18th century. When the Peschiers sold off what was later to become Queen’s Park Savannah in 1817, St Clair was retained. By 1876 the canes had given way to pasture and the government veterinary officer, Mr J B White, clamoured for the formation of a stock farm and breeding station which would raise cattle to supply a decent quality of milk for public institutions like hospitals and asylums while simultaneously improving the genetic stock of the cattle in Trinidad.
Subsequently in 1879, the stock farm was inaugurated with two head of cattle being the initial herd. Gradually, the aims and objectives of the farm were realised since not only did the herds produce milk, but also disseminated superior breeders to the small cattle owners of the island. At the end of every year, a grand auction was held wherein some of the animals were disposed of. In 1885, J H Collens raved about the good work of the farm:
“Mr White has not only a practical knowledge of farming, but he is also an experienced veterinary surgeon, and the natural consequence is that the cattle are in prime condition, while the milk is exceptionally rich and pure. For these purposes, the shorthorn from England and the large variety of the zebu from India have been introduced, the last named with marked success and value to the colony.
At the end of December, 1885, the stock comprised 220 cows, 16 zebu (Bos Indicus), and four Indian buffalos (Bos Bubalus)—total, 240. Within the last year a stallion of the Norfolk Hackney breed has been added to the establishment.”
The superintendent of the stock farm also had jurisdiction over the Queen’s Park Savannah as far as its use as a pasture was concerned. A large number of Madrassi milk-sellers had settled in what is now Boissiere Village and St James and they kept a fair number of cows. These animals were allowed to forage in the Savannah at the cost of one dollar per month. In at least one funny incident, a strolling pair of lovers were put to sudden flight when they were charged by an angry bull.
The colonial government acquired Valsayn estate from the Guiseppi family in 1899 and by 1901, all the cattle had been transferred under the management of C W Meaden, Mr White’s successor. The St Joseph farm as it became known was later vested in the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture at St Augustine in 1924 and still survives as the UWI Field Station. With no more cows, the pastures at St Clair were laid out in residential lots from around 1898 becoming the place it is today.
While the place was still a home for cattle, however, in 1878, a powerful man by the name of Alexander Gray owned the estate. He constructed a magnificent residence for his family called Sweetbriar House. Gray had such authority, that his was one of the few homes being supplied with piped water directly from the Maraval Reservoir, for which he paid no water rates.
In 1884, the colonial government purchased all the land with the exception of Sweetbriar House, and laid out St Clair Ave with leases of 199 years for lots at a peppercorn rent. This was the genesis of St Clair as a fashionable upper crust suburb.
In 1903, George Bushe (whose father, John Scott Bushe had been a Colonial Secretary until his death in 1887 and lies buried in the Botanical Gardens) bought Sweetbriar House from Alexander Gray and remodelled it for the opening of the exclusive and posh St Clair Club. This soon became the snooty precursor to the Country Club, and was the place where the cream of society met to quaff cocktails and be waited upon by immaculately uniformed servants.
George Bushe died in 1910, and his moiety in the property was leased by a consortium of members of the St Clair Club. The lease on the land was sold to Tatil in 1969 who promptly demolished the house. In 1975, the Tatil skyscraper was erected on the spot, obliterating all memory of Sweetbriar House and the St Clair Club.