This walking
tour guides you around the commercial areas around Balogun Street
and the Ebute Ero Market areas in the western part of Lagos Island.
The Saro repatriates,
freed slaves who returned to Nigeria from Sierra Leone, settled
in this area in the second half of the 1800s. You will see some
of their remaining homes and shops around Balogun Street and Alhaji
Issa Williams Street. The Ebute Ero you pass through has been
a market place since the time of the first known human use of
Lagos Island.
The tour takes
about an hour to walk at a leisurely pace, not including the inevitable
time which will be spent browsing and buying at stalls or taking
extra trips down inviting alleyways and side street. This walk
is best done on a business day, and not too early in the morning,
so that the wide range of wares foe sale can be seen and appreciated.
PARKING:
The walking tour begins in the vicinity of the UTC
Department Store, located on Broad Street and Marina. Metered
parking places are available at both the west and east sides of
UTC. A public parking lot is located on the Marina, to the right
just after leaving the roundabout.
Begin the
tour on Marina, near the compound parking lot for UTC. Walk along
away from the expressway flyover and proceed past the Gottschalks
Textile Building towards the vacant lots and what was formerly
the Kingsway Store.
This area
of Lagos Island was originally called Ehingbeti. It was dumping
ground for the settlements on the interior parts of the island,
which faced the Mainland. Ehingbeti had little value at this time
and Lagosians were surprised when European decided upon this part
of the island for their settlement. It was chosen for its potential
trading location, close to the waterway, which leads out into
the Atlantic Ocean.
By the late
1850s some European trading companies, along with the Anglican
and Methodist missionaries, had constructed buildings in Ehingbeti.
Early British government quarters were also situated here- most
notably the residence of the British Consul, which arrived prefabricated
from the UK. This structure was locally described as the “corrugated
iron coffin which always had a dead consul inside”. It won
this reputation from the interior heat produced by the metal building
parts along with the succession of new expatriate officials to
replace dead ones.
The empty
lot next to the Gottschalk building, now used for parking, was
originally the Customs House and Treasury. A pier was constructed
here in 1860, when the harbor was made accessible to ocean going
ships. Before then, vessels had to anchor outside the harbor.
Cargo and passengers from Ghana, the only boatman skilled enough
to navigate the bar and the surf at the died entrance to the harbor.
An average of fifteen people died each year in this transfer process.
Today’s airport arrivals and departures by comparison.
The large
Steam Tramway had a series of sidings along the Marina and out
onto the pier at this point, so cargo could be transferred from
vessel to the main railway line at Iddo on the Mainland.
The Customs
House compound was later used as the Central Police Station.
Continue
along Marina. The Bank Credit and Commerce International (now
African International Bank) building was constructed as the National
Bank in 1915 and remodeled in 1986. its original architectural
features have been thoughtfully preserved.
Walk along
Marina and turn left onto Davies Street. It is before what was
formerly the Kingsway Store and marked by a street sign. Walk
along it for one block to Broad Street.
St. Paul
Church Breadfruit is on the opposite side of Broad Street. Founded
in 1852, this was the first Anglican congregation on Lagos Island.
The “Breadfruit” in the title refers to the Saro repatriates
settlement in the area, which in turn was named for the breadfruit
trees in the vicinity.
The land
for the church was once the site of a camp operated by slave traders.
The old breadfruit trees near the church used to have marks on
them which were made when slaves were tied up to the trees. The
present church building was constructed in 1880-81. it was rebuilt
and expanded in 1975 and received an exterior remodeling in 1986-87.
Most of the original building features have been covered up. There
is still a breadfruit tree on the Broad Street side of the building,
just behind an old wrought iron gate with ornate posts.
Continue
on Davies Street for a block beyond Broad Street, and then turn
left onto Breadfruit Street
SHOPPING
TIPS: The stalls in this area specialize in women’s
and children’s ready made clothing. A way down the street
on the left are some jewelry sellers who have good selections
of coral and some semi-precious stones. Across from them, in
a covered alleyway, are sellers of gold jewelry.
Turn right
onto Balogun Street, at the large Cooperative and Commerce Bank
building at the right.
SHOPPING
TIP: Shops along Balogun Street specialize in inexpensive
shoes, Dutch wax and other types of cloth.
Balogun
Square is a short distance down the street on the left side. Now
filled with market stalls, it was once more of a residential area.
The tops of several old houses can still be seen along the left
rear of the square.
Farther down
Balogun Street, at a street corner right, is an old Saro-style
commercial building. The Malluo House of fashion occupies the
ground floor. A private residence is upstairs. The building has
the typical floor. The sign on the balcony reads “A.R. Shitta,
Solicitor and Advocate”. The Shitta family settled in this
neighborhood after returning from Sierra Leone.
Where Balogun
Street becomes Ereko Street you can look back to the right, down
Martins Street, and see the Shitta Bay Mosque. That part of the
city in included in walking tour.
To the left
at this point is a sign for the “Lawrence Extension Market”.
The alleyway here is one entrance into the Gutter market, where
expensive cloth and other items are sold. In this market area
you will probably rub elbows with some of the best dressed women
in the city.
The entrance
to the Iga compound is on the left opposite the Kee Klamp Stalls
of Ereko Market. Iga Ereko is a traditional Yoruba compound area.
One set of Lagos chiefs is related to control of land in a specific
portion of the city. The term “Iga” refers to a chief
residence, or palace.
On the right
side of the street is the Ereko Methodist Church, which is being
renovated. The façade and tower, which do not face Ereko
Street, are nicely designed.
Store signs
along Ereko Street show the presence of old expatriate trading
companies. Chainrai, Rochalchet, Jhammatmal. Alongside the Rochalchet
store is Ereko Lane, another entrance into the Gutter Market area.
Continue
along Ereko Street, past the bus stops, where Nnamdi Azikiwe street
merges, and traffic becomes two ways, look for the statue of the
Lagos masquerader which faces the approach to Cater Bridge. Use
the pedestrian overpass to get a panoramic view of the bus stop,
market area, and high rise buildings in the background. Retrace
your steps down the overpass and walk down Bridge Street, which
is at the foot of the overpass which specializes in bales inexpensive
plastic slippers.
Bridge Street
ends at an open area with more stalls of the Ebuta Ero market
on the right. You may wish to make some side trips into this market
area.
SHOPPING
TIP: Prices for goods in this market area are said
to be the lowest in the city. An abundance of local and imported
items is available.
Keeping the
National Petrol station on your left, walk down the street with
the tall, mosque on the left side which is Sanusi Olusi Road.
Down the
street on the right is the Alhaji Alashoke Mosque. It was named
for a wealthy woman cloth trader, thus the ashoke in the name,
who donated the money for the building. The pink trim on the gray
building resembles icing on a cake. At this point Sanusi Olusi
Road becomes Alhaji Issa Williams Street.
Walk along
to the Uilgas store on a left-hand street corner. The building
is called Prospect House. It is an example of the homes constructed
by wealthy Saro merchants. While the street level has been remodeled
for modern commercial use, the upper level retains the original
decorative window moldings.
Breadfruit
Street crosses here. To he right on Breadfruit Street is the Olowogbowo
Methodist church; with the high rise Elephant House building in
the distance. You may wish to take a side trip down Breadfruit
Street to view the church, which was completed in 1885.
On Alhaji
Issa Williams Street, a block beyond Breadfruit, an old Saro structure
is on the left. The building has many typical Saro features. While
commercial establishment are on the street level, the upper level
is for residential quarters. A wooden balcony extends along the
front of the upper level.
You are now
back at Breadfruit Street and the UTC Department Store, which
has a cafeteria-style restaurant on the top floor and is a good
place to lunch.
