Arima Dial
What is the Arima Dial?
The Arima DIAL is one the most well-known, important and historical landmark in Arima. The Dial is located in the middle of the road between the intersection of Broadway and Queen St, it is the central point of Arima. It stands as a symbol of progress, development and independence. It was given to the citizens of Arima and the Borough by Mayor John Francis Wallen (1898-1899). So antiquated was the Dial that when it was installed the machinery which operated it was powered by a stream which ran through the town. This was changed by the advanced technology of the 20th century. The present dial was installed on September 15, 1985. It contains a computerized public address system which is controlled from the Town Hall.
There are a couple of well known stores around the vicinity of the Arima Dial, such as
- Jadoo's Bookstore,
- Naipaul's Bookstore,
- L.C Sawh Enterprises Ltd better known as SAWH'S,
- Debbie's,
- Hearty Foods,
- K. Chang General,
- Payless Shoe Store,
- Phats International,
- Maxcel Drugs,
- Royal Caste
ARIMA is the Amerindian word for “water”. It was so named as the village was built around a river.
The Google Map below shows the exact location of the Arima Dial
This was a survey done by the CSO and UNDP on the Municipal Indicators of Trinidad and Tobago focusing on Arima. Some interesting facts.