After declining the offer of the new post of Registrar of Slaves in Trinidad, Woodford secured the governorship of Trinidad under the patronage of
Lord Bathurst, then
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. In all, he oversaw the development of Port of Spain into an attractive town; in the words of
Henry Coleridge in 1825: ::"Port of Spain is by far the finest town I saw in the West Indies. The streets are wide, long, and laid out at right angles; no house is now allowed to be built of wood, and no erection of any sort can be made except in a prescribed line. There is a public walk embowered in trees (...), and a spacious market place with a market house or shambles in excellent order and cleanliness." Supervising many of the works personally, protected from the sun and on his horse; he became popularly known among the
creole as "gouverneur chapeau paille" (Governor straw hat). In addition to public works, he was strongly motivated to promote the civic good, not only supporting the development of both the Roman Catholic and Protestant communities, but bringing all schools under Government supervision with a code of "Rules for Schools". In contrast to his attitude to slaves and free blacks, he was supportive of the
indigenous Amerindians and encouraged their ethnic pride and the revival of their festivals, especially around the town of
Arima. == Death ==