Barbados / Special Interests / Historical Sites

For such a compact island, there is a surprising range of sites that pull back the curtain on Barbados’s full and varied history. Some are related to British rule with the former military garrison and signal stations, old plantation houses, a sugar mill and beautiful historic churches. Others highlight local pottery skills handed down over generations and detail life during slavery and beyond. 

Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison are now included in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site list. 

Bridgetown

Garrison Historic Area & The National Cannon Collection, St Michael - The former British Military Garrison, with St Ann’s Fort dating back to 1704 and the Main Guard with a handsome clock tower dated 1803. The Military Cemetery is located to the back of the fort, and there is a large collection of 17th century cannons (largest in the world) which includes one of only two cannons with Cromwell’s Republican Arms on it. Now the headquarters of the Barbados Defence Force.

George Washington House, The Garrison - Barbados was the only country outside America that George Washington ever visited. At 19, George and his half brother Lawrence spent two months in Bush Hill House in late 1751. A former plantation house built in 1719, the house has now been fully restored and was officially opened to the public in January 2007. There is now a museum upstairs and the ground floor has been furnished with period pieces. Outbuildings have also been restored, including the kitchen, mill and stables. A 15 minute film about the trip called ”George Washington in Barbados”, is available for viewing. Opening hours 9am-4.30pm, Monday-Friday. Annual closure in September for cleaning and refurbishment.
 

Beyond Bridgetown

Codrington College, St John - Bequeathed by former estate owner Christopher Codrington, a Barbadian planter who became Captain General and Governor of the Leeward Islands at the age of 30. Built between 1715 and 1743 and established as a theological college in 1745, it is the oldest Anglican theological college in the Western Hemisphere.

Cotton Tower, St Joseph - One of a string of military signal stations that could send messages around the island in quick time to warn of danger, Cotton Tower was named after Lady Caroline Cotton, daughter of the then governor of Barbados.

Grenade Hall Forest and Signal Station, Farley Hill - A walk-through forest with explanations of the plants’ uses in medicine and other aspects of life. Post 1816 military signal station..

Gun Hill Signal Station, St George - Military signal station built in 1818. Any signal going from Cotton Tower to St Ann’s Fort in Bridgetown had to be relayed via Gun Hill. Another attraction is the lion, which was carved in 1868 by a British officer who was stationed at Gun Hill. A Barbados National Trust property.

Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill, St Andrew - Dating from around 1727, this is the Caribbean’s largest and most complete working mill. Barbados National Trust property.

Speightstown - Once a busy sugar harbour defended by a number of military forts – a number of cannons remain on the esplanade – Speightstown was named after William Speight, a local merchant with links to Bristol in England (there is still a company operating in Bristol called Speight). It was also known as “Little Bristol” due to the high level of trade between the two ports (in the 17th century Bristol was the second most important port in England after London). Speightstown was also a whaling town between 1867 and 1920.

St George Parish Church, St George - One of the oldest Anglican churches on the island, and home to a glorious altar painting by Benjamin West, and sculpture work by Richard Westmacott, creator of Nelson’s statue in Bridgetown.

St James Parish Church, St James - The original structure was built in wood by the early English settlers in mid 1628, but was destroyed by hurricane in 1675. A stone structure was erected in the early 1690’s – the church bell was cast in 1669. In 1874 due to the decay of its 200-year-old walls, the church was partially demolished and a larger structure was built. The north porch and sanctuary were added in the 1900s.

St John’s Parish Church, St John - The first church was built around 1660, and rebuilt in 1836 following destruction by hurricane in 1831. There is some lovely interior woodwork and glorious views (set on an 800ft cliff) of the East Coast. The churchyard is the resting place of Ferdinando Paleologus, last descendant in the line of Emperor Constantine the Great, who died in Barbados in 1678.

St Nicholas Abbey, Cherry Tree Hill - A very handsome Jacobean Great House built around 1658, which with Drax Hall (a private house also in Barbados) is one of the only three surviving Jacobean mansions in the western hemisphere, the third being in Virginia, USA. The house and surrounding buildings, including an 1890 steam mill, have recently undergone extensive renovations by owner, architect Larry Warren, who purchased the property in 2006. In the stables is a display of sugar in all its aspects, fancy brown sugar, molasses and barrels in which the special blended St Nicholas Abbey rums are aged. A video of a black and white home movie shot in 1935 by the previous owners is available for viewing. Opening hours are 10am to 3.30pm Sunday-Friday.

Sunbury Plantation House, St Philip -  A listed Great House dating back more than 300 years, with all rooms open for viewing and the Caribbean’s largest collection of horse-drawn carriages. Available for weddings and private functions. Regular five-course, candlelit dinners in the formal dining room, with a 200-year-old mahogany table. Courtyard restaurant for lunch or afternoon tea.

Tyrol Cot Heritage Village, Codgrinton Hill - The flagship property of the Barbados National Trust. Built in 1854 and the former home of the first Premier of Barbados, Sir Grantley Adams, and the birthplace of his son, J.M.G.M “Tom” Adams, the second Prime Minister of an independent Barbados. The village includes a replica of a slave hut, a working blacksmith’s shop, a Chattel House Museum depicting life in the 1920’s, a rum shop and local art and craftwork. The Old Stables restaurant serves local and regional food.

Non-profit organisations and Government links:

The Barbados National Trust, Wildey House, Wildey, St Michael, t 426 2421, natrust@sunbeach.net www.nationaltrustbarbados.com Office open Mon-Fri from 8am to 4pm.

Bush Hill Tourism Trust Inc., George Washington House, Bush Hill, The Garrison, St Michael, t 228 5461/228 5710
dvedwards@georgewashingtonbarbados.org,
www.georgewashingtonbarbados.org

Codrington College, St John, t 423 1140, www.codrington.org

Contributors Sara Macefield (foreword)