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St. Nicholas Abbey is the most treasured attraction in northern Barbados. It is the oldest house on the island, and one of the three remaining examples of Jacobean-style architecture in the Amrericas. This stone and wooden structure offers a revealing view of aristocratic plantation life.
The Abbey was built in 1650 by Colonel Benjamin Berringer, a landowner and member of an aristocratic family, which dominated the social and political life of the island at that time.
To the north of the Abbey are ruins of the sugar factory that once ground the canes produced on the estate. The factory was closed in 1947; however, the present owner, Stephen Cave, has some old film footage which shows various aspects of life at the Abbey early in the 20th Century, including workers in the factory. This intriguing footage is shown to visitors on request.
Farley Hill National Park is also located in the north of the island. This paradise consists of several beautiful acres of tropical trees and plants. The park and its great house sit on a cliff 900 feet above sea level and offer a commanding view of the entire Scotland District.
The mansion was built 200 years after St. Nicholas Abbey, on the grand scale of 19th Century plantation houses. During the late 1800s it was owned by Thomas Graham Briggs, who lived a high life. Farley Hill gained a reputation as the most lavish of the old Barbadian merchants' places. This mansion contained a library, oversized dining room and several reception rooms.
After Briggs' death in 1887, Farley Hill had a number of different occupants but it never regained the elegance it achieved under him. The mansion was destroyed by fire in 1965. After this tragedy, Farley Hill as acquired by the government and made a national park.
Gun Hill, the highest point in central Barbados, is rich in history. This historic site was the home of a signal station for the British Imperial Forces. Perched on a cliff is a milk-white limestone lion which was sculpted in 1868 by Henry Wilkinson, the Adjunct-General of the Forces.
Gun Hill offers a magnificent view of the St. George Valley. The words of Robert Schomburg written in 1884 still apply: "The ridge of cliffs, a continuation of those in St. John, traverse St. George and reach their greatest height near Gun Hill, where there is a signal-post and a convalescent station for the soldiers of the Garrison. The air here is considered very salubrious, and the view from the station over the rich and fertile valley to Bridgetown and Carlisle Bay, is extensive." No stranger who visits Barbados should omit seeing this spot.
Hackleton's Cliff stands 305 meters above the sea and offers the most panoramic view of Barbados' east coast, capturing the scenery from Pico Teneriffe in the north to Ragged Point in the south. So, if you are tired, bored and need a new beginning, visit Barbados. Let the rugged Barbados be the place to be on your holiday.
St. John's Parish Church is perched on a cliff overlooking coastal St. John and the Atlantic Ocean. The present building was constructed in 1836, after the hurricane of 1831 destroyed the one built in 1660. The pulpit is constructed from six different kinds of wood: Ebony, Locust, Barbados Mahogany, Manchineel, Oak and Pine. The church also contains an interesting sculpture depicting the Madonna and Child with the infant St. John. The graveyard contains the tome of Ferdinand Paleologus, a descendent of the Byzantine Imperial family. He was therefore buried according to Greek custom.
This beautiful historic mansion was once the home of Sir Grantley Adams - the first premier of Barbados, the "Father of Democracy", the only Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation - as well as the birth place of his son J.M.G.M "Tom" Adams, the second Prime Minister of Barbados. Tyrol Cot is filled with antique furniture and memorabilia from the Adams' lifetime collection. The house itself dates back to 1854, and was constructed by a local builder, William Farnum. The Heritage Village is an inspired outdoor "living museum" composed of attractive Chattel Houses. Each house displays the work of a traditional craftsman or artist, who can be seen woking on the site. Traditional Bajan food and even more traditional Bajan drinks are served at the "Cockspur" Rum Shop. This is a must for any and all interested in Barbados' past.
Overlooking the rugged Scotland District of St. Andrew, this huge stone mill is the largest, and only complete sugar wind-mill surviving in the Caribbean. It is a typical example of the wind driven mills that crushed sugar cane for two centuries and produced sugar, the commodity that made Barbados Britain's most valuable possesion in the Americas. The machinery that ground the cane is still intact, although the canvas sails that caught the wind and turned the the grinding mechanism are no longer on the arms. Along the interior walls of the mill is a collection of plantation artifacts and old photographs. From the top of the mill you can enjoy a breathtkaing view of the East Coast and the Atlantic Ocean. The mill is located in St. Andrew, on the North East Coast of the island, just south of Cherry Tree Hill - a small slope which boasts an amazing optical illusion. A car parked at the right spot on the hill and put into neutral will appear to roll up the hill on its own accord.
Clove. Nutmeg. Banana. Fig. These are among the numerous large exotic plants and trees that abound in this jungle walk through a deep gully, rimmed with cliffs. This gully, a cool green oasis, was once part of an immense series of caves whose roof fell in and created the gully. Welchman Hall gives an idea as to how the island must first have appeared to the settlers in 1627. The gully boasts over 200 species of tropical plants. Early morning and late afternoon visitors, who approach carefully, can often get a good look at some of the families of the native Green Monkeys which live in the gully.
The military origins of Gun Hill date as far back as 1697 when it was first known as Briggs Hill. It was around this time that big guns were positioned on the site in order to sound off a warning in the instance of any impending invasion. Presumably the name changed then acoordingly. By the time a system of signal stations was introduced by the militia in 1818, it was obvious that Gun Hill, placed strategically at 700 feet above sea-level with a commanding view from the east through the south to the west, was a prime location and Gun Hill signal station immediately became the key link in the new chain of communications. Due to its elevation Gun Hill benefited from a healthy, cool and breezy atmosphere and so it was also used as a convalescent station for soldiers suffering from yellow fever and other such ailments. Today the Signal Station has been restored and landscaped by the Barbados National Trust and converted into a small museum. Of course the view remains as spectacular as it has been for the last 300 years. On the hill below the Signal Station stand the famous British Military Lion, carved by Britsih soldier in the 19th century, the lion holds under its paw a red orb, symbolic of the British Military power at the time.
Follow the sugar trail into the beautiful Barbadian countryside, to the yard of Portvale, a sugar grinding factory. Here, in a restored "boiling house", you can trace the story of one of the more fascinating commodities on the world market. This machinery was part of the fascinating process which turned sugar cane into sugar, and rum. This museum is a tribute to Sir Fank Hutson. Had it not been for this remarkably visionary man, the items in this museum would still be scattered all over the island , abandoned and rusting with age. This distinguished Barbadian Engineer had the foresight to gather them in one place, preserving them for posterity. Visitors can view a model of a sugar wind-mill, see samples of sugar cane growing and taste the delicious by-products of sugar, such as "sling" and "molasses". The museum is even more fascinating because of its location, next to Portvale sugar Factory, the most modern of its kind in the island. As an added attraction, during crop time, both places can be toured.
On the Atlantic side of the island, often considered the prettiest part of the island, the beautiful Andromeda Gardens overlook the small fishing village of Trent Bay, in the parish of St. Joesph. The Garden was started by Mrs. Iris Bannochie in 1954 on land that had belonged to her family for more than 200 years. In 1964 she came, with her husband John, to live in the house in the middle of the garden. Both the garden and the house are "chained" to the rock, like the legendary Greek maiden Andromeda, hence the name. Collections of tropical plants form individual gardens; Bougainevillea , Hibiscus, Helicona, Orchids, Palms, Cactus and Succulents, as well as Ferns, Aroids and Begonias in the less sunny places. The gardens contain thousands of plants from all over the world, including many rare plants and hybrids, most obtained from other botanists or through personal expeditions to several of the other islands.
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