Speightstown
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| A Speightstown Sunday Morning (c) MissB |
One of the first settlements and port with direct connections
with London and Bristol, hence often referred to as Little Bristol. The English arrived on the island in 1625
and by 1927 Speightstown was established and trading. The name originates from William Speight who owned the land
upon which the town was built.
The Bowen Map of 1747
indicates the rise in prosperity of the area over the first 100 years. The map
shown here is difficult to view in detail but you cannot miss the number of
sugar plantations that create a 'fringe' around the coastline. You may also
discern the five major ports defending the town from sea attack - Orange Fort,
Denmark Fort, Coconut Fort, Haywards and Dover Port. Also just to confuse you
the island is drawn South to North so is 'upside down' compared with the modern
map. Speightstown can be found in the parish of St Peter.
The forts held off the forces of Cromwell under Admiral Sir
George Ayscue in 1649, as Barbados remained loyal to Charles I. The outcome of
the hard won freedom was the Charter of Barbados in 1652, which gave the island
unusual rights and privileges mainly to protect their trade and to control the
taxes levied on them from England.
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| View from South to North For hundreds of years this bay would have been full of ships and boats |
Although Bridgetown succeeded the West coast towns in prominence
by late C18th, Speightstown remained an important trading port, especially
during the era of the schooner, which was used
to transport sugar, goods and people backwards and forwards to the capital.
It should be noted that it was by far the quickest route to Bridgetown, it was
a long hard haul by road.
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| Wheel bases once used to carry heavy goods inland to jetty |
Also noted as a whaling port in the early C19th. Eventually the
harbour and jetties were becoming difficult to access due to the natural changes in the
shoreline making access difficult, lighters were adopted to get goods to the
schooners and ships until early 1970s.
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| The last pier (c) MissB |
Arlington House Museum
The Skinner family occupied Arlington House for 200 years their
fortune grew out of their business as chandlers, supplying the ships and then the schooners. The
family operated its own jetty and was also known to be involved in the whaling
industry. Whale bones were in great demand as used in corsets, fashionable at the
time. The whales came to spawn at the Northern tip of the island, so sadly easy prey.
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| Entrance to Arlington House Museum Coral stone posts with corton steel frames holding old negatives from days gone by. The crackle was accidental caused by the sun to good effect |
The house is owned by the National Trust Barbados and
considerable expense has produced an exceptional refurbishment of this typical
early C18th Speightstown merchant house. Described as a 'single' house, in
local parlance possibly meaning stand alone, three stories with a steeply
pitched gable roof and dormer windows, note the 'shingle' (A rectangular wooden tile used on walls or roofs). The house is long and narrow with
a single room width of 22 feet and points from East to west. The verandah,
(northwesterly) a particular feature of this town, offering respite from the
tropical heat. This architectural style is said to have been copied and closely
resembles houses in Charleston, South Carolina, which is entirely possible due
to the trade between the West Indies and the Americas. Those who had traded in
tobacco, indigo and cotton were forced to leave Barbados as sugar cane
cultivation became the prominent crop, many left to found Charleston.
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| The Verandah (c) MissB |
The ground floor uses audio, film and photographs as tools to
introduce the visitor to the business people of today, this is beautifully woven together with
pictures and stories of yesteryear. The town may have declined in importance but
the every day business continues.
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| Negative of Windmill and Sugar Mill |
Go up to the first floor where you find 'Speightstown Memories'. Poles of
pivoting postcards with words and pictures introduce you to the local
luminaries and characters of days gone by. The floor covering is the Bowen Map
of 1747. You can clearly see the importance of the area during the mid C18th,
Sonia my guide, proudly pointed to the plantation that gave her her name
'Boyce'. In general the Bajans are pragmatic about their heritage and take
great pride in their island home which includes its extraordinary and often brutal history. There is also an audio visual of a local
man, who recalls the last days of the schooners.
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| Speighstown balconies |
You then move into a room called 'Plantation Memories'. It is
dark and cool but you are channelled into the room by tall structures in green
which represent sugar cane. An audio visual experience is used to introduce you
to the story of the colonisation, sugar and slavery of the island. This is
supplemented by interactive screens and static displays. Sympathetic in its approach and provides an
interesting visual discussion on abolition and it's impact on both slave owner and
slave.
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| Still standing after all these years will just about |
The visitor will notice the exposed brickwork as they move up to the next floor,
bricks were used as ballast in the ships coming to and fro. They were also used
to build the sugar mills and are now often found beneath your feet as
decorative pathways. See blog post Bricks of Barbados.
The top floor is a positive gem, especially for children. It is
created as a 'jetty' with a virtual sea around it. There is a ship's wheel
which allows you to sail around the island and be a pirate! For the grown ups
among us there is an excellent talk by Dr Karl Watson (his family owned the
Pharmacy in Speightstown for several generations) charting the later history of
the town and it's decline. Sadly this building is up for Sale by the Barbados National Trust. |
| 'The Pharmacy' - needs saving! (c) MissB |
Many people visit the island for sun, sea and sand, they also
return again, again and again! Hence my own reason for getting off the beach
and into the history of the island with its close links to England and beyond.
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