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 When
the airplane dips its wings along the west coast, above the
crystal waters, blue against the white sand beaches, and you
see beyond that, the brown and green hills, dappled white
and pink with coral stone and wood buildings, roofed in grey
shingles and red clay tiles, you begin to tingle with anticipation
for this exciting land. For this tiny island is an architectural
delight of old and new, of elegance and simplicity, of
history and tradition preserved and repeated through the years.
This is a land of Jacobean and Georgian
buildings built with coral and ships ballast, of Victorian
homes and wooden chattel houses
trimmed in gingerbread fretwork, of sophisticated hotels and
their manicured lawns amid the open spaces of the golf courses,
the cricket pitches, the polo field and the Garrison Savanna.
It is a land of pirates castles
with their fresco ceilings, ornate Italian sculptures from
the 16 century and the Gothic
churches. It is the home of movie stars living beside
cane cutters, the aristocracy, the artisan and the fisherman.
It is a blend of people, style and structure. It is Barbados.
Barbados accommodation with architecture of interest
Historic Tradition
It was the British, who came with the long and narrow
medieval buildings, the Georgian, the Jacobean and the Victorian
designs.
It was unbroken British conservatism that led to consistent
uniformity, to balance and harmony, without the more flamboyant
influences of the Spanish, French and the Indian Ornamentation
so typical of other islands in the Caribbean.
It was the wealth of sugar that built the great plantation
homes, solid structures of coral rock, furnished with mahogany,
standing now as a heritage of grandeur.
It was the Barbados natural coral limestone, cut out of the
terraces of the ancient sea cliffs, that became the distinctive
building blocks of the stately homes, setting Barbados apart
from its neighbors with their mostly wooden buildings in the
Caribbean style.
It was the Caribbean climate of wind, rain and heat, that
led to gable roofs, the big open verandas, the low hurricane
resistant rectangular shapes, and the sturdy shutters of the
sash and jalousie windows.
It was African craftsmen, with their skills and traditions
that adapted European style and symmetry into a unique Barbados
heritage of wood stone and coral.
It was history and tradition, a people set apart, unbridled
privilege, bondage, pride and passion, both African and British,
that mined the coral stone, carved the woodenbanisters and
cast the terra cotta tiles to lay the framework of this heritage.
It was a past, rich in tradition and history that influenced
all that followed it.
Buildings and the Builders of the Past
St. Nicholas Abbey in St. Peter
and Drax Hall in St. George two of
the oldest buildings in Barbados, both built in the 1650's,
stand as proud examples of the Jacobean tradition. Drax Hall,
is the oldest surviving Jacobean mansion in the Western Hemisphere.
Only three of these mansions exit in the Western World, and
it is Barbados good fortune to have two of these treasures.
The only other remaining structure being Bacon's castle in
Virginia.
The brothers James and William Drax, built Drax hall as one
of the earliest and biggest sugar properties in Barbados.
They were a wealthy and well connected family that had a special
love for Barbados. There were others like them, for Barbados
prospered with sugar and its plantation owners held considerable
influence at home and abroad.
In the seventeenth Century Georgian architecture predominated
the Caribbean and many Barbados plantations, homes and buildings
were designed in this style. The British Garrison stationed
here in 1780 carried out an extensive building program of
Georgian and Palladian style. They built the Hastings Hospital
(now Pavilion Court) as well as many barracks and residences
at the Garrison. These Georgian buildings with their grand
Palladian staircases, majestic arcades and pediments have
influenced all Barbadian architecture, from the great plantations,
to the simple Chattel House.
The Victorian period became incorporated into the tradition
of Barbados rather than standing on its own. Sash and Jalousie
windows were alternated on the buildings facade in perfect
proportion. The open verandas were decorated with carved wood
tracery and the window parapets were trimmed with filigree,
which diffused the light and cast patterns of shade into the
sheltered rooms. Victorian frills were adopted in the design
of the Chattel homes. Chattels, which means movable, were
the homes of the sugar cane workers who lived on plantation
lands but owned or rented their home from others.
The Chattel home was built of wood and set on blocks of coral,
without a foundation, so that it could be easily moved in
case of a landlord and tenant dispute. The chattels were simple
structures but the workmanship and design show remarkable
dedication. The tiny chattel house, often skillfully replicate
the details of the grandest villas. Ornate fretwork, carved
wood bannisters and miniature Jalousie windows decorate them
in fine proportion. They attest to the character and the pride
of Barbadian, and to their sense of respectability and worth.
(c) Ian Clayton
There are several professional architects registered in Barbados
and several more drafts persons, interior designers and landscape
artists helping to keep this tradition alive.
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If you are interested in local architecture and heritage, you will love staying at The Savannah Hotel! Built in the mid 1700's, The Savannah is now a complementary blend of the traditional and the modern.