Bridgetown travel guide

The capital, Bridgetown, is on the southwest corner of the island. The city itself covers a fairly small area. It is busy and full of life. There are two interesting areas, downtown Bridgetown with National Heroes Square on the north side of the Careenage and the historic area at Garrison. There are no really large buildings except Tom Adams Financial Centre, which houses the central bank. Swan Street is now a lively pedestrian street where Barbadians do their shopping and street music is sometimes performed. On Broad Street you will find a whole range of sophisticated shops for tourists, with large shopping malls and department stores. More developments are planned along the Careenage where old warehouses are being converted for other uses. The suburbs sprawl most of the way along the south and west coasts, and quite a long way inland. Many of the suburban areas are very pleasant, full of flowering trees and 19th-century coral stone gingerbread villas.

National Heroes Square was until 1999 called Trafalgar Square, with a statue of Lord Nelson, sculpted by Sir Richard Westmacott and predating its London equivalent by 36 years. It has recently been the subject of some controversy as it was thought to link Barbados too closely with its colonial past. First Nelson was turned 180° so that he no longer looked down Broad Street, the main shopping area, but now he may be removed, if a suitable home can be found. The square is now celebrating 10 official national heroes, including Sir Grantley Adams. There is a memorial to the Barbadian war dead and the fountain commemorates the piping of water to Bridgetown in 1861. To the north is the Parliament Building. Built in 1872, the legislature is an imposing grey building with red roof and green shutters. Built in gothic style, the clock tower is more reminiscent of a church. You can walk between the buildings (providing you are correctly dressed).

Take the northeast exit out of National Heroes Square along St Michael’s Row to reach the 18th-century St Michael’s Cathedral. It has a fine set of inscriptions and a single-hand clock. The first building was consecrated in 1665 but destroyed by a hurricane in 1780. The present cathedral is long and broad with a balcony. It has a fine vaulted ceiling and some tombs (1675) have been built into the porch. Completed in 1789, it suffered hurricane damage in 1831. If you continue east, you reach Queen’s Park, a pleasant, restful park just outside the city centre. Queen’s Park House is now a small theatre (Daphne Joseph Hackett Theatre) and art gallery. There is a small restaurant and bar, which does a good lunch and a buffet on Friday....read more