Walking_History_in_Barbados

By Brian Ramsey

In the introduction to each episode of the Star Trek series, there is the phrase "To boldly go where no man has gone before" and indeed sometimes when you are trying to find a particular place it seems that is what you are doing. At other times you want to go where other people have gone before and experience the history of the place. In Barbados there is a particular place where it is very easy to view and experience the history of this island. You can literally walk through history and on a quiet afternoon be transported back in time. This location is known as the Garrison Historic Area and it surrounds the Garrison Savannah.

The Garrison Savannah is the center of much of the sporting and recreational activity in Barbados. The island’s horse racing track is located in the Savannah and horse racing has been taking place since the middle of the 1800’s. There is a rugby field, basketball court and jogging track, all of which are extensively used on afternoons. The Savannah however is a historic location for much more than sport. On November 30th 1966, in the Garrison Savannah, the ceremony was held for the lowering of the Union Jack (British flag), and the raising of the Barbados flag, thus signaling full independence for the country of Barbados. The historical significance of the Garrison Savannah goes even further back. In 1650 Charles Fort was erected in the area and then in 1705, St. Ann’s Fort was added. The arrival of British troops in 1780 led to the establishment of the Garrison. From 1796, the Garrison area became the headquarters of the British West India Regiment and the large grassy area in the center, which is now the Garrison Savannah, was the regiment’s parade grounds. The British West India Regiment was the first British Regiment of black soldiers, and provided 132 years of service both in the British West Indies and worldwide. Being the site of a military complex, numerous buildings were constructed from the 1660’s to the 1800’s. These buildings today give the Garrison area much of its historical and architectural interest.

On any walk around the Garrison area you cannot miss seeing the numerous cannons that are located in the area. These form part of the National Cannon Collection, which constitutes the largest cluster of 17th Century English cannons in the world. Within the Barbados National Cannon Collection is an Elizabethan cannon cast in 1600, the only one known to exist. The Collection also contains one of only two cannons in existence from 1652 with Oliver Cromwell's crest.

Some of the cannons can be seen in front of the Main Guard building facing the racetrack. This elegant Georgian building from 1802 with its handsome clock tower and wide verandah is now an information centre and houses exhibits about the West Indian Regiment.

As you continue around the Savannah there are numerous 17th- to 19th-century military buildings constructed from brick brought as ballast on ships from England. There are also several memorials. One of the memorials commemorates the death of 15 persons and the destruction of the barracks and hospital in a hurricane on 18 August 1831. Another memorial outside the Barbados Museum in the northeast corner is in honour of the men of the Royal York Rangers who fell in action against the French in Martinique, Les Saintes and Guadeloupe in the 1809-10 campaign.

The Barbados Museum is housed in a compound that was formerly a military prison, and centered around a large airy courtyard with trees and flowering shrubs. The museum houses a Natural History gallery, a History Gallery with sections devoted to Amerindian artifacts, Colonial Years, Emancipation, the period leading to Independence, two small but very interesting sections on Education and Religion, Agriculture, Road making, Electricity and Bajan Architecture. Each little cubicle tells a complete story with actual implements shown and Photos from the period. There is the Warmington Gallery which is a recreation of a house interior and where you stay from outside and look through the windows. The Africa gallery which has a bright fresh clean look is not what you would expect. This gallery shows some African kingdoms and shows many of the links between Africa and our Caribbean traditions and habits. The Children Gallery is highly fascinating and even adults will enjoy it. Some parts of this gallery take you down memory lane (depending on your age).

Completing the circle of historic buildings in the Garrison Historic district is St Ann’s Fort which is still used by the Barbados Defence Force. Although you cannot enter the compound you can still observe the old drill hall and other military buildings. The outline of the original stone fort with its cannons pointing outwards cab be seen both from the Garrison side and the nearby Drill Hall Beach. The crenellated signal tower with its flag pole on top that formed the high command of a chain of signal posts around the island is also visible. .

So when next you are in Barbados, visit the Garrison Historic District and be transported back in time.

Barbados_Wildlife_Reserve_and_Grenade Hall

By Brian Ramsey

Almost every Caribbean child knows the story of the tortoise and the hare, however many have never seen a tortoise and even less have seen a hare. Well at the Barbados Wildlife Reserve you can actually see the tortoise and the hare.

 This wildlife reserve is located along the route to the east coast of Barbados in the northern parish of St Peter. It is in a natural mahogany forest across the road from the Farley Hill National Park. Here the animals are in the open in a natural environment, allowing you the opportunity to stroll through the reserve and observe them in their natural habitat. There are cages for some animals, reptiles and birds but these are few with the majority being able to roam freely. The Reserve has over 100 mammals, more than 10 different species of reptiles, and over 470 birds. Among the birds are parrots, macaws, flamingoes, peacocks, brown pelicans and sparrows. Many of these birds are in a large walk-through aviary allowing you to wander among them. In another section of the property there are collections of budgerigars and love birds. Throughout the grounds, guinea fowl wander freely. There is also a salt-water aquarium built in to the snack bar, housing an assortment of tropical fish.

Among the animals and reptiles to be seen at the wildlife reserve are Green Monkey, Red Brocket Deer, Cuban Iguanas and Red-footed Tortoise. The green monkeys found in Barbados originally came from Senegal and the Gambia in West Africa approximately 350 years ago. These are a species of the vervet monkey and it is believed that they came as pets onboard the slave ships. About 75 generations have occurred since these monkeys arrived in Barbados and, as a result of environmental differences and evolution, the Barbados monkeys today have different characteristics than those in West Africa. There are now between five thousand and seven thousand monkeys in Barbados. The top side of the fur of the vervet monkeys varies from pale yellow through grey-green brown to dark brown, while the lower portion and the hair ring around the face is whitish yellow. The face, hands, and feet are hairless and black. The fur has specks of yellow and olive green, which in some lights, give the fur an overall green appearance ... hence, the name the "Green Monkey". The monkeys at the reserve live freely, wandering through the grounds and in the adjoining Grenade Hall Forest plus among nearby plantations. They are semi-arboreal and semi-terrestrial, spending most of the day on the ground feeding but also spending time in the trees playing, feeding and grooming, and then sleeping at night in the trees. A good time for seeing these monkeys is at 2pm daily when food is laid out in the reserve and the troop converges at the feeding trays. There are however a few monkeys kept in cages so that visitors can be assured of seeing them.

Brocket Deer are a group of deer species of the Mazama genus found in South America and the Yucatán Peninsula. They are small in size and dwell primarily in forests. They have small rounded bodies, ranging from 70 to 140 cm in length, and usually have a light or dark brown coloration. Weight ranges from 8 to 30 kg. The antlers are short and are shed very infrequently. The species seen at the Barbados Wild Life Reserve are the Red Brocket (M. americana) which is the largest species of Brocket Deer, weighing up to 30 kg. It has a reddish-brown coat.

The opening hours for the reserve are 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily with the last admission at 4:00 p.m. A refreshment bar is open daily and a restaurant/snack bar is open Tuesday to Thursday. Your entrance fee to the Barbados Wildlife Reserve also gives you admission to the adjoining Grenade Hall Forest and Signal Station which are within walking distance of the reserve.

Within the Grenade Hall Forest there is a pathway that winds down a slight incline and through the forest. The path allows visitors to explore the diversity of trees and plants and throughout there are signs that explain the origins and medicinal properties. As you wander along the green monkeys may be seen moving overhead on the branches. If at the conclusion of your walk you are in need of refreshment, there is a snack bar at the entrance to the forest and benches for your rest before you proceed to the signal station.

The Grenade Hall signal station was originally constructed in 1819 as one of a group of signal stations used for communication across the island. These towers were constructed in strategic locations around the island on high ground and that now provides amazing views making them the perfect vantage points for appreciating the natural beauty of the island. In addition to the view however the Grenade Hall signal station provides a brief history of the military units that were stationed in Barbados.

To learn more about Barbados, visit our other Barbados Pages

To learn about the other islands in the Caribbean, visit our Island Adventures Page