FLYING FISH AND CHIPS
Ask a Bridgetown local where to find a good British pub or fish and chips, and you’re likely to be met with a thoughtful pause, a scratch of the head and a recommendation for a favorite rum shop or a restaurant serving flying-fish sandwiches, a local specialty. Even so, English influences can still be found amid the city’s Afro-Caribbean traditions, in spite of its proud independence from England.
Capt. John Powell claimed Barbados on behalf of King James I after the first English ship landed here in 1625; in 1628, settlers arrived in Carlisle Bay and established the island’s second settlement in what would become Bridgetown. With the island’s only natural harbor, the site became the hub of commerce and politics.
The best way to explore British heritage firsthand in central Bridgetown is on foot. On a Saturday morning at one of the lively open-air markets where Bajans buy and sell fresh produce, spices and more, enthusiastic Barbados historian Morris Greenidge leads group tours, providing infinitely more information and insight than any guidebook. If you’re on your own, the free Barbados Holiday Guide provides a handy walking map highlighting the most noteworthy attractions.
Just as in London, one of the most prominent structures in Bridgetown is Parliament, the third oldest in the commonwealth. The two commanding Gothic buildings were built with local coral limestone in the early 1870s. Call ahead if you want to join a scheduled tour; on a recent visit, doors were closed due to parliamentary debates. Bridgetown also has its own statue of Lord Nelson, erected opposite Parliament in what was once called Trafalgar Square but was later renamed National Heroes Square (though Lord Nelson was neither a national nor a hero, say some locals who cite his support of slavery and would like to see the statue relocated). Nearby, Barbados’ longtime Anglican affiliation is on display at St. Michael’s Cathedral, an English-parish-style church built in the late 1700s to replace the original, destroyed by a hurricane. This church and the humbler St. Mary’s, crafted entirely of ballast brick from British ships, still hold services and play a pivotal role in the community.
Within a few miles of central Bridgetown is the Garrison, which brings British military history to life via antique cannons, colonial military buildings and an impressive collection of artifacts housed in the Barbados Museum, on the site of a former military prison. In another nod to the colonial motherland, horse races take place at the Garrison Savannah racecourse on alternate Saturdays from January through March and May through October, the highlight being the annual Sandy Lane Gold Cup, held in March.
When it comes to sports, Bajans are as mad about cricket as the British. Kensington Oval hosted the Cricket World Cup final in 2007, and this year’s events include the ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights and final. Even a recent pre-season training match proved enjoyable on a sunny Sunday afternoon, thanks not only to the distinctively Barbadian weather but also to the vendor hawking small brown bags of fresh and spicy fried fish cakes. The only thing missing was the chips.
Continue to the next Continental Divide...
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| Bridgetown | Santo Domingo | Willemstad | Gustavia |
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