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A
network of narrow lanes in the town centre links the main roads
above the parliament buildings, marking the parts of the city that
were first developed. Bridgetown's oldest surviving building is
probably the attorney's office, Harford Chambers , on the
corner of Lucas and James streets, with its irregular brickwork and
classic Dutch gables.
Heading north up Coleridge Street, and across the road from the
public library, you find the elaborate drinking fountain that
was a gift to the city from John Montefiore, one of its leading
Jewish traders, in 1865. Though not as jauntily painted as in its
heyday, the fountain still has stone relieves of Prudence, Justice,
Fortitude and Temperance and exhortations to the thirsty citizens of
Bridgetown to "Be sober minded" and "Look to the end".
Just south of the fountain, the pink and white synagogue
(daily 10am-4pm; free) was first built in 1655 and rebuilt after
hurricane damage in 1833. Jews were among the earliest settlers in
Barbados; many of them arrived in the 1650s to escape the
Inquisition in Brazil, bringing a knowledge of sugarcane cultivation
that was to prove crucial in boosting the island's fledgling
agriculture.
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Although the country's Jewish population declined over the
centuries, a revitalized Jewish community - boosted during the 1930s
and 1940s by refugees from Europe - persuaded the government to let
them take the building back after World War II. Extensive
restoration has returned it to something like its original shape.
The interior has been attractively restored, and newspaper articles
displayed on the walls describe the restoration work and recount
some of the history. Outside, the Jewish cemetery is one of the
oldest in the western hemisphere
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Caribbean guide
Barbados Travel Guide
Barbados
Where to go
When to go
Getting there
Money and costs
Getting around
Food and drink
Phones, post
Brief history
Best of Barbados
Information, maps
Festivals, holidays
Sports, outdoor activities
Tours
Explore Barbados
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Bridgetown
Eating, nightlife
Listings
Central Bridgetown
National Heroes Square
Old City
Central
Barbados
Explore Central Barbados
Flower Forest
Francia
Gun Hill
Harrison's Cave
Welchman Hall
Gully
East Coast
Explore East Coast
Andromeda Botanical Gardens
Bathsheba
Codrington College
St. John's Parish
Garrison
Hackletons Cliff & Scotland
Barbados Museum and
Gallery of Art
Savannah, Garrison area |
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