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over the brow of Cherry Tree Hill, a signposted right turn takes you
to the Great House of St Nicholas Abbey (Mon-Fri 10am-3.30pm;
B$10) - the oldest house on Barbados. Built during the 1650s, the
white-painted structure was originally owned by two of the largest
sugar-growers in the north of the island. How the place came to be
called an abbey is unclear. So too is the reason for the fireplaces
- completely unnecessary in view of the island's tropical weather -
in the upstairs bedrooms. Presumably they are the result of the
builders slaishly following the drawings of a British architect,
regardless of the Caribbean climate.
Your entrance fee gets you a rather lackluster guided tour of the
ground floor of the house (the upstairs is still used, and closed to
visitors), crammed with eighteenth-century furniture, Wedgwood
porcelain and other traditional accoutrements of the old Barbadian
aristocracy. The outbuildings at the back of the house are rather
more rustic, and include the original bathhouse and a four-seat
toilet.
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While the tour of the house may be a little unexciting, there is an
evocative twenty-minute black and white film that is shown on
request. Made in 1934 by a previous owner of the abbey, it shows the
family making a visit by sea from England to their West Indian home.
There is some great footage of the boats arriving at Bridgetown
harbor and of the pre-war city, followed by loving shots of the
sugar plantation in action. After the film you can take a short
stroll through the woods behind the house or grab a drink in the
small café.
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