The airplane dips its wings along
the west coast, above the crystal waters, blue against the white sand beaches beyond
that you see the brown and green hills dappled white and pink with coral stone
and wood buildings roofed in grey shingles and red clay tiles.
For this tiny island is an
architectural delight of old and new, of elegance and simplicity, of history
and tradition preserved and repeated through the years.It is a land of Jacobean
and Georgian buildings built with coral and ships ballast, of Victorian homes
and wooden chattel houses trimmed in gingerbread fretwork, of sophisticated
hotels and their manicured lawns amid the open spaces of the golf courses, the
cricket pitches, the polo field and the Garrison Savannah. It is a land of
pirate’s castles with their fresco ceilings, ornate Italian sculptures from the
16 century and Gothic churches. It is the home of movie stars living beside
cane cutters, the aristocracy, the artisan and the fisherman. It is a blend of
people, style and structure. It is Barbados.
It was the British, who came with
the long and narrow medieval buildings, the Georgian, the Jacobean and the
Victorian designs.
It was unbroken British
conservatism that led to consistent uniformity, to balance and harmony, without
the more flamboyant influences of the Spanish, French and the Indian
Ornamentation so typical of other islands in the Caribbean.
It was the wealth of sugar that
built the great plantation houses, solid structures of coral rock, furnished
with mahogany. 
(Mahogany trees have been around and its timber exploited since prehistoric times by the indigenous people of the Caribbean. The natural dispersal of mahogany seeds is very interesting and rather unique. The seeds are stored in a pod and as the pod matures it cracks, the seeds shoot out, carried away by the wind. Mahogany trees have almost completely disappeared on Barbados.)
It was the Barbados natural coral
limestone, cut out of the terraces of the ancient sea cliffs that became the
distinctive building blocks of the stately homes, setting Barbados apart from
its neighbors with their mostly wooden buildings in the Caribbean style.
It was the Caribbean climate of
wind, rain and heat that led to gable roofs, the big open verandas, the low
hurricane resistant rectangular shapes, and the sturdy shutters of the sash and
jalousie windows.
It was African craftsmen, with
their skills and traditions that adapted European style and symmetry into a
unique Barbados heritage of wood, stone and coral.
It was history and tradition, a
people set apart, unbridled privilege, bondage, pride and passion, both African
and British, that mined the coral stone, carved the wooden banisters and cast
the terracotta tiles to lay the framework of this heritage. It was a past, rich in tradition and history
that influenced all that followed it.
And I was told that there are
many ties between the charming town of Charleston and Barbados. Although they seem to be worlds apart the fact
is that the bulk of first settlers to Charleston were indeed from Barbados. Liquid
gold (sugar) had brought great wealth to many English families on the island. Alas,
since English property law of primogeniture passes on house and land from
eldest son to eldest son without dividing it up among family members, “spares” were
left to accumulate their own wealth. Over 350 years ago Charleston provided an
escape for these entrepreneurs.
Historians claim that the Englishmen
packed also their architectural style. The ‘single house’ style, which is now
dominant in downtown Charleston, existed in abundance in the 1600’s in
Barbados. Its purpose was to allow for as
much ventilation as possible in a hot and humid climate with the patio following
along one side providing a shaded place from the direct morning or afternoon
sun whilst the Gabled or shorter end always faced the road. Unfortunately, many
of the houses, which boasted this fabulous architectural approach, have been
demolished in Barbados. However, there
is one living piece of proof of Barbados’ influence on Charleston’s
architecture – Arlington House, located in the laid back city of Speightstown. Arlington House has been transformed into an
engaging and educational museum where you can experience for yourself the history
of Barbados. This integral segment of Barbados’ culture ought to be a must see
when you 'loop' Barbados.
Our project house too had been built to
maximize the islands climate especially the
sea breeze. The whole house has marvelous cross-ventilation. Small 'green' upgrades and a natural landscape is all that is needed to revitalize the space.
