sight seeing
The Barbados Dolphin Fountain
This 1865, Dolphin Fountain is yet another
historic monument found within The National
Heroes Square. The fountain features three dolphins,
releasing water from their mouths into the base pool; it
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The Public (Parliament) Buildings
The Parliament of Barbados is the 3rd oldest
parliamentary body in the world, following Britain
and Bermuda, and dates back to as early as 1639. It is
currently the home of the Parliament of Barbados, and has
been the meeting place for both chambers of Parliament
(the House of Assembly and the Senate) since the 16th
June, 1874.
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Originally called the Public Buildings, Barbados’ Parliament
Buildings’ have many striking features including its West
Wing clock tower, which has a 14ft long pendulum and
copper dials, 7ft in diameter. In the East Building, stained
glass windows depict British kings, queens and dignitaries
from King James I, to Queen Victoria and Oliver Cromwell.
was erected using funds donated by the towns citizens
to commemorate the introduction of piped water into
Bridgetown in 1861.Work on the surrounding gardens,
including the planting of a rare cannonball tree, began
in 1882.
The coral limestone buildings of Neo Gothic Architecture,
were completed in 1874; they replaced the previous
buildings, which had been destroyed by the Bridgetown
fire of 1668. With the first
parliamentary building
having burnt to the
ground, Parliament
was forced to meet
in homes and public
taverns. Today
interested visitors
are welcome to
watch the House of
Assembly proceedings
every Tuesday.
The Chamberlain Bridge
The Chamberlain Bridge was
originally a manually operated
swing bridge, built in 1872, over the
Careenage River (Constitution River to
the locals). As legend has it the original
swing bridge replaced an older, crude
bridge used to span the inlet. This was
said to have been built by the Arawak’s the islands earliest inhabitants. As a result
the early British settlers aptly named this
wooden bridge ‘Indian Bridge’ and it
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Bridgetown is an interesting
and relatively easy, city
to walk, explore and tour.
In a few hours, one can
experience a tour rich with
history, take snapshots and
capture a true essence of
Looka De View
is from this bridge that the city gets its
name.
The Bridge is named after Joseph Chamberlain, the former British Secretary of
State for the Colonies, who helped to
keep the islands economy afloat through
favourable grants and loans. The manual
swing bridge was replaced in 2006 by
a modern, horizontally swinging, lift
bridge, 39ft in length, which converts to
a pedestrian walkway
the islands culture, then
and now. Follow this free
self-guided tour with the
only requirements: sturdy
shoes, comfortable clothing,
sunblock, a hat, a bottle of
water and a camera.
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