The town of Bridgetown is the capital of Barbados and is a grand city with old, well-maintained, colonial style buildings amidst brightly coloured, newer buildings.
Bridgetown is an ever growing hub of activity. Everyday thousands of locals and tourists hustle and bustle about its streets going to and from offices, shops and restaurants.
It is a city where street vendors and department stores do business side by side, where office buildings housing large international banks are surrounded by duty free stores encasing throngs of eager tourists. It is a city of history and a city of progression, for this is Barbados' capital city. Bridgetown, however, was not always its name.
Originally the city was named "Indian Bridge" because of the bridge the Indians had built over the river, which is now called the Careenage. After Indian Bridge it became known as "The City of Saint Michael" named after the parish in which it is located. In the late 1650's a new bridge was constructed in the City of Saint Michael and thus, it became known as Bridgetown, the name it holds today.
The Careenage, over which the bridge is built, itself has changed through the years. Careenage, a word referring to the careening of a boat, when it is tipped over onto its side for cleaning or emptying in the past, was originally not only a river, but a great shipping Mecca for inter-island trading, as well as trade to and from England. Nowadays, however, the careenage is mainly used for pleasure boats, catamarans, day sailors, fishing boats, and the like.
Broad Street is the main street in Bridgetown and the Parliament Buildings are situated in Trafalgar Square, complete with a statue of Lord Nelson. Our statue, erected in 1813, and our square are both older than those in London, England.
Trafalgar Square was renamed Heroes Square in April of 1999, in honour of the heroes of Barbados. Bridgetown has a population of over 6,000 people and is still home to our port. It remains a tourist hot spot with many duty free shops up and down its streets and alleyways.
Whether you are here on business or pleasure, if you're a shopaholic or a history buff, Bridgetown is a must-see destination when in Barbados. |
