Speightstown
Encyclopedia
Speightstown icon , also known as Little Bristol, is the second largest town centre of Barbados
. It is situated 12 miles (19.3 km) north of the capital city of Bridgetown
, in the northern parish
of Saint Peter.
The town is named after William Speight
, a member of Barbados' first Assembly
during the Settlement years, and the former owner of the land where the town is located.
: BB SPT ). Ships laden with sugar and other commodities left Speightstown bound directly for London and especially Bristol
. For this reason Speightstown is sometimes known as Little Bristol. The quaint town has now become the centre of a tourist area as well as a secondary shopping centre.
The area of Speightstown was the first major port and commercial centre of Barbados
. The city is named after William Speight
, a member of Barbados' first Assembly
during the colonial years as well as the former land owner where the city is located. It has a long and colorful history reaching back to the 17th century when it served as one of the main ports connecting the island with the “mother country,” England
. Back then Speightstown was sometimes called “Little Bristol” because of these trading connections with Bristol
in England. This little village was the port that Ayscue could not take, when dispatched by Cromwell to quell the insurrection in Barbados in 1649. The Barbadians were loyal to Charles I
, and would not accept Oliver Cromwell
as their protector
. For six months Ayscue was unable to land in Barbados, and concentrated attacks on Speightstown were repelled by the small forts along the shore.
The tiny island was landed only with the help of a defector who led Ayscue and his men to land at Oistins
Town where they met with representatives of the island and signed what has become known as the "Charter of Barbados". Signed in 1652, the agreement gave Barbados rights and privileges unheard of in any other Island. In particular it guaranteed that Barbados could not be taxed without the consent of a Barbados General Assembly.
Many historic buildings dating from colonial times, including Arlington House, still remain standing in the town and can be seen mostly along Queen Street, Church Street and Orange Street. Speightstown saw a lot of activity during the reign of the sugar industry and the day of the slave trade. Many slaves would have passed through this town, even if they were to be shipped on further to other islands or America.
There is a lot of activity in Speightstown particularly on weekends when locals and visitors come out to do their shopping and banking. Many stalls can be found along the streets hawking local and imported fruits and ground provisions
. Falling into disrepair and neglected over the years it has now been revived and is on stream for a number of exciting initiatives. There has been a redevelopment of the Speightstown Esplanade (Fort Denmark) and the Fisheries Complex. There has been some significant work to the drainage of the area with the Salt Pond being adjusted to allow for the flow of water from the sea. The jetty has been rebuilt and there is the talk of resurrecting the Bridgetown to Speightstown Schooner Route as a modern ferry line.
Speightstown is also home to Port St. Charles, a brand new luxury marina development. One of the last archaeological sites on Barbados with undisturbed remains of a large pre-Columbian settlement was eliminated for the inlet. Now those who wish to enter the island by yacht and other vessels can dock and be processed for entry here. Due to its distance from the capital, it carries an air of a more bohemian lifestyle. Also to be found in close proximity to Speightstown are excellent hotels and restaurants. There is an excellent art gallery, The Gallery of Caribbean Art, http://www.artgallerycaribbean.com/ which showcases some excellent local and Caribbean artists.
Actress Claudette Colbert
spent six months annually in Speightstown after her retirement. Athlete and actor Oliver Skeete
was born in Speightstown.
- Reading, Berkshire
, England
(since 2003) - Charleston, South Carolina
(since November 1997), the original parts of which were based on the plans of Barbados's capital city Bridgetown. Many dispossessed indigo, tobacco and cotton planters departed from Speightstown along with their slaves and helped found Charleston after there was a wholesale move to adopt sugar cane cultivation in Barbados; a land and labour intensive enterprise which helped usher in the era of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in the British West Indies
.
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. It is situated 12 miles (19.3 km) north of the capital city of Bridgetown
Bridgetown
The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
, in the northern parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Saint Peter.
The town is named after William Speight
William Speight
William James Speight was a 19th century Member of Parliament in Auckland, New Zealand.He contested the Auckland East electorate in the 1879 general election against James Clark and with 371 to 363 votes obtained a narrow victory. He represented the electorate until the end of the parliamentary...
, a member of Barbados' first Assembly
Barbados House of Assembly
The House of Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Barbados. It has 30 Members of Parliament , MPs are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple-majority system for a term of five years....
during the Settlement years, and the former owner of the land where the town is located.
History
Speightstown was formally settled around 1630 and in the earliest days of Settlement was Barbados's busiest port (AMS Seaport Code: 27213, UN/LOCODEUN/LOCODE
UN/LOCODE, the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations, is a geographic coding scheme developed and maintained by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe , a unit of the United Nations. UN/LOCODE assigns codes to locations used in trade and transport with functions such as...
: BB SPT ). Ships laden with sugar and other commodities left Speightstown bound directly for London and especially Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. For this reason Speightstown is sometimes known as Little Bristol. The quaint town has now become the centre of a tourist area as well as a secondary shopping centre.
The area of Speightstown was the first major port and commercial centre of Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. The city is named after William Speight
William Speight
William James Speight was a 19th century Member of Parliament in Auckland, New Zealand.He contested the Auckland East electorate in the 1879 general election against James Clark and with 371 to 363 votes obtained a narrow victory. He represented the electorate until the end of the parliamentary...
, a member of Barbados' first Assembly
Deliberative assembly
A deliberative assembly is an organization comprising members who use parliamentary procedure to make decisions. In a speech to the electorate at Bristol in 1774, Edmund Burke described the English Parliament as a "deliberative assembly," and the expression became the basic term for a body of...
during the colonial years as well as the former land owner where the city is located. It has a long and colorful history reaching back to the 17th century when it served as one of the main ports connecting the island with the “mother country,” England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Back then Speightstown was sometimes called “Little Bristol” because of these trading connections with Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in England. This little village was the port that Ayscue could not take, when dispatched by Cromwell to quell the insurrection in Barbados in 1649. The Barbadians were loyal to Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, and would not accept Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
as their protector
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
. For six months Ayscue was unable to land in Barbados, and concentrated attacks on Speightstown were repelled by the small forts along the shore.
The tiny island was landed only with the help of a defector who led Ayscue and his men to land at Oistins
Oistins
The coastal town of Oistins is an area located in the country of Barbados. Situated in the southern portion of the parish of Christ Church, Oistins operates mostly as a fishing village and a tourist hang out, and is the location of the parish church for Christ Church...
Town where they met with representatives of the island and signed what has become known as the "Charter of Barbados". Signed in 1652, the agreement gave Barbados rights and privileges unheard of in any other Island. In particular it guaranteed that Barbados could not be taxed without the consent of a Barbados General Assembly.
Many historic buildings dating from colonial times, including Arlington House, still remain standing in the town and can be seen mostly along Queen Street, Church Street and Orange Street. Speightstown saw a lot of activity during the reign of the sugar industry and the day of the slave trade. Many slaves would have passed through this town, even if they were to be shipped on further to other islands or America.
Culture
Ground provisions
Ground provisions is the term used in West Indian nations to describe a number of traditional vegetable and fruit staples that are planted in the ground, such as yams and cassava. They are often cooked and served as a side dish in local cuisine. Caribbean recipes will often simply call for ground...
. Falling into disrepair and neglected over the years it has now been revived and is on stream for a number of exciting initiatives. There has been a redevelopment of the Speightstown Esplanade (Fort Denmark) and the Fisheries Complex. There has been some significant work to the drainage of the area with the Salt Pond being adjusted to allow for the flow of water from the sea. The jetty has been rebuilt and there is the talk of resurrecting the Bridgetown to Speightstown Schooner Route as a modern ferry line.
Speightstown is also home to Port St. Charles, a brand new luxury marina development. One of the last archaeological sites on Barbados with undisturbed remains of a large pre-Columbian settlement was eliminated for the inlet. Now those who wish to enter the island by yacht and other vessels can dock and be processed for entry here. Due to its distance from the capital, it carries an air of a more bohemian lifestyle. Also to be found in close proximity to Speightstown are excellent hotels and restaurants. There is an excellent art gallery, The Gallery of Caribbean Art, http://www.artgallerycaribbean.com/ which showcases some excellent local and Caribbean artists.
Actress Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
spent six months annually in Speightstown after her retirement. Athlete and actor Oliver Skeete
Oliver Skeete
Oliver Skeete is a British showjumper turned reality show contestant and actor.-Biography:One of a family of 10 , Skeete travelled to England in September 1964 to join his parents who had settled in Acton, West London, and attended local schools to the age of fifteen...
was born in Speightstown.
Sister cities
Speightstown has been twinned with:- Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(since 2003) - Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
(since November 1997), the original parts of which were based on the plans of Barbados's capital city Bridgetown. Many dispossessed indigo, tobacco and cotton planters departed from Speightstown along with their slaves and helped found Charleston after there was a wholesale move to adopt sugar cane cultivation in Barbados; a land and labour intensive enterprise which helped usher in the era of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in the British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
.