Member of Parliament for St.Peter Colin Jordan (centre) shares a light moment with National Cultural Foundation producer Alison Sealy-Smith; We Gatherin' Coordinator Selma Greene; Chairman of the St. Peter Organising Committee Jacqui Gill; and member of the St. Peter Organising Committee Patrick Gill at the launch of ‘Speightstown Alive – The Carolinas Link’ event, which will take place on Saturday February 15 in Speightstown.
SO RICH is the history of Speightstown that Member of Parliament for St. Peter, Colin Jordan, believes that it could become a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Describing St. Peter as the heritage centre of Barbados, Jordan, who is also the Minister of Labour, gave a comprehensive look into some of the historical facts of the parish during a press launch of the “Speightstown Alive – The Carolinas Link”, which is part of the We Gatherin’ calendar taking place on Saturday.
Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List back in 2011.
According to Jordan, “I am going to take the opportunity to say to all who will hear, that St. Peter expects that we will be part of some plan that will accord us World Heritage Site status. So that is a matter that we will be pursuing. We will do that even as we pursue getting our cannon back into Speightstown, not just Speightstown but right along the coast.” The cannon batteries included Fort Denmark, Dover Fort, Heywoods to name a few.
“Barbados’ economic interests had to be defended and so in recognition that the economic interests really centred in St. Peter, the cannon batteries were set up here. In an attempt to govern the masses by the planters at the time, a series of signal stations were set up, two of them were set up in St. Peter.”
Additionally, Minister Jordan highlighted the connection with the Carolinas in North America. “Barbados is the only colony that has every founded another colony. Barbados founded the colony in the Carolinas, and so if you look at Arlington House you will see what is really the depiction of the houses in Charleston. It is called single houses and that architecture was taken to the Carolinas and formed the basis of their architecture. That will be celebrated on February 15 and you will hear more about that.”
He also drew attention to the fact that there are only three Jacobean mansions left in the Western Hemisphere.
“Two of them are in Barbados and one of them is in St. Peter – St Nicholas Abbey. Drax Hall is the other.”
Highlighting Poetry at the Pub to be held on February 25, the parliamentary representative said that just a few days ago learned that the late Barbadian cultural icon Edward Kamau Brathwaite grew up in Mile and A Quarter, St. Peter. As such, tribute will be paid to the literary giant during that event.
Jordan added that the St. Peter-leg of We Gatherin' has been successful so far, with a packed schedule of events with a major focus on the communities in St. Peter, still to come.