UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Barbados
Barbados has 1 site on the UNESCO World Heritage List (1 cultural), the first inscribed in 2011 (Garrison Historic Area). The map below plots it alongside the rest of the List, and each site is written up in full further down the page.
- World Heritage Sites
- 1
- Cultural
- 1
- Natural and Mixed
- 0
- First Inscribed
- 2011
Map of World Heritage Sites in Barbados
CulturalNaturalMixedIn DangerLarge dots are in Barbados. Click a dot to read about the site.
Garrison Historic Area
Barbados · 13.0967° N, 59.6139° W · 2 km² · 1 km from Bridgetown
St. Ann's Garrison, or more commonly known as "The Garrison", is a small district located in the country of Barbados. This Garrison Historic Area is situated about 3.2 km (2 mi) south of Heroes Square in the capital-city Bridgetown, and just west of the village of Hastings in the neighbouring parish of Christ Church. It is dominated by its historic horse racetrack, located on the 12 ha (30-acre) parade ground called the Garrison Savannah. The Garrison area additionally contains many historic buildings including barracks for military personnel. The district is bisected by Highway 7, with Saint Ann's Fort, where the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) is based, lying to the west.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Garrison Historic Area (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Garrison Historic Area Is Listed
- (ii)
- An important interchange of human values.
- (iii)
- A unique testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
- (iv)
- An outstanding example of a type of building or landscape.
More about Garrison Historic Area
UNESCO's Description
Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, an outstanding example of British colonial architecture consisting of a well-preserved old town built in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, which testifies to the spread of Great Britain's Atlantic colonial empire. The property also includes a nearby military garrison which consists of numerous historic buildings. With its serpentine urban lay-out the property testifies to a different approach to colonial town-planning compared to the Spanish and Dutch colonial cities of the region which were built along a grid plan.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
During both the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Garrison was the base and headquarters for members of the British West India Regiment in Barbados. In 1751, the future leader of the American Revolution and first president of the United States, George Washington, stayed with his sick brother at the district's Bush Hill section for six weeks. This restored property remains as a fixture at the Garrison, where it is simply called the 'George Washington House'. By the middle of the eighteenth century, wealthy prominent Barbadians and regiment troops started the sporting tradition of horse racing at the Garrison racetrack.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Garrison Historic Area (CC BY-SA 4.0).
World Heritage in Barbados: Quick Answers
- How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Barbados?
- Barbados has 1 World Heritage Site: 1 cultural.
- What was the first World Heritage Site in Barbados?
- Garrison Historic Area, inscribed in 2011.
- Are any World Heritage Sites in Barbados in danger?
- None of the World Heritage Sites in Barbados is on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.