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History
Bridgetown
is the capital and commercial centre and has a population
of about 80 000. Bridgetown was originally named "Indian
Bridge" for the rude bridge which had been constructed
over the river (now known as the Careenage) by the Indians.
It was later called the "town of St. Michael" in official
documents, before finally being named Bridgetown.
The Chamberlain Bridge was erected in 1872 and was a swing bridge operated by two persons, allowing entry into the inner basin of the Careenage. In 2006 the Chamberlain Bridge was replaced with a modern lift bridge.
In previous
times, the careenage was an important hub of
activity for inter-island trading vessels. Nowadays the
careenage is mainly utilized by pleasure
craft (catamarans, yachts, fishing
boats, etc).
Shopping
Broad
Street is the main street of Bridgetown and consists mainly
of banks, department stores and duty free shops. Other
streets in Bridgetown such as Swan Street, Roebuck Street
and Tudor Street consist mainly of smaller shops and businesses,
together with wayside vendors.
See Shopping in Barbados - Craft Stores,
Gift Shops, Tax-Free Shopping and more!
Just
outside of Bridgetown is the Bayshore
Complex, worth a stop for its shopping, and historic
value.
Parliament Buildings
The
Parliament Buildings of Barbados are located at the top
of Broad Street. The Barbados Parliament was established
in 1639 and is the third oldest Parliament in the entire
Commonwealth.
In 2006 the West Wing of Parliament underwent refurbishment. The refurbished building will house the National Heroes Gallery and Museum of Parliament. (View news clip)
National Heroes Square
Opposite
the Parliament Buildings, you will find the old "Trafalgar Square"
and a statue of Lord Nelson. The
Lord Nelson statue, erected on 22 Mar 1813, is older
than the statue and square of the same name and fame
in London. "Trafalgar Square" was officially renamed National
Heroes Square in April 1999, in honour of the national
heroes of Barbados.
To
discover more about the history of Barbados and places
of interest, take an island
tour
Other Barbados attractions and points of interest within 0.5 miles of Bridgetown
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