Barbados Tourist Attractions
St Nicholas Abbey Barbados
Friendship, Infidelity, Intrigue, Murder, Slavery, Redemption.
Top this off with an escape to the Carolinas and you have the outline of the history of one of the oldest Barbados tourist attractions: St. Nicholas Abbey.
The story reads like a cross between the movie Roots and Little House on the Prarie!
Colin Berringer and John Yeamans were friends and business partners in the 1600's in Barbados. They dabbled in real estate and the number one industry of the day: Planting. Yeaman would take the one hour trip from his house in Bathsheba to St. Nicholas Abbey to visit his friend Berringer.
As time went by, Berringer's wife Margaret grew fond of John Yeaman. Margaret would look forward to Yeamans trips as an opportunity to spend time with a sophisticated gentleman.
You can probably see where this is going. Well, let's just say...one thing led to another and Margaret and Yeaman had an affair.
Grounds at St. Nicholas Abbey
Some say that when Berringer found out that his wife was having an affair with his business partner, that Berringer immediately set up a duel with pistols.
Unfortunately Yeaman got the best of him and Berringer died in the duel.
Other accounts point to the likelihood of Yeaman having poisoned Berringer.
Either way, it is thought that Yeaman caused Berringer's death, married Margaret soon after, and moved into the home that years later would later become the most storied of the major Barbados tourist attractions.
Garden at St. Nicholas Abbey Barbados
There was a locus plague, a fire in Bridgetown, a major hurricane...and to top it all off, their marriage was frowned upon by friends and family.
The final straw was the court's decision to seize the home and return it to the Berringer family.
Given all of this, it was no surprise when in 1669, the couple decided to leave this Barbados island and move to the Carolinas, where Berringer became one of the leaders in the new colony.
Yeaman died soon after, but not before he became one of the first Governors of South Carolina!
With such a colorful history, St. Nicholas Abbey is considered one of the oldest great houses in the Western Hemisphere.
Entrance to St. Nicholas Abbey
Beautiful Architecture
Barbados Attraction
Dining room
Farm House
Sugar Cane Machiner
Little gifts and souvenirs
Its believed to be the oldest building in Barbados and one of only three remaining Jacobean structures in the Western Hemisphere. Its one of the most popular Barbados tourist attractions and still looks very much as it did when it was first constructed.
With its rumored history of betrayal, murder and love St. Nicholas Abbey has found its place in the history of the island. I love old plantation houses and this is definitely one of the best kept examples of plantations houses found anywhere.
St. Nicholas Abbey
An ideal visit for lovers of architecture, history and beautiful houses.Personally I love the beautiful architecture and highly recommend this location. One of my favorite Barbados tourist attractions.
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