Your Ultimate Guide To Barbados

St. Joseph

When one thinks of the parish of St. Joseph, one of the first things that come to mind is the rough waters of Barbados' Atlantic side. On the rugged, exciting east coast of Barbados in the parish of St. Joseph. A fishing village referred to as Bathsheba, which is as enticing to the eye as the lady of the same name in the familiar Bible story. There is something appealing about this venue with its natural beauty and despite the turbulent seas on this side of the Atlantic, there are gentle pools which can be found that are suitable for swimming.

Think of a forest and hundreds of acres of untamed land comes to mind. On the small island of Barbados, there are also remnants of forest, which have been cultured to create places of refreshment, beauty and oasis. The Flower Forest in St. Joseph is one such former plantation property which has undergone this transformation. It can be found along Highway 2 and is in relatively close proximity to two other places of interest: Harrison Cave and Welchman Hall Gully.

On the border of St. Joseph and St. John in Barbados, there is a spot which can definitely be classified as one of the highest points on the island. It is Hackleton's Cliff which has a sharp perpendicular rise, some one thousand (1000) ft above sea level. In terms of background, there is more folklore than fact as it is alleged that the cliff is named after a man who many years ago committed suicide by riding a horse off the said cliff. Hackleton's cliff provides yet another spectacular view of the east coast of Barbados. On a crystal clear day, this view can span from Pico Tenerife in the north of the island to Ragged Point in the south-east.

The island of Barbados was covered in a Tropical Rainforest before it was discovered and settled in 1627. Joe's River is a tropical rain forest located in the depths of the eastern parish of St. Joseph in Barbados. It consists of eighty-five (85) acres of woodlands, hill, gullies and loads and loads of mahogany trees. There is a watercourse which accepts the down flows of rain and other water from the surrounding areas. This site is made all the more attractive and appealing by the nature trails for the walkers and the picnic areas for those persons who want to stop and have a meal out in the open in a back to nature setting.

Located at what is reputed to be one of the prettiest parishes in Barbados, the St. Joseph Parish Church is situated two miles up Cleaver Hill, at the base of Hackleton's Cliff in the parish of none other than, St. Joseph. This was the last of the Parish churches to be established when this parish separated from the parish of St. Andrew between 1652 and 1653. According to the Records of the Diocese of Barbados, there was already a church in existence in 1641 but that church was located on the Joe's River plantation. Today that site is occupied by an old Mortuary Chapel which is still surrounded by a small graveyard with a few remaining headstones.

A look through our list of attractions throughout the parish of St. Joseph will give you a better idea of what this parish has to offer.

00-2