Your Ultimate Guide To Barbados

St. Philip

The parish of St. Philip neighbours the parish of Christ Church, home to the Grantley Adams International Airport. St. Philip can be found on the south-east of Barbados and is home to some of the most refreshing tradewind breezes.

Culpepper Island is a very, very small uninhabited island off the east coast of Barbados in the parish of St. Philip. It is closest in proximity to the areas of Bayfield and Ragged Point in the same parish. It consists of a largely rocky formation with some natural vegetation, and measures two hundred and twenty (220) ft by seventy-five (75) ft, rising only twenty (20) ft above sea level.

The production of rum and its by-products has contributed to the economic life of Barbados in the past and continues to do so up to this day. There are several refineries on the island which can boast their own production set-up; however the Foursquare Rum Refinery located in St Philip has the most modern premises and systems. A rum-producing plantation in the seventeenth (17th) century, Foursquare derived its name from the existence of a square-shaped pond in the general area. Today, this distillery sits on eight (8) acres of Barbados land, which is planted with trees and flowers throughout. This blends the commercial production side with the natural beauty of the location.

Sunbury Plantation House is located in Oldbury, in the south-eastern parish of St Philip in Barbados. As its name suggests, it was once a sugar plantation, having been built in the 17th century around 1660. The passing of the centuries has also seen the property passing through many "hands" and names before resting on the current name of Sunbury Plantation circa 1781 and being owned by a Barbadian family. Age and the occurrence of a fire saw the magnificence of the property experiencing some destruction; however when efforts were made to restore it to its former pride of place, everything from furniture to dinnerware was selected in order that its authenticity might also be restored. Selections were therefore carefully made of prized antiques. Every vantage point in the house was put to good use, so for example cellars that were once used as food storage areas were re-assigned to house one of the largest selection of carriages anywhere in the Caribbean: carriages which may have been used back in the days of the plantocracy and prior to the existence of automobiles as known today.

Still very worthy of mention despite its ruinous state, Sam Lord's Castle is still very much a part of Barbados' history. The shell of the formerly glorious Sam Lord's Castle resort occupies the land directly behind the beach. After falling into a state of disrepair several years ago this magnificent Regency mansion, built in 1820 by the famous buccaneer Samuel Hall Lord and the former holiday choice of many discerning overseas tourists, was finally gutted by fire on October 20th 2010. Whilst diverse opinions have been voiced regarding the circumstances surrounding this devastating blaze at Sam Lord's Castle in Barbados, the overall sentiment of the majority of Bajans was the loss of a piece of Barbados' history.

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

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