The Parliament Buildings (also known as The Public Buildings, or more rarely Parliament House), is the seat of the Parliament of Barbados. Built between 1870 and 1874, the buildings have been the meeting place for both chambers of Parliament since 16 June 1874, and a former site of Colonial administration of Barbados. It consists of two buildings in the neo-Gothic architectural style, and are reminiscent of the Victorian era of Great Britain.
The buildings are situated along the north bank of the Constitution River and are bordered by Upper Broad Street and National Heroes Square to the south; strategically at the heart of the capital city Bridgetown. Prior to the establishment of the buildings the legislature met at the Town Hall building (beside the now abandoned National Library Service of Barbados building) on Coleridge Street.
In 1989 the Public Buildings were officially renamed the Parliament Buildings by Act of Parliament. In 2011 both buildings were designated as UNESCO protected properties within the World Heritage Site of Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison area.[1]
History
Although Parliament was established in 1639, these buildings which house the Parliament were only constructed in the late 19th century. The reason behind the erection of these buildings was twofold. Firstly, there was the need to find a safe place to store the island's public records, which prior to the construction of the Parliament buildings, were stored in various government offices located around Bridgetown. Secondly, the island's legislature needed an appropriate place to convene. From the establishment of the House of Assembly in 1639 to the erection of the Parliament buildings, the legislature shifted from building to building around Bridgetown, and at several instances it actually met at taverns and alehouses. This of course was frowned upon by many of the island's previous Governors, several of whom proposed that money be voted for the erection of an appropriate building to house Parliament.[2]
Several plans were made for the erection of a building for Parliament. In 1701 a house was constructed within James Fort, but it was later used as the island's Common Gaol. In 1844, there were plans to erect a Sessions House but these plans were later abandoned when a great fire in Bridgetown allowed Government to find a more suitable site.
In 1857 John Glasglow Grant, a member of the House of Assembly, tabled a motion for the erection of the public buildings. A Public Buildings Erection Committee was appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly whose members included Grant. The committee proposed that not only should the buildings house Parliament but also the Custom House, the Marshal's Office, the Post Office and the Prothonotary's Office.
As of February 2020 the government has been renting various private buildings around Barbados, including the Worthing Corporate Centre[3][4] and Conference Centre (on 15 Sep 2020 for the State Opening of Parliament)[5][6] to host Parliament without any firm return date mentioned as too when it might return to using the capital site.
Construction
The construction of the buildings was met with several delays. However, in 1860 there was yet another fire in Bridgetown, the Government decided to purchase the land which they believed would be an even better site than the one upon which they had previously agreed. After requesting and unanimously accepting the design of John F. Bourne, the then Superintendent of Public Works, the Committee invited tenders for the construction of the west building. The Assembly decided on the tender of £13,750 submitted by a Mr Benjamin L. Harris. Construction of the west building was completed in late 1871 and was presented to the Government at the beginning of 1872. Although Mr Harris had also presented a tender for the East building to the tune of £15,750, the Assembly accepted the tender of Mr Richard F. Roberts for £11,750. The east wing was handed over to Government two years later.
East wing
The east-wing of the Parliament of Barbados, completed in 1873.
The East Wing was completed in late 1873. It still houses the Chambers and offices of the once Legislative Council (now the Senate) and the House of Assembly. The Attorney-General, Solicitor-General and the Chief Parliamentary Council also had offices there.
Several offices were located on the ground floor of the East Wing at various periods. These included:
The east wing has undergone several renovations: In 1970 the East Wing was extended to facilitate a separate entrance to a Strangers Gallery of the House of Assembly from the courtyard; in 1977 a mezzanine floor was then constructed in the central area of the East Wing; in 1986 the chamber of the House of Assembly was comprehensively renovated, starting on 7 May. A separate mezzanine floor was established for the Public Gallery. A sound and vision system was also installed. New furniture, made exclusively of Barbadian mahogany wood was also heralded. The stained glass windows to the chamber were also re-leaded and otherwise restored. The walls (formerly plastered) were stripped and grouted and otherwise restored to display their natural sawn Barbadian limestone look. New lighting was also upgraded using the purely decorative original gas chandeliers which are still in place; in September 1988 renovations of the Senate Chamber commenced using the same applications as in the work for the House of Assembly, except the ceiling was aesthetically restored to its original finish; also in 1988 the ground floor of the East Wing was fully renovated to allow for the whole east wing to be available for parliamentary purposes.
Notable features: The stained glass windows in the House of Assembly show the British sovereigns spanning from James I to Queen Victoria. The glass windows within the Senate show the armorial bearings not only of past presidents of the council but also past speakers of the House of Assembly.
West wing
The west-wing of the Parliament of Barbados, completed in 1872.
The West Wing was finished in 1872 and over the centuries has accommodated several principal public offices:
Also located there were the offices of the first elected Ministers (there were 5 in all) from 1954. During late 1885 to 1886 the clock and bells of the tower once found in the East Wing were relocated to the West Wing. (See more about the clock further down the page.) On the main stairways of this wing, one can also see two stained glass windows which bear the Biblical quote "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's...". (Matthew 22:21)
In November 2006 the West Wing of Parliament was refurbished to mark the island's 40th year of Independence. Among other things, the newly refurbished West wing houses a National Heroes Gallery as well as a Museum of Parliament. A ceremony was held to commemorate the reopening of the west wing and was attended by dignitaries as well as the general public.
Notable features of the Parliament Buildings
In addition to its beautiful architecture, the Parliament buildings have several notable architectural features.
The green colour cast iron railing surrounding the courtyard of the Parliament Buildings was made by a British firm called Messrs Andrew Handyside & Co. Ltd. Another notable feature of the building itself is many of the windows of the buildings have louvered shutters for blocking out direct-sun light.
During the months of November and December the city of Bridgetown has an annual national lighting ceremony. During this time the Parliament Buildings are often elaborately illuminated in the colours of the National Flag (in November) or Green/Red for Christmas (by the middle of December).[7]
The Clock tower
Parliament illuminated at night
A prominent feature of the coral-limestone structures is the clock tower attached to the west-wing. The Tower located in the west wing can be seen from several vantage points around Bridgetown and is complemented by a four faced clock on each side. The Barbadian flag flying triumphantly on top of it. However, the clock tower was not always located in the west wing.
A clock tower with a peal of bells was previously attached to the east-wing where both the Senate and House of Assembly chambers are located,[8] however poor soil conditions destabilised the clock-tower's base causing it to begin sinking.[9] Within ten years of its construction, the clock tower had sunk by ten feet into the ground. The tower was dismantled in 1884 and a clock tower was later constructed at the west wing where it stands today. The clock was designed and manufactured by John Moore & Sons of Great Britain (1875).[10] It was designed to run for 8 days and is designed to continue operating even when being wound.
↑ Jordan, Ricky (29 January 2012). "A scenic City walk". Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 29 January 2012. PICTURED: The massive clock tower on the East Wing of the Parliament Buildings was demolished in 1884.
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of North America, and is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands. It lies on the boundary of the South American and the Caribbean Plates. Its capital and largest city is Bridgetown.
Barbados is an island country in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, situated about 100 miles (160 km) east of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Roughly triangular in shape, the island measures some 21 miles (34 km) from northwest to southeast and about 14 miles (23 km) from east to west at its widest point. The capital and largest town is Bridgetown, which is also the main seaport.
Bridgetown is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The City", but the most common reference is simply "Town". As of 2014, its metropolitan population stands at roughly 110,000.
The politics of Barbados function within a framework of a parliamentary republic with strong democratic traditions; constitutional safeguards for nationals of Barbados include: freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association.
Owen Seymour Arthur was a Barbadian politician who served as the fifth prime minister of Barbados from 6 September 1994 to 15 January 2008. He is the longest-serving Barbadian prime minister to date. He also served as Leader of the Opposition from 1 August 1993 to 6 September 1994 and from 23 October 2010 to 21 February 2013.
The Parliament of Barbados is the national legislature of Barbados. It is accorded legislative supremacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados. The Parliament is bicameral in composition and is formally made up of two houses, an appointed Senate and an elected House of Assembly, as well as the President of Barbados who is indirectly elected by both. Both houses sit in separate chambers in the Parliament Buildings, in the national capital Bridgetown in Saint Michael.
The Ontario Legislative Building is a structure in central Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It houses the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and the viceregal suite of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and offices for members of the provincial parliament (MPPs). The building is surrounded by Queen's Park, sitting on that part south of Wellesley Street, which is the former site of King's College, which was leased from the university by the municipal government of Toronto in 1859, for a "peppercorn" payment of CAD$1 per annum on a 999-year term. The southern portion of the site was later handed over to the provincial government.
The House of Assembly of Barbados is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Barbados. It has 30 Members of Parliament (MPs), who are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple-majority system for a term of five years. The House of Assembly sits roughly 40–45 days a year and is presided over by a Speaker.
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 2 miles 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 race-track, located on the 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.
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The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to the nation of Barbados.
The monarchy of Barbados was a system of government in which a hereditary monarch was the sovereign and head of state of Barbados from 1966 to 2021. Barbados shared the sovereign with the other Commonwealth realms, with the country's monarchy being separate and legally distinct. The monarch's operational and ceremonial duties were mostly delegated to her representative, the governor-general of Barbados.
Mia Amor Mottley, is a Barbadian politician and attorney who has served as the eighth prime minister of Barbados since 2018 and as Leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008. Mottley is the first woman to hold either position. She is also Barbados' first prime minister under its republican system, following constitutional changes she introduced that abolished the country's constitutional monarchy.
The United States and Barbados have had cordial bilateral relations since Barbados' independence in 1966. The United States has supported the government's efforts to expand the country's economic base and to provide a higher standard of living for its citizens. Barbados is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative. U.S. assistance is channeled primarily through multilateral agencies such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank, as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) office in Bridgetown.
Relations between Barbados and China began on 4 September 1967 with Barbados recognizing the People's Republic of China from 30 May 1977, just over one decade after the eastern Caribbean island nation's independence from the United Kingdom.
The historical ties between the governments of Barbados and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) are long and complex, including settlement, post-colonialism and modern bilateral relations. The two countries are related through common history spanning 339 years (1627–1966). Since the Barbadian date of political independence, these nations continue to share ties through the Commonwealth of Nations. Until becoming a Commonwealth republic in 2021, Barbados also shared the same Head of State, with Queen Elizabeth II as their Monarch.
The Barbados Postal Service (B.P.S.) is the national postal operator of Barbados and operates as a department within the Government of Barbados where it reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Barbados Postal Service (B.P.S.) is headed by the acting Postmaster General, Sheila Greaves, who is responsible for maintaining the island’s postal services, subject to the laws of the island. In 1852, the Postal services for Barbados were reconstituted following the passage of local legislation enabling the delivery of inland postage.
The Newcastle Customs House is a heritage listed building located on the corner of Bond and Watt Street in Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. The building was designed in the Italianate Renaissance Revival style by New South Wales Colonial Architect, James Barnet, in 1877, with a wing added in matching materials in 1899 under the direction of Walter Liberty Vernon. It now operates as the Customs House Hotel.
Kempsey Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at Belgrave Street, Kempsey, Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the Colonial Architect's Office under James Barnet, and was built by Gabriel and McMorrine, with additions in 1903-04 built by Hocking Brothers. The property is owned by Australia Post. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 December 2000.
Kiama Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at 24 Terralong Street, Kiama, Municipality of Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the Colonial Architect's Office under James Barnet. and built by W. R. Vaughan. The property is owned by Australia Post. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 December 2000.
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