St. Ann's Garrison, or more commonly known as "The Garrison", is a small district located in the country of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. This Garrison Historic Area is situated about south of

Heroes Square Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * Heroes (1977 film), ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * Heroes (2008 film), ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film G ...

in the capital-city

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the Parishes of Barbados, parish of Saint Michael, Barbados, Saint Mic ...

, and just west of the

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

in the neighbouring

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Christ Church. It is dominated by its historic horse race-track, located on the 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 The Barbados Defence Force (BDF) is the name given to the combined armed forces of Barbados. The BDF was established 15 August 1979, and has responsibility for the territorial defence and internal security of the island. The Headquarters for the ...

(BDF) is based, lying to the west.

History

A monument positioned near the military hospital in Barbados Wellcome V0015774

During both the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Garrison was the base and headquarters for members of the British

West India Regiment The West India Regiments (WIR) were infantry units of the British Army recruited from and normally stationed in the British colonies of the Caribbean between 1795 and 1927. In 1888 the two West India Regiments then in existence were reduced t ...

in Barbados. In 1751, the future leader of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and first president of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, stayed with his sick brother at the district's Bush Hill section for six weeks. This restored property remains as a fixture at the Garrison where it is simply called the ' George Washington House'. By the middle of the eighteenth century, wealthy prominent Barbadians and regiment troops started the sporting tradition of horse racing at the Garrison racetrack. On 30 November 1966 the Garrison Historic Area was the location where the ceremony was held for the lowering of the

Union Flag The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...

(the flag of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

), and the raising of the Barbados flag, thus ushering in full

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

for the country of Barbados from the

. There are a number of historically significant buildings at the location, other than George Washington House. Many of these housed the Regiment units of the British Garrison, including the building that houses the Barbados Museum and surrounding buildings. Evidence of this includes prison cells of the former Garrison.

Gallery

File:Garrison area cannons, Barbados.jpg, The Barbados National Cannon Collection, with some of the most rare and oldest English cannons File:Garrison area (sign), Barbados.jpg, Garrison signage along Highway 7 File:Main Guardhouse Garrison area (sign), Barbados.jpg, Sign on the main guard house at the Garrison Savannah File:Main Guardhouse Garrison building (top), Barbados.jpg, Clock tower on the main guardhouse at the Garrison Savannah built around 1803 File:Main Guardhouse Garrison building (bottom), Barbados.jpg, The main guardhouse building at the Garrison Savannah built around 1803

Notes

References

* *
Garrison is world heritage site

Great Cannons of Barbados
by M. Hartland
The Garrison
Heritage Tours

External links

Barbados' UNESCO World Heritage applicationBridgetown and its Garrison
– UNESCO World Heritage Centre

* * {{Royal Navy fleets Saint Michael, Barbados Military of Barbados Districts of Barbados Historic sites in Barbados

History

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

External links