St. Mary's Anglican Church, Bridgetown

Standing behind a wrought-iron fence in a leafy churchyard at the junction of Cheapside Road, Harts Street, and Suttle Street, directly across from Bridgetown’s Old Town Hall, is Saint Mary’s Church. From the street, the combination of the pale church building, surrounding graves, and large trees makes the site easy to recognize.

Although you’re still in central Bridgetown, its simple colonial design and tree-filled grounds give it the appearance of a quiet country parish church. The one you see today was consecrated in 1827, but the site itself has been used for Christian worship since the 17th century. The first Saint Michael’s Church was built here in 1641. That wooden temple was destroyed by a hurricane in 1780, although plans had already been made to move Saint Michael’s elsewhere. Thus, the site remained vacant for nearly 45 years before Saint Mary’s was built.

Once you reach the church, continue into the churchyard surrounding the building. Look among the old gravestones and monuments beneath the trees. Several notable Barbadians are buried here, including Samuel Jackman Prescod, a National Hero of Barbados and the first non-white person elected to the island’s Parliament.

Now, make your way around the church toward the eastern end of the grounds. In other words, head toward the end of the church where the altar is located inside. Once you reach this part of the churchyard, look for a particularly large cotton tree rising above the surrounding graves and vegetation. This is the Justice Tree, traditionally associated with public hangings once carried out in this area.

From the Justice Tree, walk back alongside the church toward Suttle Street. On the other side of the church property, beside Saint Mary’s, you’ll see Jubilee Gardens. This landscaped public space was created to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. It later fell into neglect and was used for some years as a bus terminal, before being restored in 2005.

Before leaving, return toward the street entrance and turn back to face the church. From here, you get a good overall view of Saint Mary’s, its historic churchyard, and the mature trees surrounding it-a surprisingly peaceful pocket of old Bridgetown just steps from the busy streets outside.