St Peter’s Anglican Church, Speightstown Barbados
Local history of the church
Barbados - Barbados Wildlife Reserve - St. Peter Parish - 2017
April 2017
barbadian history St. Peter's Parish Church, Barbados in Historic Speightstown
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About
St. Peter's Parish Church
Orange Street, Speightstown, St. Peter
Barbados, West Indies
RECTOR
CANON PETER HAYNES
General Information
SERVICES
SUNDAY:
7:30 a.m. : Holy Eucharist
8:00 a.m. : Sunday School
9:15 a.m. : Sung Eucharist and Sermon
10:15 a.m. Youth Church
7:00 p.m. : Evensong
WEDNESDAY:
9:30 a.m. : Holy Eucharist
Founding date
Consecrated 1837
filmed and edited by stockton miller
The history of St. Peter’s Parish Church is closely related with that of the town of Speightstown and the civil parish in which it is located.
St. Peter is one of the original six parishes identified by Tufton, with the first church being built in 1629, making it one of the oldest parishes in Barbados. Located in the town of Speightstown, ‘Little Bristol’ has its ties with Bristol in England and the Carolinas in the U.S.A. With its trading links and its shipping activities, the merchant class held a high profile in the early history. There was a move to divide St. Peter into two separate parishes, the other being All Saints, which had stood in as the Parish Church on number occasions.
Architecture
The present Church dates back to 1837 and is situated on Church and Orange Streets. This building is designed in a Georgian Style, but heavily influenced by Gothic architecture. Built with a Belfry at its western side, it carries a medieval tower with ramparts, suggesting an earlier more sinister usage of the building, as a means of military defence.
“The north and south portals are classical Greek pediments containing columns. These contain pilasters which are of the Doric Order, supporting a “Freeze”, designed with dentals and trigliphs, with a 3,1,3 symmetry.”
“The mix of architectural styles would have been of social, economic and religious meaning to the early Europeans, who were desirous of establishing a cultural identity for the then colonies in the West Indies.” – Ivan Ambrose.
Architecture – Seven
The number seven features throughout the building, with seven windows to the north and south; seven columns originally stood but with the adjustment to the balcony, the most eastern of all seven was removed leaving six on both sides. The roof is divided into seven sections and the stained window has seven parts with three sections to the bottom and four to the top. The number seven also features on the pediments outside to the north and south of the church. Seven has always been seen as a complete number in biblical times.
Tragedies
The Church experienced a number of tragedies; a hurricane in 19th century and the fire of 21st April 1980 that destroyed the roof and the floors. The eastern stained window and the walls survived the fire. One of the fire officers attending the fire was on his first day of holiday and he dedicated his efforts on the preservation of the window. At the time he (Mr. Shirley Arthur) served as Church Warden.
Church Re-Built
The Church was rebuilt under the leadership of the Rector, Canon Rufus T. Brome, who went on to become Bishop of Barbados. This was a tremendous undertaking, but with the dedicated help and commitment of the members, the Church was dedicated by the Rt. Rev. Drexel Gomez on 12th February 1983.
The words around the Sanctuary which are from the Book of Genesis, “This is none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven. Alleluia.” were carved from local wood by the late Elmer Jordan, Church Council Member and businessman in the Speightstown Community.
Mr. Jordan along with his wife, Ina were the last persons to be buried beneath the eastern walls, under the Altar; Mrs. Jordan being buried in 2006.
Of the prominent Barbadians who have been buried in the Church yard in recent years are the late Speaker of the House Kenmore ‘Doc’ Husbands, Ms. Alma Parris after whom the school next door is named, and Mr. Charles McClean, a former District and Chief Scout Commissioner.
The Church has extended its outreach mission with the construction of a Parish Hall, now named after Bishop Rufus Brome. This facility now houses the Day Care Centre, a testimony to Church’s service and its outreach programme to the Community.
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St Peter Parish Church Barbados
St.Peter's Parish Church was first built in the 1630s making it one of the oldest in Barbados. Destroyed by the hurricane of 1831 the Gregorian Building was rebuilt in a Greek Revival Style though with a standard tower added for good measure . The incarnation was restored in the 1980s after a fire gutted the church.
The St. Peter's Parish Church Garden Festival 2013
Hi Guys, we're in the final hours of preparation for a super fantastic show! Here's a short video by David Yearwood, the Flower Show Coordinator, and Tom Hodge, International Floral Designer. Take a listen, and see you at our show!
Are we the bread?
Sermon by Rev. Julian Campbell on Sunday August 2, 2015.
Hallelujah
St. Peter's Parish Church Choir & the Barbados Strings Orchestra
St Peter's Parish Church Flower Show
St Peter's Parish Church recently staged a flower show under the theme A World of Flowers.
The importance of Faith in God
Sermon by Rev. John Rogers on Sunday November 8, 2015.
Comfort Ye My People & Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted
Speightstown St Peter Barbados
Speightstown also known as Little Bristol , is the second largest town centre of Barbados. It is situated 12 miles (19km) north of the capital city of Bridgetown in the northern parish of St. Peter. The town is named after William Speight , a member of Barbados' first Assembly during the settlement years , and the former owner of the land where the town is located. Speightstown was formally settled around 1630 & in the earliest days of settlement was Barbados' busiest port (AMS Seaport Code 27213 , UN/LOCODE : BB SPT) . Ships laden with sugar & other commodities left Speightstown bound directly for London especially Bristol . For this reason Speightstown is sometimes known as Little Bristol . The quaint town has now become the centre of a tourist area as well as a secondary shopping centre.
A drive through St.Peter
This video was uploaded from an Android phone.
Godings Beach House, St. Peter, Barbados
Godings Beach House is a new five-bedroom luxury holiday rental located at one of Barbados’ most sought-after addresses on the west coast of the island.
Driving through St. Peter
In the Maynards area I believe
MILE AND A QUARTER ST PETER BARBADOS
Barbados - Bath Beach - St. Joseph Parish - 2017
Near to Bathsheba. Ample parking, updated playground, snack bar and washrooms. April 2017
GOING INTO FOUR HILL ST PETER BARBADOS
St. John's Parish Church Barbados
St.John's Church is a classic Gothic church situated on a cliff overlooking the picturesque East Coast. This Church was built in 1836 to replace the previous church which had been destroyed by a hurricane in 1831.
In the Church Yard rests the remains of Ferdinando Paleologus, a descendent of Emperor Constantine the Great, whose family was driven from the throne of Constantinople by the Turks. Ferdinando died in Barbados in 1678, after being a resident here for over 20 years
St John Barbados
2014 more footage of this Wonderful old Church built in 1645