Speightstown is the second largest town centre of Barbados. It is situated twelve miles from the centre of Bridgetown, in the northern parish of Saint Peter. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... Saint Peter is a parish of Barbados in the north of the island. ...

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. The House of Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Barbados. ...

History

Speightstown was formally settled around 1630 and in the earliest days of Settlement was Barbados's busiest port. Ships laden with sugar and other commodities left Speightstown bound directly for London and 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.colligan

The area of Speightstown was the first major port and commercial centre of Barbados. The city is named after William Speight, a member of Barbados' first Assembly during the colonial years as well as the former land owner where the city is located. It has a long and colorful history reaching back to the 17th century when it served as one of the main ports connecting the island with the “mother country,” England. Back then Speightstown was sometimes called “Little Bristol” because of these trading connections with Bristol in England. This little village was the port that Ayscue could not take, when dispatched by Cromwell to quell the insurrection in Barbados in 1649. The Barbadians were loyal to Charles I, and would not accept Oliver Cromwell as their protector. For six months Ayscue was unable to land in Barbados, and concentrated attacks on Speightstown were repelled by the small forts along the shore. A deliberative assembly is an organization, comprised of members, that uses a parliamentary procedure for making decisions. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the English city. ... Admiral Sir George Ayscue by Sir Peter Lely, painted 1665–1666. ... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scotland and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. ... Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 – 3 September 1658) was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... Lord Protector is a particular English title for Heads of State, with two meanings (and full styles) at different periods of history. ...

The tiny island was landed only with the help of a defector who led Ayscue and his men to land at Oistins Town where they met with representatives of the island and signed what has become known as the "Charter of Barbados". Signed in 1652, the agreement gave Barbados rights and privileges unheard of in any other Island. In particular it guaranteed that Barbados could not be taxed without the consent of a Barbados General Assembly. The coastal town of Oistins (Oye-s-tins)is an area located in the country of Barbados. ...

Many historic buildings dating from colonial times, including Arlington House, still remain standing in the town and can be seen mostly along Queen Street, Church Street and Orange Street. Speightstown saw a lot of activity during the reign of the sugar industry and the day of the slave trade. Many slaves would have passed through this town, even if they were to be shipped on further to other islands or America.

Culture

A Mini Moke rental car on a Speightstown beach (1995).

There is a lot of activity in Speightstown particularly on weekends when locals and visitors come out to do their shopping and banking. Many stalls can be found along the streets hawking local and imported fruits and ground provisions. Falling into disrepair and neglected over the years it has now been revived and is on stream for a number of exciting initiatives. There has been a redevelopment of the Speightstown Esplanade (Fort Denmark) and the Fisheries Complex. There has been some significant work to the drainage of the area with the Salt Pond being adjusted to allow for the flow of water from the sea. The jetty has been rebuilt and there is the talk of resurrecting the Bridgetown to Speightstown Schooner Route as a modern ferry line. Image File history File links A Mini Moke rental car on the beach of Speightstown, Barbados. ... Image File history File links A Mini Moke rental car on the beach of Speightstown, Barbados. ... The Mini Moke is a vehicle based on the Mini and designed for the British Motor Corporation (BMC) by Sir Alec Issigonis. ...

Speightstown is also home to Port St. Charles, a brand new luxury marina development, where those who wish to enter the island by yacht and other vessels can dock and be processed for entry. Due to its distance from the capital, it carries an air of a more bohemian lifestyle. Also to be found in close proximity to Speightstown are excellent hotels and restaurants. There is an excellent art gallery, The Gallery of Caribbean Art, http://www.artgallerycaribbean.com/ which showcases some excellent local and Caribbean artists. The Port Saint Charles marina is an affluent and upscale luxury marina development situated on the western coast of Barbados. ...

Actress Claudette Colbert spent six months annually in Speightstown after her retirement.^[1] Athlete and actor Oliver Skeete was born in Speightstown. Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an Academy Award-winning French-born American actress. ... Oliver Skeete (b. ...

Sister cities

Speightstown has been twinned with:

• - Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom (since 2003)

Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... , Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ...

References

Coordinates: 13°15′N, 59°39′W The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...