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Over the brow of Cherry Tree Hill, a signposted right turn takes you to the Great House of St Nicholas Abbey (Mon-Fri 10am-3.30pm; B$10) - the oldest house on Barbados. Built during the 1650s, the white-painted structure was originally owned by two of the largest sugar-growers in the north of the island. How the place came to be called an abbey is unclear. So too is the reason for the fireplaces - completely unnecessary in view of the island's tropical weather - in the upstairs bedrooms. Presumably they are the result of the builders slavishly following the drawings of a British architect, regardless of the Caribbean climate. Your entrance fee gets you a rather lacklustre guided tour of the ground floor of the house (the upstairs is still used, and closed to visitors), crammed with eighteenth-century furniture, Wedgwood porcelain and other traditional accoutrements of the old Barbadian aristocracy. The outbuildings at the back of the house are rather more rustic, and include the original bathhouse and a four-seater toilet. While the tour of the house may be a little unexciting, there is an evocative twenty-minute black and white film that is shown on request. Made in 1934 by a previous owner of the abbey, it shows the family making a visit by sea from England to their West Indian home. There is some great footage of the boats arriving at Bridgetown harbour and of the pre-war city, followed by loving shots of the sugar plantation in action. After the film you can take a short stroll through the woods behind the house or grab a drink in the small cafe.
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