The square tower
Grey stone, pointed windows.
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St John's Parish Church is a grey stone Gothic church in eastern Barbados, with a square tower and pointed windows among huge trees and an old churchyard. It is the prototype of the plain Barbadian Gothic parish church that spread across the island. The parish was created in 1640 and 1641, and its first church was probably wooden. The churches built after it were damaged by hurricanes in 1675 and 1780, until the hurricane of 1831 destroyed the church completely. The present building is the fifth, built in 1836, with the chancel added in 1876. Beside the main door is a marble sculpture by Westmacott in memory of Elizabeth Pinder. You walk around the church among the trees, looking at the tower and the arched stone walls. In the churchyard stands an old oriental thuja with a plaque putting its age at about 150 years, and small black birds hop through the branches. This is a working church, so dress modestly and go in quietly. The church is 16 km in a straight line north-east of Bridgetown and 4 km south-east of Bathsheba. Entry is free and donations are welcome.
Grey stone, pointed windows.
Huge trees, an old thuja.
By the main door.
Saint John parish, eastern Barbados
Yes: modest dress covering shoulders and knees.
Codrington College is 3 km away and Bathsheba 4 km.