A Great House, Heritage Railway, Rum Distillery and more…
Barbados is a unique coral island in the south-eastern Caribbean famous for its white-sand beaches, consistently warm weather as well as generally being considered the birthplace of rum. It was on a(nother) quest for rum that motivated me to leave the beaches and touristy south-west area and travel across the island to the rural north-east of Barbados – I’m sure glad we decided to visit St. Nicholas Abbey! This excursion really helped us get to know some of the history and culture of the island, as well as see some of its natural beauty.
St. Nicholas Abbey is comfortably nestled in the beautiful “Scottish highlands” of Barbados – A region full of natural beauty which we witnessed first hand as we drove up the hilly east coast and up/across a ridge that took us past the amazingly preserved Morgan Lewis Windmill and the fabulous Cherry Tree Hill look-out (more on that later). I really enjoyed the last bit of the drive along an extraordinary road lined with massive Mahogany trees whose branches seemed to touch each other above us across the road.
We arrived at the grand old plantation just in time! The St. Nicholas Abbey Heritage Railway was preparing to leave the station. We boarded the train and were off… The ride started in a gentle arc around a pond and past some sugar cane fields before chugging up a bit of a hill. After another wide turn, we entered a mature stand of mahogany which gave way to a section of track flanked by a cliffside which was remarkably close to the train. I understand this train and its track was completed in late 2018, with tours having just started in early 2019. This rail system is an authentic representation of the 19th Century transportation system used in Barbados to transport sugar, then later commuters, around the island. The train cars were stunningly beautiful and I could just feel the craftsmanship that went into their construction. We enjoyed our ride, which was narrated by a tour guide who helped us understand what we were seeing along the journey.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before we reached the end of the line at Cherry Tree Hill. At this point, we were pleasantly surprised to be volunteered into assisting the train crew turn the train engine around on a manual carousal/turn-table in preparation for the return journey. It’s not every day that you can participate in such an event! Our work done, we wandered across the street to visit some local vendors who had set up tables and were selling a variety of souvenirs. That didn’t hold our attention for long, as we noticed the amazing views of the island just a few steps away.
This is the second-highest point on Barbados and we savoured the breathtaking views of the island’s hills and ridges as well as the rugged boulder-strewn shoreline of the east coast. Before reboarding the train, we took the opportunity to get our picture taken with the spectacular ‘period correct’ engine and listen to the train conductor as he told stories about the history of trains and their cargo/passengers on the island. This experience really transported us back in time to the days before Barbados had roads. We imagined trains commuting people from Bridgetown around the south end of the island and heading up the east coast, which at that time was the destination of choice for wealthy travelers – It’s still a great place to spend time in the beautiful Bajan countryside away from the hustle and bustle of the west coast.
After our railway adventure was complete, we exited the train to tour St. Nicholas Abbey’s great house. After a short walk across a manicured field lined with gardens and giant palm trees, we were welcomed into one of only two surviving 17th-century Jacobian homes in the Caribbean. English Jacobian architecture is characterized by its combination of Tudor, Elizabethan and Renaissance styles influenced by Flemish, Dutch and French architecture of the time. A tour guide walked us through the main floor pointing out some of the house’s antiques and artifacts while providing a brief history of some of the owners who had lived there.
I immediately gazed upon the Drawing Room’s chandelier, which was decorated with shells. Along with an English tea set from the 1800s, I enjoyed inspecting the “sailors valentines” – mosaics, ornately assembled from tiny shells. The Dining Room looked inviting, with the table fully set with fine china.
We then passed through the Study, which featured a vintage 1930s “Gentleman’s Chair” complete with a backrest, footrest, wheels, table attachments and a reading lamp. There was also a much older mahogany “judge chair” that looked very much at home in the storied great house.
It was interesting listening to the long line of families and sordid tales of the some of the inhabitants. Some of the more revered owners of the property included Sir John Gay Allyne, a long time local government official and Mount Gay rum fame, as well as the more recent Cave family, who lived at the house from the early 1800s all the way up to 2006.
After the great house tour, we headed outside where we enjoyed a complimentary rum punch in a courtyard under the shadow of a massive 400 year old Sandbox tree. We then took a short walk down a gentle slope past some cockatoos and colourful macaws to see the rum producing parts of the plantation. I understand that a few days a week, staff demonstrate how the plantation’s sugar cane is crushed for juice which is then reduced to a sweet syrup – The day we visited, the old Steam Mill was not in operation. St. Nicholas Abbey uses cane sugar syrup and a modern hybrid (pot/column) still, to produce their rum which is aged in used bourbon barrels.
We then went back into their main building and watched a short film, which is essentially ‘home movies’ from the 1930s taken by a Cave family member. The filmed covered their Atlantic crossing, scenes of a bustling Bridgetown, clearly centred around the sugar industry, as well as scenes of the plantation including traditional sugar and rum-making utilizing windmills. The video was followed by a short discussion about their rum, along with a sampling of their 5 year old spirit. St. Nicholas Abbey rekindled the old plantation’s rum making in the early 2000s, and now produce small-batch, single cask artisan rums that also include an 8 year old, 15 year old as well as a rare 22 year old. They also produce a white rum along with interestingly flavoured rums (Banana, Passion Fruit, Sorrel and Coffee) as well as Rum Punch.
The tour formally ended at this point, however guests were welcome to roam the plantation or enjoy lunch on a fantastic terrace situated above a lush ravine. We wandered back into the great house and also visited their rum bottling building, where a woman was hand bottling some ‘special occasion’ rums. After having a light lunch in their snack bar we visited their gift shop where a nice assortment of souvenirs was available – I thought their coffee beans, flavoured by being stored in empty rum barrels, was interesting – Nice!
What a great way to spend an afternoon. St. Nicholas Abbey, which by the way is/was not an abbey at all… has plenty to offer visitors… from a Train ride and Great house to assorted Rum related attractions. The plantation also conveniently has a restaurant, snack bar and gift shops. That said, the place really provides a historical perspective of Barbados that you just can’t get on the beach. St. Nicholas Abbey does a good job in preserving the heritage of Barbados. The property and facilities all have a ‘new’ feel to it, clearly well managed and professionally run, although its staff is still nice and friendly, which we have come to expect from Bajans – Casual and laid back…
ACT Staff
For more information about the plantation and its tours, check out their website at St. Nicholas Abbey
For Tour Operators who can get you there as well as other great Tourist Attractions on the island, check out our Things to Do in Barbados page
If you’re interested in reading more about rum, check out our Caribbean Rum page as well as our Barbados Rum page, which includes a list of Tour Operators who will get you sampling Barbados’ finest.
For an overview of beautiful Barbados, take a look at our Barbados Vacations page
If you’re looking for more ‘active’ things to do while vacationing on the island, click on our Barbados Adventures blog post for some great ideas!
