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and vision system was also installed. New furniture, made exclusively of
Barbadian mahogany wood was also heralded. The stained glass windows to the chamber were also re-leaded and otherwise restored. The walls (formerly plastered) were stripped and grouted and otherwise restored to display their natural sawn Barbadian limestone look. New lighting was also upgraded using the purely decorative original gas chandeliers which are still in place; in September 1988 renovations of the Senate Chamber commenced using the same applications as in the work for the House of Assembly, except the ceiling was aesthetically restored to its original finish; also in 1988 the ground floor of the East Wing was fully renovated to allow for the whole east wing to be available for parliamentary purposes.
287:
the construction of the
Parliament buildings, were stored in various government offices located around Bridgetown. Secondly, the island's legislature needed an appropriate place to convene. From the establishment of the House of Assembly in 1639 to the erection of the Parliament buildings, the legislature shifted from building to building around Bridgetown, and at several instances it actually met at taverns and alehouses. This of course was frowned upon by many of the island's previous Governors, several of whom proposed that money be voted for the erection of an appropriate building to house Parliament.
326:
accepting the design of John F. Bourne, the then
Superintendent of Public Works, the Committee invited tenders for the construction of the west building. The Assembly decided on the tender of £13,750 submitted by a Mr Benjamin L. Harris. Construction of the west building was completed in late 1871 and was presented to the Government at the beginning of 1872. Although Mr Harris had also presented a tender for the East building to the tune of £15,750, the Assembly accepted the tender of Mr Richard F. Roberts for £11,750. The east wing was handed over to Government two years later.
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298:, a member of the House of Assembly, tabled a motion for the erection of the public buildings. A Public Buildings Erection Committee was appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly whose members included Grant. The committee proposed that not only should the buildings house Parliament but also the Custom House, the Marshal's Office, the Post Office and the
526:
ten feet into the ground. The tower was dismantled in 1884 and a clock tower was later constructed at the west wing where it stands today. The clock was designed and manufactured by John Moore & Sons of Great
Britain (1875). It was designed to run for 8 days and is designed to continue operating even when being wound.
465:(there were 5 in all) from 1954. During late 1885 to 1886 the clock and bells of the tower once found in the East Wing were relocated to the West Wing. (See more about the clock further down the page.) On the main stairways of this wing, one can also see two stained glass windows which bear the Biblical quote "
525:
A clock tower with a peal of bells was previously attached to the east-wing where both the Senate and House of
Assembly chambers are located, however poor soil conditions destabilised the clock-tower's base causing it to begin sinking. Within ten years of its construction, the clock tower had sunk by
290:
Several plans were made for the erection of a building for
Parliament. In 1701 a house was constructed within James Fort, but it was later used as the island's Common Gaol. In 1844, there were plans to erect a Sessions House but these plans were later abandoned when a great fire in Bridgetown allowed
286:
Although
Parliament was established in 1639, these buildings which house the Parliament were only constructed in the late 19th century. The reason behind the erection of these buildings was twofold. Firstly, there was the need to find a safe place to store the island's public records, which prior to
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The green colour cast iron railing surrounding the courtyard of the
Parliament Buildings was made by a British firm called Messrs Andrew Handyside & Co. Ltd. Another notable feature of the building itself is many of the windows of the buildings have louvered shutters for blocking out direct-sun
402:
of the House of
Assembly from the courtyard; in 1977 a mezzanine floor was then constructed in the central area of the East Wing; in 1986 the chamber of the House of Assembly was comprehensively renovated, starting on 7 May. A separate mezzanine floor was established for the Public Gallery. A sound
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The construction of the buildings was met with several delays. However, in 1860 there was yet another fire in
Bridgetown, the Government decided to purchase the land which they believed would be an even better site than the one upon which they had previously agreed. After requesting and unanimously
476:
In November 2006 the West Wing of Parliament was refurbished to mark the island's 40th year of Independence. Among other things, the newly refurbished West wing houses a National Heroes Gallery as well as a Museum of Parliament. A ceremony was held to commemorate the reopening of the west wing and
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Notable features: The stained glass windows in the House of Assembly show the British sovereigns spanning from James I to Queen Victoria. The glass windows within the Senate show the armorial bearings not only of past presidents of the council but also past speakers of the House of Assembly.
492:
During the months of November and December the city of Bridgetown has an annual national lighting ceremony. During this time the Parliament Buildings are often elaborately illuminated in the colours of the National Flag (in November) or Green/Red for Christmas (by the middle of December).
229:. Built between 1870 and 1874, the buildings have been the meeting place for both chambers of Parliament since 16 June 1874, and a former site of Colonial administration of Barbados. It consists of two buildings in the
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structures is the clock tower attached to the west-wing. The Tower located in the west wing can be seen from several vantage points around Bridgetown and is complemented by a four faced clock on each side. The
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The east wing has undergone several renovations: In 1970 the East Wing was extended to facilitate a separate entrance to a
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252:. Prior to the establishment of the buildings the legislature met at the Town Hall building (beside the now abandoned
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317:) to host Parliament without any firm return date mentioned as too when it might return to using the capital site.
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In addition to its beautiful architecture, the Parliament buildings have several notable architectural features.
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The West Wing was finished in 1872 and over the centuries has accommodated several principal public offices:
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As of February 2020 the government has been renting various private buildings around Barbados, including the
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PICTURED: The massive clock tower on the East Wing of the Parliament Buildings was demolished in 1884.
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Several offices were located on the ground floor of the East Wing at various periods. These included:
358:. The Attorney-General, Solicitor-General and the Chief Parliamentary Council also had offices there.
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flying triumphantly on top of it. However, the clock tower was not always located in the west wing.
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The East Wing was completed in late 1873. It still houses the Chambers and offices of the once
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Bygone Barbados; by Watson Yates, Ann.; St. Michael: Black Bird Studios; 1998.
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658:"Splendid ceremony for historic opening of second session of Parliament"
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by Act of Parliament. In 2011 both buildings were designated as
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The Legal Draftsman (later known as Chief Parliamentary Counsel)
758:"images: Restoration of the Bridgetown Clock Tower, July 2011"
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to the south; strategically at the heart of the capital city
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was attended by dignitaries as well as the general public.
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Also located there were the offices of the first elected
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In 1989 the Public Buildings were officially renamed the
589:"Historic Bridgetown and her Garrison are centre stage"
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The buildings are situated along the north bank of the
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630:"Estimates get underway at new home of Parliament"
537:, England was contracted to refurbish the clock.
467:Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's...
233:architectural style, and are reminiscent of the
713:Public buildings, Bridgetown, Barbados 1879-80
8:
533:causing the hands to become ceased on 2:12.
481:Notable features of the Parliament Buildings
244:and are bordered by Upper Broad Street and
20:
16:Government complex in Bridgetown, Barbados
619:Historic Bridgetown, Warren Alleyne, 2003
291:Government to find a more suitable site.
756:William St.James Cummins (5 July 2011).
883:Gothic Revival architecture in Barbados
579:
878:Buildings and structures in Bridgetown
873:Government buildings completed in 1873
558:"The Parliament Buildings of Barbados"
529:In 2010 the clock was damaged during
7:
254:National Library Service of Barbados
644:"Parliament temporarily relocated"
14:
725:Jordan, Ricky (29 January 2012).
888:Government buildings in Barbados
814:Sealy, Donna (28 January 2011).
672:"Historic opening of Parliament"
267:protected properties within the
49:
42:
29:
903:Tourist attractions in Barbados
505:Parliament illuminated at night
256:building) on Coleridge Street.
898:Seats of national legislatures
377:(later known as the Registrar)
313:(on 15 Sep 2020 for the State
1:
556:Staff writer (19 July 2011).
847:, The Parliament of Barbados
715:, The Royal Collection Trust
370:The Public Work's Department
273:Historic Bridgetown and its
509:A prominent feature of the
436:The Government Savings Bank
919:
685:B., Y. (2 November 2010).
587:M., N. (16 January 2012).
451:The Comptroller of Customs
859:, TripAdvisor.com reviews
791:S., D. (7 January 2011).
457:The Director of Education
383:The Income Tax Department
307:Worthing Corporate Centre
151:13.0969861°N 59.6139194°W
102:(neo-gothic, with a local
37:
28:
762:William St.James Cummins
211:The Parliament Buildings
58:Location within Barbados
24:The Parliament Buildings
560:. Barbados Pocket Guide
156:13.0969861; -59.6139194
506:
448:The Postmaster-General
445:The Accountant-General
439:The Colonial Treasurer
432:The Colonial Secretary
424:
421:Parliament of Barbados
343:
340:Parliament of Barbados
246:National Heroes Square
221:), is the seat of the
104:or vernacular flavour)
893:Legislative buildings
594:The Barbados Advocate
504:
419:The west-wing of the
418:
338:The east-wing of the
337:
315:Opening of Parliament
300:Prothonotary's Office
857:Parliament Buildings
727:"A scenic City walk"
674:. 15 September 2020.
660:. 16 September 2020.
535:Smith of Derby Group
531:Tropical Storm Tomas
423:, completed in 1872.
391:some offices of the
342:, completed in 1873.
261:Parliament Buildings
215:The Public Buildings
203:Barbadian government
170:2 m (7 ft)
70:The Public Buildings
646:. 22 February 2020.
632:. 24 February 2020.
454:The Provost Marshal
442:The Auditor-General
348:Legislative Council
296:John Glasglow Grant
269:World Heritage Site
147: /
96:Architectural style
83:General information
507:
425:
375:Master-in-Chancery
366:The Public Library
344:
242:Constitution River
237:of Great Britain.
400:Strangers Gallery
356:House of Assembly
311:Conference Centre
217:, or more rarely
208:
207:
123:Parliament Square
75:Alternative names
910:
846:
845:
843:Official website
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818:. Barbados Today
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795:. Barbados Today
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772:on 26 April 2012
768:. Archived from
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732:Nation Newspaper
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597:. Archived from
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219:Parliament House
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601:on 19 July 2012
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547:Further reading
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497:The Clock tower
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387:The Post Office
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213:(also known as
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835:External links
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793:"Stuck on two"
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520:Barbadian flag
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175:Year(s) built
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142:59°36′50.11″W
139:13°05′49.15″N
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820:. Retrieved
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770:the original
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736:. Retrieved
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696:. Retrieved
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687:"City aglow"
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321:Construction
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186:16 June 1874
67:Former names
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183:Inaugurated
154: /
129:Coordinates
867:Categories
822:16 January
799:16 January
776:16 January
738:29 January
698:15 January
605:16 January
564:16 January
354:) and the
250:Bridgetown
231:neo-Gothic
223:Parliament
115:, Barbados
113:Bridgetown
853:, Emporis
851:West Wing
515:limestone
463:Ministers
411:West wing
350:(now the
330:East wing
178:1870-1874
167:Elevation
91:Completed
294:In 1857
275:Garrison
227:Barbados
109:Location
766:Blogger
489:light.
282:History
194:£25 000
120:Address
352:Senate
278:area.
265:UNESCO
199:Client
100:Gothic
88:Status
574:Notes
511:coral
824:2012
801:2012
778:2012
740:2012
700:2012
607:2012
566:2012
469:". (
373:The
309:and
191:Cost
271:of
225:of
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