is a
Parish of
Barbados in the north of the island.
With the exception of St. Lucy on its northern border, St. Peter is the only other parish in Barbados with both Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea coastlines. The “Platinum Coast” extends from St. James on its southern border helping to make the parish one of the island’s hot spots for tourism. Mega tourism projects such as the Port St. Charles (currently Barbados’ only marina) and the Almond Beach Village call St. Peter home, as well as several other resorts completed or in various stages of completion such as Schooner Bay, Mount Brevitor, Suga Suga, and Black Bess, the first Banyan Tree resort in the Caribbean. The parish is blessed with many white sandy beaches including the world famous Mullins Bay. It also contains many rolling hills and terraces some of which are still covered by sugarcane which was the island chief cash crop during colonial times.
Speightstown is the largest town in the parish and 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. 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. 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. St. Peter’s Parish Church (Anglican/Episcopal) is located here and dates back to 1629. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries owing to hurricanes. The present Georgian style building was constructed in 1837. Other more recent Christian denominations with a presence in Speightstown include Methodists, Pentecostals and Adventists.
St. Peter is home to several stately historic mansions of Barbados including Saint Nicholas Abbey and Farley Hill. Nicholas Abbey is a Jacobean mansion built in 1660, one of only two on the island, and one of only three in the New World. Farley Hill was destroyed by fire in 1960s and is now in ruins but its grounds with breathtaking views of Barbados’ east coast is now a national park and a venue for many outdoor events and concerts including the annual Barbados Jazz Festival. There are also many vibrant villages and districts located in the parish, some with colorful names like Mile-And-A-Quarter, Six Mens, Indian Ground, French Village, Diamond Corner, The Whim, Boscobelle and Road View.
