Isolated at the north end of the West Coast, sleepy Speightstown (pronounced ‘Spikestown’) has a yesteryear feel and antiquated charm. The exception to the town’s general torpor is round the bus station at weekends in the evening when a humming local nightlife scene kicks off.

Some history

Still considered Barbados’ second town, Speightstown was once a prosperous port that did so much trade with Bristol (in England) during the slave trade era that it was nicknamed “Little Bristol”. It was also at one time a whaling centre but by the mid-eighteenth century the town’s trade was already in decline. The situation worsened once improved motor transport made Bridgetown more accessible – earlier, transport between the two ports had been by schooner.

The town

Many of the town’s grand buildings have decayed – some destroyed in the 1941 fire – or been replaced by ill-advised modern developments. But stroll down Queen Street (the main drag) and you can still see examples of three-storey gabled buildings, with galleries protruding over the pavement, and remnants of old warehouses. One of the most impressive buildings is the restored Arlington House Museum.