Treasures & Trinkets

19/07/2021

19/07/2021

Watch this space....

06/02/2016

Bahamian tresaure hunter, Nick Maillis, describes how he uncovered one of the biggest finds in the nations history and suggests what may still be out there.

01/12/2015

Bajan Old Time Things

29/11/2015

Deep in the Mediterranean Sea, just off the coast of Egypt, archeologist Frank Goddio discovered something truly amazing: the ruins of the lost city of Thonis-Heracleion.

29/11/2015

An extract from episode one, of "Speightstown, A forgotten Treasure?", an 18 part series that looked at Speightstown then , now and the possible future of th...

29/10/2015

Almost everything about this abandoned auction house is a mystery; we don't know when it closed, why it closed, or why all these items were left to deteriorate.

28/10/2015

28/10/2015

[This Day in History – October 28]

Elsie Pilgrim Becomes the First Female to Win the Barbados Scholarship

On October 28, 1946 Elsie Pilgrim (later Dame Elsie Payne) became the first woman to be awarded the Barbados Scholarship. It was also the first time the scholarship was awarded in Modern Studies.

Dame Elsie was born on May 14, 1927. Her association with Queen’s College started in 1936 when she entered as a student at the age of nine. After leaving Queen’s College in 1946, she entered Exeter College, University of London and gained a B.A. in History. From there she entered the University of Cambridge and in 1953 she graduated with a Doctorate in Philosophy in History and thus became the first Barbadian to attain this level of scholarship. Dame Elsie returned to her alma mater where she served first as Senior History Teacher and later Deputy Headmistress. In 1970 Dame Elsie became the first Barbadian to be appointed Headmistress of Queen’s College, a position she held until her retirement in 1985.

Dame Elsie’s contribution went beyond the confines of Queen’s College. She was a member of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society and served on its Council in the position of first Vice President from 1986-1989. Dame Elsie also served on a number of Advisory Boards and Committees, including the Barbados Constitution Review Commission.

For her contribution to education, in 1980, Elsie Payne nee Pilgrim became Barbados’ first Dame of St. Andrew. In 1986 she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of the West Indies and in January 1990 she was named among The New Bajan magazine’s “Personalities of the Decade: Those Whose Work Time Will Not Fade.”

This lover of Shakespeare, calypso and Barbadian history and heritage died in 2004, but her achievements have been memorialised on the Barbadian landscape. The roundabout outside the Bridgetown Harbour, as well as the Headquarters of the Ministry of Education both bear the name of “this erudite scholar, loving and caring educator.”

21/10/2015

20/10/2015

Maria Returns: Barbados to Mansfield Park

When historian Roslyn Russell set out to write her first novel, Maria Returns: Barbados to Mansfield Park, it was a quest more challenging than most – a sequel to a much-loved classic. And not just any classic, but Mansfield Park, Jane Austen’s third novel, published 200 years ago.

In Mansfield Park, Austen explores the complexities of the Bertram family, morality, relationship intrigues, wealth, poverty, imperialism and slavery in the British Empire – and it’s probably true to say that the issues are as relevant today as they were then.

Russell’s novel Maria Returns: Barbados to Mansfield Park brings together her two great loves – the novels of Jane Austen and, in particular, Mansfield Park, and her love of Barbados.

Russell has Maria, the disgraced daughter of the wealthy Bertram family, travelling to Barbados with friends she met while in exile. There she discovers a secret that implicates family members in ways that expose the practice of slavery and the hypocrisy and the double standards of a privileged life at Mansfield Park
Jennifer Kingma, Canberra Times, 15 August 2014

Want to learn more - stay tuned for details on a special event on October 23rd 2015

10/10/2015

06/10/2015

[This Day in History – October 6]

Bombing of Cubana Airline Flight 455

Thirty-nine years ago today, terrorism raised its ugly head in Barbados. Cubana Airline Flight 455, from Bridgetown to Kingston crashed into the sea off the west coast of Barbados, following a bomb explosion about nine minutes after takeoff.

All 73 passengers and crew members aboard the plane died. Those on board comprised 57 Cubans, 11 Guyanese, and five North Koreans. Among the dead were all 24 members of the 1975 national Cuban fencing team that had just won gold medals at the Central American and Caribbean Championships; many were teenagers.

A memorial to the 73 passengers that perished was unveiled on August 1, 1998 by Cuban President Fidel Castro. The obelisk, designed by Virgil Broodhagen looks out to the Caribbean Sea off Paynes Bay, St. James.

02/10/2015

Which type of glass is more valuable, and how can you identify it?

30/09/2015

TW Roberts held the Ceylon record back in 1924 for the highest individual innings. Roberts was a well-known cricketer who played for Barbados and Oxford University before he moved to Ceylon to join the Civil Service.

13/09/2015

I just love these stories!!

The owner of this beautiful ring purchased it thinking it was Cubic Zirconia, but then she noticed some hallmarks and decided to do a little research!

12/09/2015

[This Day in History – September 11] The Cornwallis torpedoed in Carlisle Bay 73 years ago today, Friday, September 11, 1942, World War II came to Barbados’ shores quite literally. On this day U-boat 514 under the command of Kapitänlieutenant (Lieut. Commander) Hans Jurgen Auffermann launched an a…

11/09/2015

Queen Elizabeth II will this week become the longest-reigning monarch in British history

07/09/2015

A brief history behind this centuries old Barbados tradition and an introduction to our company. ► Website: https://sailorsvalentine.bb ► Enquiries: sailorsv...

24/08/2015

Its is with great sadness I announce the passing of Tenor Guitarist, Robin Hunte. R.I.P Robin.

Note: Photo/Music tributes to follow later on.

26/07/2015

[This Day in History – July 26]

The establishment of the Barbados Astronomical Society

On this day, 59 years ago, the newly formed Barbados Astronomical Society met at the home of President Dr. Harry Bayley. Other officers in attendance were W. Eustace Thomas, Vice President and Secretary, Maurice Foster. At that session, it was decided that in two weeks’ time members with telescopes would bring them to a meeting to give other members the opportunity to view the planets.

The Barbados Astronomical Society is an incorporated, non-profit organization of amateur astronomers, and was founded by Dr. Harry Bayley and Mr. Eustace Thomas. Dr. Bayley, an enthusiastic amateur astronomer, introduced many persons to the concepts of astronomy with his 12.5 inch Newtonian telescope and invited persons to his home where the first meetings of the Society were held.

When Dr. Bayley died in 1958, the membership voted to erect an observatory in his memory. An acre of land at Clapham, St. Michael, was donated to site the building which was designed by the late Barbara Hill. Following a five-year campaign of fund-raising by members and donations from a generous public, the observatory was constructed and finally dedicated on January 26, 1963.

The Harry Bayley Observatory is the only one of its kind in the Eastern Caribbean. The observatory itself consists of three floors. The first floor houses a workshop, kitchenette and dark room. The second floor provides space for a meeting room, library and planetarium. The third level houses the telescope, which is protected by the signature aluminum dome. Patrons can take in a 360° view of the night sky from the observation deck and observe celestial bodies.

The building was recently refurbished and re-equipped with a 16-inch Meade telescope, and a Lunt 80mm solar telescope, thanks to the generosity of the Sfumato Foundation.

16/06/2015

Complete with real human hair, pierced ears and a porcelain face, this Emile Jumeau Doll is nearly 135 years old!

01/06/2015

See one of Margaret Keane's paintings on Antiques Roadshow.

22/05/2015

28/09/2014

ALL PRICES QUOTED IN BARBADOS DOLLARS ............................. FACEBOOK is not consistent in sending notifications for comments under photos - Please send a private message if you are interested in purchasing an item. Thank You!!

01/09/2014

This stunning Navajo First Phase Chief's Wearing Blanket made headlines when it sold for 1.8 million dollars at John Moran Auctioneers' June 19th sale in Sou...

29/06/2014

FACEBOOK is not consistent in sending notifications for comments under photos - Please send a private message if you are interested in purchasing an item. Thank You!!

09/06/2014

The iconic Morgan Lewis Mill, St Andrew, Barbados...a beautiful photograph taken by Jonathan Farmer. This was donated to the BNT by the Bannister family and is one of only two working sugar mills in the West Indies. The other one is in Marie Galante (French West Indies). In order to grind cane during next year's harvest, the sails will have to be taken off and some repairs done to the central shaft. The Barbados National Trust welcomes any assistance given to effect these necessary repairs which will ensure that this tangible part of our sugar heritage is not lost.

24/05/2014

First for us! An old boat was turned into a vertical house in Portugal!

02/04/2014

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