St Nicholas Abbey
Where can you combine history, architecture, a beautiful setting, and delicious rum all in one setting? The St. Nicholas Abbey, a historic great house in Barbados offers all this and more.
History
St. Nicholas Abbey is a beautiful great house and plantation that is evocative of the era in which it was built more than 350 years ago by Colonel Benjamin Berringer. Although the name would make you think that it was once a religious institution, the current name is a combination of the original historical names of the plantation and places connected to the past owners. The ornamental detailing and classical elements of the great house exemplifies the Jacobean architecture from that period. St. Nicholas Abbey is only one of three remaining mansions that are examples of Jacobean architecture in the Americas. The mansion contains antiques and furnishings that date back to the early 1800s.
St. Nicholas Abbey consists of over 360 acres that include sugar cane fields, mahogany forests, and gullies in a tropical setting. Surrounding the mansion are well-manicured formal gardens. With its extensive acreage of sugar cane fields, St. Nicholas Abbey was heavily involved in the production of rum. It was one of the most productive plantations in the 1890s with the arrival of a steam engine to power the sugar cane mill. Today, a restored mill has resumed grinding sugar cane and is a featured part of the tour.
Tours
St. Nicholas Abbey is open to the public every day except Saturdays. The hours are from 10 am to 3:30 pm. Admission is 30 Barbados Dollars (15 US dollars) for adults and half that price for children. The admission includes entrance to the great house, rum distillery, the gardens, and to the historic avenue of Mahogany trees known as Cherry Tree Hill. Complimentary rum punch or fruit punch is also provided as part of the tour. The Terrace Café is located on site serving lunch, tea, and other refreshments. During the season, the steam mill and rum distillery is in actual operation and is a fascinating part of the tour. In the rum and sugar museum, St. Nicholas Abbey Rum and sugar products are available for sale.
Events
St. Nicholas Abbey is the ideal setting for weddings, cocktail parties, corporate events, and private dinners. The chapel can accommodate up to 30 people for weddings. Although the great house is not used for events, it serves as the grand entrance to the grounds and croquet lawn that can be used for events up to 120 persons. St. Nicholas Abbey can provide catering, security, wedding planning, decoration, and other services for events on the grounds.
