Barbados Heritage Architecture
Discover Barbados' Chattel House History. The effects home is one of the most recognisable symbols of Barbados-- a little wood home with bright Caribbean colours, steep gable roofs, and verandahs that welcome the breeze. However beyond their charm, effects homes bring a powerful and distinctively Barbadian story. These homes emerged after emancipation, when previously enslaved people were complimentary but still had little access to land. Plantation owners managed the majority of the island, so workers typically resided on land they did not own. Their homes required to be theirs-- but likewise needed to move with them if the landowner changed, the work shifted, or the family sought a new start. The service was ingenious: develop a home that might walk. Set on coral stone obstructs instead of a fixed structure, the effects house could be lifted, moved, and rolled to a brand-new area. Neighbours would collect to help, turning every move into a minute of neighborhood and event. It was...