Harrison’s Free School of 1733 / The Grand Freemasons Lodge, Bridgetown, Barbados - Blue Plaques on Waymarking.com

This building was constructed in 1733 in response to a demand for fundamental educational facilities for white residents who could not afford to send their sons back to England to seal their educational footings. The school was named “Harrison’s Free School” after the wealthy sugar plantation owner and merchant who funded the construction.

When the school opened in 1745 the first class was for 20 white male students. Ten of these students paid a fee to attend and were from wealthy families in the area who afford the fee. This group was known as the “gentlemen’s sons.” The other ten students called “foundationers” were “children of persons of good character who were judged “not to be in sufficient circumstances to bring them up in the learning of languages.” Later the school limited attendance to not more than 25 poor in indigent boys at any one time.

This was the earliest school of its kind in Barbados. Only white students were admitted to the school from its founding to 1840 when the school began desegregation and was opened to non-whites. The school curriculum included instruction in reading, writing, ciphering, Latin and Greek and were similar to the educational format of public schools in England.

The school was destroyed by the great force of a hurricane in 1780 and the current building was rebuilt. Over time the building fell into disrepair and poor condition. In 1871 the school sold the building and the property to the Freemason Masonic Lodge. With the help of the proceeds of the sale of the building, the school established a new campus re-opening on Crumpton Street in 1789. With the new campus came a transition and the school became an elite school only serving the wealthy whites of the area.

Freemasonry was introduced into Barbados in 1740 by Alexander Irvine. This building became the St. Michael’s Lodge No 186. The building has been the home of several District Lodges on Barbados from 1871 until 2005 when the Masonic order moved into a new facility. At that time the building was purchased by the Central Bank of Barbados who is leading an effort to restore the historical and cultural history of the area. The building is also managed by the Barbados National Trust.

Efforts are being taken to preserve this building and the surrounding area as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2009 the Central Bank of Barbados has established a restoration fund and a certified charity to refurbish the building. Central Bank has committed $2.5 Million dollars to refurbish the building however estimates are that the restoration work will cost upwards of $5.6 million.

Once the restoration is completed the Central Bank intends to establish a numismatic museum that will preserve and present the history and diversity of the currency of Barbados and countries from around the world.

Located on Spry Street, Bridgetown, St. Michael, Barbados

Sources Used:
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“Colonial Origins, Institutions and Economic Performance in the Caribbean: Guyana and Barbados” By: Michael DaCosta IMF;
“Secondary Education For The Masses: Critical Issues Then and Now” By Anthony Layne, Ph.D.;
“Utilization, Misuse, and Development of Human Resources in the Early West Indian Colonies” by M.K. Bacchus;
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Blue Plaque managing agency: Barbados National Trust Physical Address: Spry Street Bridgetown, St. Michael Barbados Individual Recognized: Not listed Web Address: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/06/2010 PersonsMD visited it