Tag Archives: Garrison

Bridgetown, Barbados & Garrison Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Bridgetown Barbados (PRWEB) July 14, 2012

The World Heritage Committee has inscribed Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison on the list of UNESCOs World Heritage Sites.

The World Heritage Center says it is an an outstanding example of British colonial architecture consisting of a well-preserved old town built in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, which testifies to the spread of Great Britains Atlantic colonial empire. The property also includes a nearby military garrison which consists of numerous historic buildings. With its serpentine urban lay-out, the property testifies to a different approach to colonial town-planning compared to the Spanish and Dutch colonial cities of the region which were built along a grid plan whc.unesco.org/en/news/770/

Bridgetown, named after the bridge that was constructed in the area by the original Amerindian settlers, was referred to by the English settlers of the 17th century as The Indian Bridge and The Indian Bridgetown. Although it was not the original capital, Bridgetown became the center of trade and commerce. Its harbour (or Careenage) was often filled with trading vessels and was also often the first port of call for ships making the trans-Atlantic crossing from Africa.

In the early history of colonial settlement of the Caribbean, England, France, Spain and Holland were at war over the prosperous islands, which were strategic for trade routes to the new world of silver and gold. The islands also became important for sugar and rum. Protecting the colonies was vital and the British maintained possession of the island throughout its history.

They built fortifications along the western coast of the Island and established a main garrison close to Bridgetown. It was the largest Garrison in the British Colonies in the 18th and 19th centuries. It began with the construction of St. Ann’s Fort in 1705 and grew to include soldiers’ barracks, a parade ground and commissariat.

Barbados has a rich African and British historic heritage, with relics of the Carib and Amerindian past. Much is preserved in museums in the Savannah area, in the old buildings that date back 300 years, the two Jacobean homes, Georgian and Pavilion architecture and stately plantations.

It has the world’s rarest collection of 17th century English iron cannons.

“The island is littered with old cannons”, said Major Michael Hartland, who is the driving force behind this collection’s acquisition. “We have found them in gardens, cellars, on beaches, embedded in the sides of buildings and buried under fortifications”, he says, sitting in his office in the historic Main Guard House in the elegant Georgian building in Garrison Savannah (Circa 1802). The building is one of the many reasons for the UNESCO designations. You will notice it as the red brick building with a graceful clock tower.

The Garrison Savannah continues to be a hive of social and commercial activity where historic buildings blend with modern amenities. There are many hotels, villas, restaurants, boutique shops, sports, horse racing, diving and beaches in the area, making it a popular travel destination.

It is the first heritage site of Barbados to enter the World Heritage List. Other areas are also possible entries as the island is a treasure trove of history and heritage; from sugar and rum to stately homes and cannons.

ABOUT

Barbados.org: The Tourism Encyclopedia of Barbados is the leading tourism information resource on the Island, providing information to travellers all over the world. Barbados.org has over 150,000 pages of information. It provides users with the latest travel technology including its own booking system to cost and compare hotel and activity options, travel planning services and a travel search engine to help users quickly find things to do, where to stay, dine, what they need to know.

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The website is an AXSES/RealHolidays.com service. The AXSES team works with professionals in the hotel, tourism and travel industries, to help build their businesses through all forms of social media and conventional marketing.

For more information visit [http://barbados.org/historic-bridgetown-garrison-unesco-barbados.htm







Portland Interior Designer Garrison Hullinger completes historic remodel that respects Craftsman heritage while adding new luxury and comfort.

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Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) June 19, 2012

Portland interior designer Garrison Hullinger recently announced completion of a whole house remodel that introduces 21st century luxury living to a 1901 Portland Craftsman. According to Hullinger, the project’s success was built on a process of discovery that helped uncover the clients’ wants and needs for their remodeled home.

“The clients wanted to preserve the aesthetics and elegance of this historic house they bought, but they also needed a fully-appointed modern home,” said Garrison Hullinger, principal of Portland’s Garrison Hullinger Interior Design. “Thanks to our understanding of the homeowners, this new remodel achieved both.”

The original house had a strong Edwardian influence, with floors divided into many rooms. The first floor included a dining room, brandy room, extensive pantry, kitchen living room, and half bath. The second floor housed five bedrooms, each with a tiny closet, and one bathroom.

“We really wanted to pay homage to the home and resist the modernist tendency to just open everything up,” said Hullinger. “So we were committed to the Edwardian aesthetic but we also needed to carve out some space.”

Hullinger and his Portland team of interior designers dove into intensive space planning mode, reducing the five bedrooms of the second floor down to three, and adding a second full bath to that floor. The GHID team used new, generous closets as buffers for the newly configured bedrooms, providing separation and privacy between rooms. Hullinger also designed a full guest suite in the attic space, and created nooks throughout the house for reading, phone conversation, or the iPad.

(For a portfolio of the interior design of this Portland craftsman remodel visit http://garrisonhullinger.com/portfolios/interiors-classic-remodel or view a video slideshow of the project at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxJwv0CBqOA&feature=plcp)

In tune with the Portland home’s historic narrative, Hullinger worked extensively with salvaged and restored materials in the remodel. An original leaded glass window provided inspiration for the new windows in the kitchen. Reused countertop remnants recovered from the house found new life in several rooms of the home. A rescued and refurbished handrail now graces the central staircase. And salvaged doors and windows abound, most notably the oval leaded glass window discovered by the builder during preparation for a full bathroom addition on the main floor, still installed but covered inside-and-out by drywall and siding.

In decorating the interiors of the home, the Garrison Hullinger Interior Design team chose the subtle and diverse over the sterile and uniform. In the kitchen, for example, the variety of metal finishes on the fixtures, the La Cornue stove and the range Vent-A-Hood create an inviting and comfortable pastiche. The design approach also finds expression in the living room d