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St. Cyprian's ChurchSt. Cyprian's Church was built well after the end of the Coleridge Building Programme in Barbados (1824 -1842). The cornerstone was laid by the Lady Sendall, the wife of the Governor of Barbados, Walter Joseph Sendall, on 24th February, 1890 and the church was officially consecrated on 26th September, 1894 by Bishop Herbert Bree.
Unlike many of the churches in Barbados, which were built to accommodate an already existing and rapidly growing community, St. Cyprian's Church was built as an expressed part of a planned residential community. This community was to be called Belleville and was to later become one of Barbados' exclusive neighbourhoods. Belleville consisted of twelve avenues all lined with very tall and elegant cabbage palms (about 700 were planted) which defined this well-designed neighbourhood. Some of these majestic trees can still be seen in some of the avenues today.
The residential development of Belleville was conceptualized by two enterprising entrepreneurs, Samuel Manning and George Whitfield. Between the two of these men, they owned most of the land in the proposed area and the land which they did not own was simply purchased. That was the case of the land on which St. Cyprian's Church currently sits. Mr. Manning and Mr. Whitfield bought the land, approximately ten thousand, eight hundred square feet, from the Barclay family in Barbados for the expressed purpose of erecting an Anglican Church to serve the people (specifically the business people) of the areas surrounding Bridgetown in Barbados.
St. Cyprian's Church was finally built, taking just about four years as donations came in to fund the building process. In later years, the church managed to acquire two additional tracts of land, one to the south of the church which was used as the Belleville School and the other to the east of the church which was used as a lawn tennis court for this new school in Barbados.
This school later became known as the St. Winifred's School, which is now sited just behind Barbados' Government House on Pine Hill, in the same parish. The site and small building were then used as the St. Cyprian's School for boys. The St. Cyprian's school has long changed location, due to the growing number of pupils and is now situated in Brittons Cross Road, adjacent to the Government run St. Paul’s Primary school. The building is currently being used as a Sunday school, a private dance studio in the evenings for children to attend after school and it also functions as a church Hall. Both the St. Winifred's and St. Cyprian Schools are private educational Facilities located on the island of Barbados.
The lawn tennis court on the eastern side of the church, just behind the church's beautiful stained glass window has since been converted into a multiuse space and today it functions as a netball and basketball court and the church's official car park, a must-have in this congested area which is fast becoming a part of the metropolitan area of Bridgetown, Barbados.
This church located on the corner of Seventh Avenue Belleville and George Street, St. Michael in Barbados, continues to serve the residence of the Belleville community and its environs even though the Belleville area has undergone massive changes on recent times which have seen this once thriving residential neighbourhood changed into an equally thriving centre for commerce, as many of the stately homes in the area have been converted into medical and business offices.
The St. Cyprian's Church was built in the tradition of the earlier Chapels of Ease of Barbados and indeed sports many of the elegant features of that time like its simple rectangular shape and the now staple features of the belfry, bullseye and lancet windows. Today this vibrant Barbadian church is well maintained due largely to the innovative thinking and actions of its congregation.
In 1997 the church had to have its roof replaced and to this end one of the members of the church suggested that a 'Garden of Rememberance' be established where any member of the public or visitors with ties to Barbados could purchase a tile dedicated to a loved one who had passed and have it permanently placed in the garden. This idea has since become a reality and in now located on the south side of the church. St. Cyprian's Church with its beautiful architecture and stately manner sits proudly in the heart of this rapidly changing community harkening back to simpler more idyllic times when life in Barbados was much slower and seemed to almost stand still. Visitors to the St. Cyprian's Church are sure to enjoy the seamless mix of past and present exemplified in this beautiful old Barbadian church.
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