Your Ultimate Guide To Barbados

Building Techniques of Old

Some of the earlier slave huts found in Barbados were built from trees that were cut down, held together by mud and covered with palm or coconut leaves to keep out the wind and rain. So basic were these places of dwelling, they were just enough to accommodate those living inside as a means of mere shelter. Some more 'upmarket' slave huts were made of stone and their roofs covered with galvanised sheets.

Throughout Barbados' striving sugar industry years ago, the building process benefited from the bricks and large clay tiles that were imported from England as ballast.

Building techniques improved throughout the nineteenth (19th) century as Barbados saw the introduction of coral stone in churches, plantation houses and sugar factories.

Another techniques used for walls was one called upmarket Spanish walling. With this particular technique, two (2) walls of horizontal cane laths were stuck to upright pieces of wood, stuffed with small stones, shavings and even corn cobs and the complete structure plastered.

At a time when there was no cement on the island of Barbados, a combination of coral dust and egg-white was used to hold together the walls of buildings.

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