Your Ultimate Guide To Barbados

All Saints' Church

All Saints' Church located in the picturesque parish of St. Peter in the north of Barbados is one of the oldest churches located on the island.  Initially, the island of Barbados was divided into six parishes but due to the rapid population growth at the time, an additional five parishes were established in 1641. In 1645 a temporary chapel was constructed at the All Saints' Pleasant Hall location. On June 20th, 1649 by order of the then governor, Phillip Bell, a chaplaincy was established at All Saints and the All Saints' Chapel of Ease was erected.

The building of this chapel was a matter of convenience as it was constructed to 'ease' the residents journeying from the east of the parish who often arrived late for services held at both the St. Peter's Parish Church and the St. James Parish Church. Incidentally, it was around this time that the parish church in St. Peter fell into a state of disrepair, thus clearing the way for the All Saints' Chapel to serve as the Parish Church for the parish of St. Peter. However, after the repair of the St. Peter's Parish Church, All Saints' was returned to her status as Chapel and continues to this day to be a part of the Anglican diocese in Barbados.

All Saints' Church has fascinating history; it survived the slave revolt of 1765 and the hurricanes of 1675 and 1780; in fact, after the hurricane of 1780 only two churches and one chapel were left standing on the island of Barbados, St. Andrew's Parish Church and St. Peter's Parish Church and of course, All Saints. However, this was not to be the case on August 11th, 1831 when the entire chapel was destroyed. This devastating hurricane claimed the lives of one thousand, five hundred people and caused an estimated seven million dollars in damages on the island.

Undaunted the Barbadian clergy began the rebuilding process with Bishop William Hart Coleridge laying the foundation stone for the rebuilding of the new church on 5th December, 1839. This church however, was demolished some forty years later when problems were discovered within its structure. The present church was constructed and consecrated in 1884.

To date, this beautiful old church is known for its exquisitely detailed stained glass windows which were donated by Thomas Briggs in memory of his parents, Sir and Lady Graham Briggs. These stained glass windows are reputed to have the most beautiful detail of any church in the western hemisphere and are located along the eastern side of the sanctuary.  This historic edifice in the north of the island is also the final resting place of William Arnold, the first English settler to set foot on Barbadian soil back in 1627.

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