The Cheapside Gardens

The city of Bridgetown in Barbados is home to many surprises in terms of places to go and things to see. At the lower end of town, locked in between what is referred to as Lower Broad Street and Fontabelle is an area known as Cheapside Gardens.

 

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Cheapside is a compact area where a number of smaller businesses operate, however the two most important landmarks in that section of the city are The General Post Office and The Cheapside Market.

 

The General Post Office (GPO) is the main branch of the entire postal network on the island of Barbados. It has a massive upstairs area for transacting business, buying stamps etc. Many businesses and private indiduals also have their mailboxes, with their bespoke PO Box numbers, on these premises as due to its size and central location it has the largest number of post boxes available for rental. Limited parking is available and due to the high traffic is generally restricted to customers of the post office and the government offices therein.

 

The Cheapside Market is a massive structure where vendors ply their trade and persons from all walks of life come to see what is available for sale. During the week, there is some measure of activity, however the real bustling and transacting takes place on the weekend. One can obtain almost anything at the market. There is fresh fish, fruit (imported and local), spices that you have been dying to use in your recipes and can't locate anywhere else, vegetables, natural drinks (coconut punch, golden apple to name a few) and that is just the tip of the iceberg. The market has to be visited in person in order to get the real experience of a true Caribbean nation in one spot.

 

The mini-bus terminal is right next door to the GPO and so persons will walk from the upper end of Bridgetown to get their transportation home. The terminal itself is usually a hive of activity with buses coming in and out every few minutes or so.

 

Cheapside takes on a life of its own during the day, but is normally quiet with little to do after working hours.

 

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