St. John is located on the east coast of Barbados and it has quite spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean crashing against the cliffs. In this parish you will find historical churches, tourist attractions, and picture postcard sandy beaches.
There are quite a few old Anglican churches in this parish, all of which are lovely to walk around when taking a tour of this parish.
You could visit the historic St John’s Church and its churchyard where many notables from the 18th century to the present have been buried there. There is a stunning view of the dramatic coastline from the church yard or you could visit St. Mark’s Church and its view of the east coat and the escarpment.
Villa Nova is also located in the parish of St. John in Barbados. This was built in 1834 as a plantation house and was once the country holiday home of Sir Anthony Eden – a former British prime minister who entertained Queen Elizabeth II there along with Sir Winston Churchill, another famous British prime minister.
The house used to be open to the public to view the period antiques and mahogany furniture. It became a country house hotel in 2001 and then attracted the rich and famous. The Country club status was not sustainable and Villa Nova is now on the Barbados Real Estate market.
Nearby is the Mount Tabor Moravian Church which gave spiritual guidance and succor to slaves during the period of slavery.
There are three (3) bays to visit in the parish of St. John and they are Bath Beach, which has a large beach and is lovely for a picnic and is quite safe for swimming. It is protected by a large coral reef so it is ideal for snorkeling and there is a children’s play area.
Then there is also Consett Bay, a fishing complex including a fish market. The water here is not recommended for swimming.
Finally there is Martin’s Bay, a small fishing village which has a golden rather than white colored sand and pebble beach. Some vacation beach houses are located here and there is walking trail along the old railway track, though now badly eroded, is good for hiking 3.5km, but care needs to be taken.
Martin’s Bay is good for a family day outing. There is a beach tavern there known island-wide and abroad for mouth-watering fish lunches – snapper, marlin and dorado (mahi-mahi) and local Bajan food served mainly on Thursdays.
St John is also home to Codrington College, it is set in beautiful grounds and renowned throughout the world as a theological college of excellence, once affiliated to Durham University in England but now associated with the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill.
If you are taking a tour in this area then Codrington is a very tranquil place to take a stroll around the wonderful tropical gardens. All of this sightseeing might be thirsty work, if so then you can also find one of several rum shops (pubs) in this parish.
Visit the village of Lemon Arbor, which is famous for its succulent pickled pork called souse which is served with steamed sweet potato pudding on a Saturday lunch time or travel to the Souse Factory in the village of Cliff.
Places of interest in St. John:
— St. John’s Anglican Parish Church
— St. Margaret’s Anglican Church
— St. Mark’s Anglican Church
— Mount Tabor Moravian Church
— Villa Nova
— Codrington College
— Holy Cross Church Anglican Church at Society
Bars and Restaurants in St. John:
— Lemon Arbor
— Bay Tavern in Martin’s Bay
— Souse factory in Cliff
Towns in St. John:
— Bath
Beaches in St. John:
— Bath Beach
— Martin’s Bay
— Congor Bay
— Consett Bay
Author: Brett Callaghan
