A momentous occasion

Barbados received its first World Heritage inscription in June 2011 for Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, an outstanding example of British colonial architecture consisting of a well-preserved old town and a nearby military garrison. It was a momentous occasion for the small island developing state (SIDS), which although a long and active State Party to the World Heritage Convention, continues to experience some challenges in ensuring the protection and preservation of the island's colonial and post-colonial cultural heritage. At the community level, heritage development has been stymied by several factors, but the central problem remains one of ‘identity’. How do heritage practitioners help Barbadians come to terms with the historical legacies of slavery and colonialism, while forging an ‘independent’ identity?

Heritage practitioners are drawn from various organizations and community groups, representing diverse interests. The Management Plan for Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison must engage the active participation of all its stakeholders, but especially those situated in the country's urban and rural communities, in order to make the inscription meaningful and uphold World Heritage ideals. This case study suggests how property managers can mobilize community-based support for heritage in SIDS given the peculiar challenges of representing the island's past.

Located on the sheltered south-west coast of the island state, Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison developed as a colonial port town and entrepôt for the trans-shipment of goods and services in the lucrative sugar trade that dominated the British Atlantic economy from the 17th to 19th centuries.