On Saturday, October 6, 2018 the Barbados Photographic Society conducted a photo walk around Bathsheba on the scenic east coast of Barbados. The annual walk is aimed at bringing together in a single spot, photographers or lovers of photography in a social event to stimulate interest, conversation and photography. The BPS has for the past seven years selected a spot with historical, folklore, geographical or geological interests and has been fortunate to have within the society a person, who loves hikes and with some knowledge of the areas chosen. Our resident guide has always been Ansley Weekes.
The walk began around 6.15am after photographers had taken advantage of the early lighting near to sunrise to shoot images along the Bathsheba beach. The starting point was the location of the train station, which existed between 1882 and 1937. The modern site is now the public facility for the play park. Ansley gave an insight into the operation of the train; its use in transporting sugar, Manjak (pitch or bitumin) and passengers from St. Andrew through the southern parishes to Bridgetown.
The short walk then followed the train track route to Tent Bay, the fishermen’s boat yard and the Atlantis Hotel. A discourse ensued on the establishment of hotels in the 1880s in this east coast area and the part played by the train in bringing visitors to the beach resorts to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Hotels set up at that time included the Atlantis, Beachmount, Kingsley Club in nearby Cattlewash, Powell Spring, Roundhouse and Edgewater (Tenby). Most of these hotels no longer function as Beachmount was destroyed by fire in 1936, Powell Spring fell into disrepair and was replaced by a bay house, Kingsley Club is in disrepair and Edgewater is closed. Other bay houses and guesthouses have been built along the coast road, and in the Tent Bay neighbourhood, such as the Sea U and Fleet View Apartments among others.
The origins of place names in the area were explained to the walkers (well not just to Hugh and Cheryl Walker). Tent Bay, it was revealed, was named after an old sea captain purchasing some land, pitching a tent and living there. Cattlewash, to the north, derived at its name from the activity of persons bathing their cattle in the sea on Sunday mornings at the location.
Some plants in the area were described such as the Dildo or Agave or Maypole and Coffee Bush. Some folklore practices and cures were also mentioned, like the placing of “crab- eyes” seeds in the kerosene oil lamp bowl to raise the level of the oil, thus making maximum use of the wick as it burns down. Grinding the seeds of the local “coffee bush” to add to regular coffee was another cost saving practice known in country kitchens across Barbados. Bush tea was used as a healing agent for many minor ailments. Similarly, all parts of the Agave, Maypole or Dildo plant with its large elephantine leaves was used for a variety purposes. Amazingly, before household refrigerators were known in Barbados, the centre of the Maypole plant was found to retain the cooling effect of the dew and was used to preserve certain items from spoiling overnight.
The walk continued up- hill and inland from the Atlantis Hotel and the next stop was at the Beachmount Hill. This was the location of the Beachmount Hotel, owned by Miss Emmeline Mc Conney. Previously, the said building was the rectory for the parish but after the St. Joseph Parish Church was built at Horse Hill some distance away, the old rectory became not conveniently located and was sold to Miss Mc Conney. The approximate location of the Little St. Joseph Chapel-School on the site was shown. This was on the brow of the hill, on the rectory grounds, overlooking the train path. This structure collapsed following the establishing of the train line below the hill around 1884. It is likely that the heavy work involved in the building of the railway track and the subsequent vibrations from the train passing below weakened the hill side and caused the building to collapse. A new church, St. Aiden was built between 1904 and 1909 along the roadway, affording a most scenic view to worshippers.
The walk ended at the present site of St. Aidan and a number of folktales were aired to add humour to the exercise and members retired to the parking lot for light refreshments. It was a beautiful morning on account of the weather and camaraderie among the fifteen members of the society. Members are hoping for another such event to add a second photo walk to the BPS calendar of activities.
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