November 21, 2024

Barbados Sightseeing - Codrington College

Codrington College is located on a hill in St. John overlooking the magnificent Atlantic with breathtaking views of the East Coast of Barbados. The tranquil surroundings include a driveway lined with cabbage palm trees and a beautiful lily pond. It is the oldest Anglican theological college in the Western Hemisphere and a most important feature of the historical, architectural, natural and educational heritage of Barbados.

You can wander the ancient grounds, enjoy the lovely old buildings, or the reflecting ponds filled with water lilies. Attempt to determine the time using the college's ancient sundial. Or, if classes or mass are not in session, ring the old bell. This is a supremely relaxing and meditative spot, and the impossibly green lawn between the church and the cliffs to the ocean provides one of the best views in the Caribbean.

The founder Christopher Codrington, a planter, was born in Barbados in 1668 and died in 1710, on Good Friday, in the original mansion. In his will he had left to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, two estates and considerable money for the setting up of an institution of higher learning. One of the purposes of the bequest was that there should be maintained a number of professors who should be obliged to teach medicine, surgery, and divinity. The mansion house dates back to the mid seventeenth century, but the college buildings were completed in 1743 and opened in 1745 as a grammar school. In 1830 the college became a university level institution.

Many West Indian priests were trained at Codrington and the College continues to play an active part in education and theological teachings. It is now the theological college of the Anglican Church in the province of the West Indies and is affiliated to the University of the West Indies.

Codrington College
Beally Hall, St. John
Tel: (246) 423-1140
principal@codrington.org