Colonial Garden: A Delightful Mix of British Restraint and Caribbean Emancipation

Passing the gallery

Materials prepared: Dilara Muradova

Magazine: N10 (66) 2002

Two names have long been fixed behind the island of Barbados: “heaven on earth” and “little England”. Both are fair. Here, the bright blue sea, beaches with pink sand, emerald palms ... The Englishmen who colonized the island in the 17th century seemed little of this exotic beauty. With the persistence of Robinson Crusoe, they introduced afternoon tea and cricket, English names and English architecture. The latest in this list was landscape design. Earlier this place was a plantation. A small bungalow, built in the 17th century, was surrounded, wherever you looked, by thickets of sugarcane. When in the 70s. the last century, Barbados gained fame of the famous English resort, from the plantations not a trace remained. The house was rebuilt by London-based designer Oliver Messel in a luxurious style combining Georgian and Caribbean architectural traditions. On the site of an old bungalow there were buildings decorated with lattice shutters and romantic balconies, patios overlooking the sea and spacious coral-colored stone terraces. In order to strengthen the connection between the house and the surrounding nature, Messel used a special shade of green, close to the color of sage and wormwood, which later became considered the "author's signature" by the architect in Barbados. Since then, several decades have passed. The garden surrounding the villa has practically disappeared, giving way to a dense forest, for which the English landscape designer and specialist in the field of historical geography Todd Longstaff-Gowen was invited to "modernize". “It was necessary to study the local flora well and find the optimal solution in the context of the buildings and landscape history,” Todd explains. “The garden had to reflect the spirit of the manor and at the same time bring something new into it.” Among the evergreen trees, Todd "scattered" English lawns, retaining intact their insular, "disheveled" appearance. He planted a modest Celtic heather and bright exotic plants. And, continuing the tradition of Messel, he chose a muted green as the color dominant of the landscape. It turned out a delightful mixture of British restraint and Caribbean emancipation, typical of this colonial style.