The Bajan Chattel House

-
Three gabled chattel house.......beautifully maintained.
I love chattel houses. I view them with equal amounts of admiration and envy. I often openly declare that any house I build will definitely be from wood and include features of the chattel house. Now ridiculed as the house of choice for the poor, the chattel house's design is ideal for our climate and to me personally, possess more charm and character than any structure built of cement. 
On typically hot days their pointed and "louvred" roofs keep rooms cool.
Shutter windows allow dwellers to see out but maintain privacy. And do you remember the doors that could be opened in halves just like the windows? You pushed the top half open with a prop stick while the other half remained latched!

 I remember as a child laying in bed many a night listening to the boards of our home creak as they shrunk once again after a days beating from the sun. I also loved to look up close at the wood patterns glossing beneath the varnished floor boards. You must admit a wooden house does have a certain appeal. The house I live in is wooden and my neighborhood has a pretty "cute" collection as you see, from very old to modern variations and I enjoy them all. Maybe you will too.
I love chattel houses in "pretty" colours :)



















Love the reverse of colors used by these neighbours!There is nothing quite as visually appealing as a row of wooden houses in all colours.


But I really do love the old chattel houses!
The layout of door and windows always reminds me of faces!
No matter how old (check the galvanised roof) they still have great character.
And don't they always have names....I love it all!
 Love this old grand one.







ENJOY.....

 ROYAL!







So many details, intricacies and colours. I love that some owners seem to take such pride in maintaining these homes. There really is nothing more stately than a well kept chattel house. I'll leave you with a peak at my wooden space. Happy Sunday.

For the history of chattel houses see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattel_house

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 19, 2013 at 11:00 AM

    I have been to your wonderful island several times starting with a vacation with some of my buddies in 1978 and later with my father. On all occasions I have been completely satisfied with my experiences.
    I have recently (2 times in the last 3 years) returned to your island paradise with my wife who had never been there and we have had 2 very satisfactory vacations in conjunction with a group of folks who were drawn to the Barbados Darts Festival, a competition organized by a British fellow, Michael Heal.
    Not being a dart thrower my wife is absorbed by the island culture and history which begets this comment. In our tourist travels around the island I have noticed and become quite a fan of the chattel houses you so fondly discuss and I am wondering if you could tell me what the little spires are for on some of the peaks of the chattel house gables are for?
    We will be going again in November 2014 and are sure to have another wonderful time.
    Thank you,
    Steven T. Repucci
    srepucci@analogic.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderworld BushDecember 25, 2013 at 11:20 AM

    So sorry Steven, I am now seeing this question. As far as I have knowledge, the spires are purely decorative, some have spires, some don't. They imitate the Victorian style barge board which typically trims a gable roof. The exact piece you speak of is called the finial and is just for added detailing. Hope this helps and here's hoping for a great trip come Nov 2014.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Looking for bush

-
Image
What is it with this woman and bush, you may be wondering, but I love me some greenery! I love bush tea, I could eat bush rice everyday (seriously, I could), I study bush (herbology), I plant bush, I bathe with bush sometimes, a brother calls me Bushwoman as if it were my real name and I even call myself Wonderworld Bush for goodness sake! I am known to carry a camera and a plastic bag with me everywhere just in case the opportunity presents itself to take cuttings or at the very least to capture a pic of new plants for later research. My "condition" is so well known, that last summer I was asked by the Nuwaubian members of my community to accompany them on a walk to identify wild plants in our area. We walked for a good hour or so and it was quite amazing to note the many things I myself discovered for the first time. In fact I was so impressed that I wanted to see what I would unearth a little closer to home. I literally went on a ten minute walk around my house and wow
Read more

Bush Tea

-
Image
All week I have found myself gathering herbs for bush tea. I grew up on bush teas! I don't know about you but growing up I hardly ever visited a doctor outside of vaccine schedules. Bush teas were our cleansers, healers, tonics, nourishment and much more. They were also a part of our culture. When we had colds we were instructed to pick cerasee, mosquito bush, soursop and pear (avocado) leafs. For stomach aches, we had ginger, bayleaf, aloes or sweet basil. Heads were wrapped in oil leafs (castor oil plant) for headaches or rubbed with coconut oil for head colds. We drank fitweed, flower fence, lemongrass and a host of other "cooling teas". With development, a lot of our local bushes are all but gone and very hard to find, so when I come across an old familiar bush I make a point of bringing cuttings or saplings home to transplant. Today I am so happy to have a few essential Bajan bushes in my yard.     Cerasee is definitely a must have bush despite its
Read more

Breadfruit ...... So Many Ways

-
Image
I have a confession to make. In 2005 when I returned to Barbados, I ate breadfruit every week! Well, to be perfectly honest I ate breadfruit multiple times a week. Yes, I was overdosing on breadfruit. Reason being it was so hard to get the real fresh deal in NYC. Breadfruits do not travel well! Eight years later, we still love breadfruit. Much to my delight they are easy to come by all year round and are absolutely free . EVERYBODY knows somebody who has a breadfruit tree. Breadfruit is so very versatile and easy to cook. SO, today I bring you all things breadfruit.
Read more