BDOS072507_0037
Gable Roof
RA Mapps Bar
Eagle Hall Corner, St. Michael
Bridgetown, Barbados
Series: Images Form St. Michael
(07-25-2007)
Chattel houses may be home for many of the nation’s poor. But that is no longer the case in these modern times. Some folks just choose to build or buy a wood house simply because they are economical and comfortable.
And yet some use Chattel properties as shops or bars. RA Mapps Bar is located at the corner of Eagle Hall in the parish of St. Michael. Even though I have not eaten there yet, I understand it is known for its rotisserie chicken. The vivid colors and architecture are unique to Barbados.
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3 Comments
When I was in Europe I remember being in some old cities seeing some very old beautiful houses. The firt thing you see on them are the electrical wires and the plumbing running along the walls like this. Boy it just uglified the house.
ReplyDeleteI wish there was some way to do those things so neatly that you don't notice the wires or the plumbing.
I love that vibrant red against the white, though,
These "Chattel Houses", especially the older ones are truly wonderful. In Panama, I'm afraid the people here have been too quick to depend on brick and mortar structures which don't necessarily last any longer, cannot always withstand the flooding and wind storms and are oh so uncomfortable as compared to wooden houses, not to mention more expensive.
ReplyDeleteThese shots are just superb!! This is an artistic return to the past!
Lydia,
http://thesilverpeoplechronicle.blogspot.com/
Ann, most (if not all) the housing developments in today have underground cabling. These old houses are still connected to the electric-pole. I wager it would be too expensive to implement the underground cabling for these old properties.
ReplyDeleteLydia, the Chattel House is a very practical commodity. They are very cool on hot days and very comfortable. The government is working on a project that would place a Chattel House in the hands of the not so wealthy or poor. The venture is called the Hardwood Housing Project.