Stepney Plantation

Stepney Plantation, originally uploaded by pictureinfocus.

BDOS072906_0179
Stepney Plantation
St. George's Valley
St. George, Barbados
Series: Walking From Jopya Drive to Byde Mill
(07-29-2006)

In 1835 Katherine Cobham paid £26,000 for the Stepney Estate in St. George. The price included 364 of cane and pasture land the compensation of 197 ex-slaves, and the remainder of their apprenticeship terms.

One would have to admit that St. George Valley is beautiful. But on this overcast day the air seems fresher. Looking across the valley you can see the elegant Stephney Plantation great house. Apparently it survived the hurricane of 1831.

Sometime in 1835 Katherine Cobham purchased the Stepney Estate for the sum of £26,000. This price included some 364 acres of fertile cane and pasture land in this lush valley. The compensation of 197 ex-slaves and the remainder of their apprenticeships terms were all part of the deal. You can read more about plantation life in the book, The Economics of Emancipation: Jamaica & Barbados -1823-1843, by Kathleen Mary Butler.

Today this lovely plantation House with its interesting fish pond roof is a luxury rental. If you have the money you can, for a moment, live in opulence and look out on this great valley.

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