Parliament Buildings, Bridgetown

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The Parliament Buildings in Bridgetown, Barbados, are the home of one of the oldest parliaments in the Commonwealth. A parliament is the group of people who make a country's laws. Barbados's first met in 1639, which makes it the third-oldest legislature in the Americas, after Virginia's and Bermuda's.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Country: Barbados
Location: Bridgetown, Barbados
Built: 1874
Type: Government building

Quick answers

Where is Parliament Buildings, Bridgetown?

Parliament Buildings, Bridgetown is in Bridgetown, Barbados.

When was Parliament Buildings, Bridgetown built?

Parliament Buildings, Bridgetown was built in 1874.

Neo-Gothic home, with its clock tower, of the third-oldest parliament in the Commonwealth, first sitting in 1639.

The buildings, locally called the Public Buildings, are in the Neo-Gothic style and have a clock tower. The card on the globe dates them to 1874. The parliament has two houses: the Senate with 21 senators and the House of Assembly with 30 elected members plus a Speaker. The assembly follows rules patterned on the Westminster system in England.

How it began

The parliament was set up in 1639 under Governor Henry Hawley, modeled on the Parliament of England. At first it had one house and was controlled by the island's planters, the owners of sugar farms.

Its first meetings took place in a Sessions House on Marlhill, which is now Spry Street. A monument near the Central Bank marks the spot.

How it works today

Like England's parliament, it follows the Westminster system. The House meets on Tuesdays and the Senate on Wednesdays, usually once a month, and sessions can be heard live on local radio and Parliament TV.

In practice, the House of Assembly holds most of the real power, since the president normally acts on the Prime Minister's advice. For some years after 2020 the government has used rented buildings for sittings.

Fun facts

Barbados has had a parliament since 1639, one of the oldest in the Commonwealth.
It first met on 26 June 1639.
The Prime Minister must come from the House of Assembly.
It is among the oldest parliaments in the Commonwealth.