SUNBURY PLANTATION GREAT HOUSE

Built in 1660, in the early years of colonization by Matthew Chapman, this splendid mansion is one of the most historic and best-preserved in Barbados. In fact, it's the only one where all the rooms are open to visitors. Now a museum, it offers a glimpse into the life of a wealthy planter and his family. Set in the middle of a splendid flower garden, the house is imposing in its size, even if its facade remains beautifully simple.

The house passed through various hands until it came into the hands of brothers John and George Barrow, and for a time was known as The Brothers House. The brothers renamed it Sunbury, after their home in Kent. This name was retained even after the property was bought by Thomas and John Daniel. The last owners, Keith Melville and his wife, who lived here until 1985, are responsible for the collection of horse-drawn carriages on display here. Destroyed by fire in 1995, the house was rebuilt and the furniture destroyed, replaced by new antiques.

The house's pièce de résistance, which you come across fairly quickly on your visit, is the superb dining room with its sideboard, chandeliers, crockery and mahogany table, over 270 years old. Upstairs, the pretty veranda-gallery will make you long for a cool cup of tea or gin and tonic. Its lighter, more tropical decor makes it one of the house's favorite rooms. It's also upstairs where you'll find richly decorated bedrooms: columned or four-poster beds, precious wood dressing tables, everyday objects such as Victorian clothes left on a bed. It's as if the residents have barely left the room. The collection of porcelain dolls in the children's bedroom may give you the shivers - it's the perfect setting for a horror film!

The property boasts two curious collections. The first is the collection of horse-drawn carriages amassed by the Melvilles, the largest collection of horse-drawn carriages in the Caribbean. The other is a collection of antique optical objects (spectacles, lenses, cameras, etc.) collected by Dr. Harcourt Carter, Mr. Melville's grandfather.

Let's not forget to mention that this is one of the island's most popular wedding venues, another Barbadian specialty. A dream location for romantics!