Codrington College

Christopher Codrington left his Barbadian plantations in 1710 to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to found a college, and the buildings that opened in 1745 stand at the end of a long avenue of cabbage palms above a lily pond, one of the most photographed approaches on the island. It is one of the oldest Anglican theological colleges in the western hemisphere and still trains Anglican clergy. The uncomfortable part is the endowment: the society ran the plantations with enslaved labour for over a century, branding people on the chest with the word Society, and the institution has since issued formal apologies and begun addressing that history directly.

History

Christopher Codrington, who died in 1710, left his sugar plantations on Barbados and land on Barbuda to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to found a college where professors and scholars would study medicine and surgery as well as divinity, and he also gave 10,000 pounds and some 12,000 books to All Souls College, Oxford. His wish that part of the bequest educate the enslaved people of Barbados was blocked by other planters, and the Society went on running the plantations with enslaved labour; the college was affiliated to the University of Durham from 1875 to 1965 (Wikipedia, Codrington College).

What to look for

• The palm avenue - cabbage palms leading to the college above a lily pond.
• The 1745 buildings - one of the oldest Anglican theological colleges in the hemisphere.
• The chapel - still in use by the working college.
• The Codrington history - the endowment and the plantations behind it.

When to go

December to April is the dry season. It is a working college, so visitors are welcome to the grounds and chapel outside teaching and services. Mornings are quietest and best for the light down the avenue.

Practical notes

It is a working institution rather than a visitor attraction, and access to the buildings depends on what is happening; the grounds are the reliable part. The history of the endowment is not comfortable and is only partly addressed on site. The road there is narrow and winding.

Nearby

St John's church is ten minutes; the east coast is below.

Key facts