Ballast Bricks

No piece of history has paved the way for Barbados more literally than the ballast brick. These reddish brown bricks where introduced into the island in the early 18th century, ships would travel from Scotland or Britain almost empty using ballast bricks near the keel to keep the ship upright. These bricks would later be off loaded upon dock and replaced with goods such as sugar, rum and molasses. Barbados was in the early stages of development at this time and ballast bricks where readily available and a durable building material, making them the perfect option to develop the infrastructure of Barbados. As a result, ballast bricks were incorporated into many buildings around the city of Bridgetown. As a testimony of their durability, a large number of these buildings can still be seen today throughout the city. Although these fantastic bricks are no longer in production, they have lasted on for centuries and can be found in many historical places in Barbados. Be sure to be on the look out for these amazing bricks as your explore the historical sites of Barbados.