©2015 Loop Barbados Inc. | All Right Reserved | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
Holding on to Heritage: Sam Lord's Castle
30th January, 2013
Sam Lord along with Sam Lord's Castle were {and still are} significant parts of Barbados. We are going to take you back into a bit of Barbadian history with this castle and its time on the island. Samuel Hall Lord was one of the most famous buccaneers on the island and amassed great wealth for himself through certain, well, unethical acts. With this wealth he build his very impressive Georgian style mansion in about 1820 and continued to add to its grandeur with the wealth he accumulated. Legend has it that Sam Lord would hang lanterns high in the coconut trees around his estate to lure in passing ships. The ships would spot the lights, think it was Bridgetown Port, and make their way to the coastline without them knowing they would run aground. Once his plan followed through and the ships ground off on the coral reefs in front of Sam Lords's Castle, he would board and steal all their riches for himself! It is said by some that these treasures were stored in a network of tunnels located under the beach and the castle, however this tunnel has never been located.
Many years after Sam Lord's death the abandoned castle was transformed into a lavish hotel where many visitors from around the world would come to Barbados to stay. The hotel was filled with chandeliers, plaster work ceilings, gilt-framed regency mirrors, and period furniture that was all restored and beautifully maintained. Additionally, some of Sam Lord's original antique pieces were present and on display. Unfortunately the hotel changed hands and resulted in a down turn of quality. And a few years later, to many's despair, on October 20th 2010, the castle was destroyed by fire. There are many opinions as to what may have caused this unfortunate fire, but all we can say is that it is a massive loss for Barbados.
The beach in front of the castle is one which I have many memories of growing up. Its large beach with pink white sand and of course clear sometimes rough turquoise seas is one which must be seen by all travelers who visit Barbados. It really is such a shame that such a significant and interesting piece of Barbados' history was destroyed so hastily. It is definitely a place to never be forgotten. What do you think about the castles destruction? We would love to hear.
Melanie & Kimberly*
Comments
Sam Lord's Castle Destruction - Terribly Sad!
Hi Melanie and Kimberly! Thank you once again for adding me as a member to Loop Barbados. I hope you don't mind that I posted on your Facebook Page, as I am writing a series about our many trips to Barbados and what we loved the most about the island as part of our Unique & Luxury Travel Blog, NewJetsetters.com. I placed a link to the first chapter which was just published early this week, and I hope you and your readers will enjoy it if you visit our site. I just wanted to say how horrified we are to hear about the beautiful Sam Lord's Castle being destroyed by fire. We did indeed stay there on two occasions back in the nineties, and we have some very fond memories of sitting on the cliff's and watching bats come out at sunset, and of course as you say, the gorgeous, tumultuous beach, and stargazing... all things that I will be blogging about in future chapters of The Romance of Barbados. Nice to meet you all, and I hope you will also stop by to Like our Facebook Page if you will, that would be amazing! http://www.facebook.com/newjetsetters.
Sam Lord's castle lost forever
I visited this beautiful island in the 50's (last century) and this castle was a neccesary place to visit a few hours and enjoy its premises.
A cup of tea and a few crackers were a must for us, a small walk towards the nearby beach, enjoy gardens, etc.
Count me with people who will miss this great historic site.
Very sad indeed
I Know Alfredo truly sad!
Sam Lord's Castle
My wife & I spent our 10-day honeymoon at Sam Lord's Castle in November 1988. It was a wonderful experience, with beautiful grounds & beach, great food at the on-site restaurants & very attentive service from everyone working there. My sister lived in St. Croix so I was very familiar with island living but my wife was a little freaked out to see a lizard on the wall of our bedroom. I assured her that was a good thing - they eat the bugs! :-) So sorry to hear about the demise of this beautiful resort & piece of history. We have very fond memories of our time there & I even kept a wrap that my wife bought in my memory box (even though she tried to give it away). Maybe someone with deep pockets will be able to rebuild...
Sam Lords Castle and Beach
I first came to Barbados in 2005 and Sam Lords Castle was already derelict but I feel strongly that it should be rebuilt for the good of the economy as tourists love this sort of thing. The house although in its poor state at the time was still beautiful and well worth re building. I was horrified to hear of the fire and can't actually believe that the powers that be hadn't intervened beforehand to protect this historic treasure. There are many houses that have been transformed. Sunbury plantation house, St Nicholas Abbey etc. it would be a real shame if nothing was done with this property. I look forward to hopefully being able to visit a re built Sam Lords Castle and seeing it like my Mother and Father in laws did when it was in its prime.
Sam Lords Castle
Hi Jane,
Thanks for your comment and opinion. We do agree that the house should be restored if possible as it is a national treasure!
Sam Lord's
My grandfather took his two daughters (my mum and aunt) to Sam Lord's every year in the late sixties and seventies. On two occasions, I got to go too! I loved the "Castle" so much and just now have heard about the fire. SO SAD. I truly hope that a reconstruction is feasible. Can tourists view the ruins now -- or is it not safe?
Samlords Castle Barbados
Oh that is lovely! Yes tourists can view the ruins but I would suggest that you go with other people and don't visit on your own!
What a Shame
My wife and I stayed here back in the 90's, the company I worked for sent like a 100 of us and spouses and guest, all paid, as a reward for being top sales folks. The place was georgeos and the gardens breath taking, I still have an album of pictures, we would eat breakfast at one of the resturants on the grounds while the monkeys would come down out of the tress and steal our fruit, there was a huge circle wall shape near the ocean, where it was said same lord slaves would capture and place turtles and keep as a food source, we also went thru the main castle and marveled and the craftsmanship and architecture, how could any country let this happen, the villas we stayed in near the castle we spacious and you could fall asleep listening to the ocean, I could go on and on but this is so sad.
This is very sad
My wife and I got married at Sam Lord's Castle 26 years ago. It was a beautiful hotel and a very romantic setting. It's sad to see it in this state and surprising that no developers have snapped up what should be prime real estate in a great holiday destination. If I only had a few more millions!
Sam lords castle
I met my future wife to be here in 2000 so Sam lords has a special place in our hearts. We came back to Barbados every year to see when it would reopen so we could plan our wedding here.
But sadly it never did so the news of the renovation is great cannot wait to see this beautiful amazing place opening yet again.i had a watercolour done of this castle by a local artist back home in England and it hangs proudly in my hallway. Every person who sees it says what a beautiful place and I tell them it certainly is
SAM LORDS CASTLE
My wife and I had the honor staying at the castle back in 1985 with a group of people from shell chemical co. we had such a great time and met many friends.We still have a unopened bottle of sam lords castle rum.The castle was such a important part of Barbados.
We would love to hear what you think.