Simon Warren is a blond boy with a somewhat dreamy look. He takes us on a tour of the old mill and shows us the various stages of the sugar-making process. He is so proud of the family distillery that he even ventures a few words in Italian, rummaging through memories of who knows what trip to Europe.
His father, an architect and prominent man in Barbadian high society, purchased St. Nicholas Abbey in 2006 and maintained the previous owner’s tradition of opening the gates of this magnificent residence, dating back to 1658 no less, to the public.
The manor house towers with its white three-gable façade in the center of a property that, between outbuildings and connected, measures about 160 acres. Inside, original period furnishings, paintings, trinkets and knick-knacks, everything is very British. A black-and-white cat sneaks into the dining room, under the table set with the finest pottery and crystal; we are in a museum but the impression is of a house that lives a life of its own. A majestic specimen of sandbox tree, with its trunk covered with large thorns, which we are told is four hundred years old, makes a fine display in the inner courtyard, from which one enters the flower and herb garden. English garden, of course. Not at all, here the flower beds are arranged according to a definite symmetry, and this would really be called an Italian garden.
Speightstown
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