Francia Plantation

This most impressive plantation house was built by a Frenchman who immigrated from Brazil, bringing ideas of architecture from several cultures. His descendants still occupy the house and retain the original furnishings.

The architecture combines an Italian-villa look with a graceful flight of stairs leading to a Barbadian porch framed in three round arches. South American double-hung Demerara jalousie shutters shade the windows while allowing a breeze to circulate through the house.

The wood paneling and floor of the entrance hall are made of the rare Brazilian hardwood called Sucupira. The dining room opposite the entrance boasts elegant mahogany furniture plus a rare 1657 printed map of Barbados plus a 1522 printed map of the West Indies, the data for which is said to come from Columbus.

The drawing room occupies the right end of the house and opens onto a veranda and vast lawns and gardens. Since the family raises plants commercially, a collection of colorful orchids are usually on hand.

One local feature on the grounds are dripstones made of the local limestone which were the traditional method for purifying drinking water.