The Fairchild Street Bus Terminal now bears the name of the late patriarch of the Spiritual Baptist Church in Barbados, Archbishop Granville Williams.
Delivering the feature address at the event which took place on Saturday, October 1, at the Golden Square Freedom Park, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources, Santia Bradshaw, remarked, “It is a fitting tribute to the Archbishop’s life and contribution to the religious and cultural heritage of Barbados.”
Reminiscing about the life of the late Archbishop, the Deputy Prime Minister stated, “Archbishop Granville William’s legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of all Barbadians. He will be remembered not only as the patriarch of the Sons of God Apostolic Church but as a man of strong religious convictions. He undertook a novel and visionary approach to church leadership by fusing ministry with entrepreneurship and community engagement. The Archbishop had a wider vision, which was to bring his religion to the masses.
“It is within the environs of Heroes Square and this terminal that Archbishop Williams found a way for his followers to praise and worship that was outside of the norm of the traditional church. Indeed, his worship preserved and honoured the African traditions of our ancestors. In those weekly Friday and Saturday night services, he brought new life to traditional christian hymns by infusing them with the colour, drums and rhythms typical of African traditions, And, in so doing, awakened the spirit of this capital city.”
She also recalled how “his movement made such traction”, that a parade of the Sons of God Apostolic Church, performing The Stations of the Cross through communities in the city, became synonymous with the celebration of Easter.
The Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources also spoke about the cultural and historical significance of the former Fairchild Street Bus Terminal: “…it is a historic site that speaks to the evolution and transformation of Barbados specifically in public transport. How often have we heard our grandparents lament ‘all roads lead to Town’? That is because this capital city in which we sit this evening was the conduit to the development of modern-day Barbados. From as far back as the 1700’s, Historic Bridgetown served as a hub for the island’s transportation system, driving commerce for the city merchants, hucksters and for the farmers and plantation owners in rural Barbados.
“It was from here that the road network emerged, extending its tentacles across the island as the city expanded and developed. The development of the Fairchild Street Bus Terminal itself from a dusty, hot, open parcel of land with little to no amenities for passengers into a modern terminal….”
The approximately three-hour long renaming ceremony also included prayers, celebration and worship from the members of the Spiritual Baptist faith, and cultural presentations from the Israel Lovell Foundation.