Brades

Brades
Brades Estate
Town
Brades
Location of Brades within Montserrat
Coordinates: 16°47′34″N 62°12′38″W / 16.79278°N 62.21056°W / 16.79278; -62.21056Coordinates: 16°47′34″N 62°12′38″W / 16.79278°N 62.21056°W / 16.79278; -62.21056
Sovereign state United Kingdom United Kingdom
Overseas territory Montserrat Montserrat
Population
  Total 391
Time zone UTC−04:00 (Atlantic)

Brades (also Brades Estate) is a town and the de facto capital of Montserrat since 1998[1] with an approximate population of 1,000.

History

The official capital of Montserrat at Plymouth in the south of the island was abandoned in 1997 after it was buried by the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano. Interim government buildings have since been built at Brades, becoming the new capital in 1998. The move was initially intended to be temporary, but it has remained the island's de facto capital ever since.[2] Several names have been suggested for the new official capital now being constructed in the Little Bay area. These include Port Diana, in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales,[3] and St Patrick's, to commemorate the March 17th Uprising and to attract Irish-American tourists.

Geography

Map

Brades is located at the northwest end of Montserrat. It lies to the north of St Peters and Bunkum Bay, in the vicinity of Carr's Bay and Little Bay. The main road of the island reaches its furthest north at Carr's Bay and then heads southeast, past the airport in the centre of the island.[4] The village of Davy Hill lies off the main road in close proximity to the northeast; The Collins River passes between the settlements and flows into Little Bay. To the northeast of Brades, in the centre, the island becomes hilly, reaching an elevation of 403 m at the peak of Silver Hill.[5]

Economy

Frommer's said of the town: "Overall, you'll get the sense of a small community galvanized into new forms of self-reliance and cooperation, with lots of emphasis on somewhat gritty business-related visits from construction crews and British and international relief agencies".[6] Brades contains several small shops, a bank, a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada on the Brades Main Road,[7] government offices, a post office, a library, and a pharmacy.[8] Runaway Travel, the largest and most comprehensive travel agency on Montserrat is based in Brades.[6] The firm Gas Grant Enterprises and Trading has its offices in Brades, as does Montserrat Airways and the Montserrat Tourist Board.[9] The Attorney-General's Chambers are situated at 3 Farara Plaza in Brades.[10] Eateries of note in the area include Soca Cabana, a beach shack on Little Bay which sells chicken and fish dishes with live reggae music on Friday nights, and Tina's on Brades Main Road which serves lobster burgers, garlic shrimp, coconut cream pie and ginger beer.[8]

Education

Schools in Brades include:

  • Brades Nursery (government)[11]
  • Brades Primary School (government)
    • The Methodist Church built the school in 1966. Further additions and renovation were done by the Montserrat government.[12] In 2009 the school was overpopulated;[13] it had 151 students that year.[12]
  • St. Augustine Catholic Primary School (private)[14]

Secondary students attend Montserrat Secondary School in Salem and sixth formers attend Montserrat Community College in Salem.

References

  1. Leonard, T. M. (2005). Encyclopedia of the Developing World. Routledge. pp.1083. ISBN 978-1-57958-388-0
  2. Jonnard, M. Jonnard Claude M.; Jonnard, Claude M. (November 2009). Islands in the Wind: The Political Economy of the English East Caribbean. iUniverse. ISBN 978-1-4401-9426-9.
  3. "Montserrat Asks to Re-name Capital after Diana". BBC. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  4. Google (20 September 2014). "Brades" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  5. Druitt, Timothy H.; Kokelaar, B. Peter (2002). The Eruption of Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, from 1995 to 1999. Geological Society of London. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-86239-098-0.
  6. 1 2 Frommer's (29 May 2012). AARP Caribbean. John Wiley & Sons. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-118-26665-6.
  7. Nash, KC. (15 April 2011). Antigua, Barbuda & Montserrat Travel Adventures. Hunter Publishing, Inc. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-58843-705-1.
  8. 1 2 Lonely Planet Antigua, Barbuda & Montserrat: Chapter from Caribbean Islands Travel Guide. Lonely Planet. 1 January 2012. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-74321-081-9.
  9. South America, Central America and the Caribbean 2002 (10 ed.). Psychology Press. 2001. p. 568. ISBN 978-1-85743-121-6.
  10. Nicholls, Clive; Montgomery, Clare; Knowles, Julian B.; Anand Doobay; Mark Summers (14 March 2013). Nicholls, Montgomery, and Knowles on The Law of Extradition and Mutual Assistance. Oxford University Press. p. 784. ISBN 978-0-19-969281-1.
  11. "Statistical Digest 2014." Ministry of Education Montserrat. p. 2-3 (PDF p. 7-8/27). Retrieved on November 28, 2017.
  12. 1 2 "Development Proposals for: Lookout Primary School Brades Primary School Montserrat Secondary School 2008 MNT 09." Department for International Development UK. p. 4 (PDF p. 7/73). Retrieved on November 24, 2017.
  13. "Development proposals for: Lookout Primary School, Brades Primary School, Montserrat Secondary School, 2008 MNT 09."
  14. Home page. St. Augustine Catholic Primary School. Retrieved on November 24, 2017. "ST. AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL Palm Loop, Montserrat P.O. Box 192, Brades MSR 1110"
  • Media related to Brades at Wikimedia Commons
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