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Brades

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Brades
Brades Estate
Town
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Overseas territoryMontserrat Montserrat
Population
 • Total391
Time zoneUTC−04:00 (Atlantic)

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

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 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. In support of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the Primary School in Brades participated in a "special 'world peace' project" which was revealed at the Games, in which they submitted a quilt symbolizing peace, including a depiction of the flag of Montserrat.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6]

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".[7] Brades contains several small shops, a bank, a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada on the Brades Main Road,[8] government offices, a post office, a library, and a pharmacy.[9] Runaway Travel, the largest and most comprehensive travel agency on Montserrat is based in Brades.[7] The firm Gas Grant Enterprises and Trading has its offices in Brades, as does Montserrat Airways and the Montserrat Tourist Board.[10] The Attorney-General's Chambers are situated at 3 Farara Plaza in Brades.[11] 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, the blue hilltop shack People's Place, and Tina's on Brades Main Road which serves lobster burgers, garlic shrimp, coconut cream pie and ginger beer.[9]

Scuba Montserrat, operated by PADI-certified divers Emmy Aston and Andrew Myers, is situated in Little Bay near the port entrance and is a notable location for scuba diving on the island. They offer diving and snorkeling courses, running boat trips to Rendezvous Bay to the north and renting out two-seater kayaks.[12]

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. ^ Booth, Trish (3 April 2014). LIVING MY DREAM: A Children's Wish for Peace. p. 231. ISBN 978-1-4918-8758-5.
  5. ^ "Brades" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b Frommer's (29 May 2012). AARP Caribbean. John Wiley & Sons. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-118-26665-6.
  8. ^ Nash, KC. (15 April 2011). Antigua, Barbuda & Montserrat Travel Adventures. Hunter Publishing, Inc. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-58843-705-1.
  9. ^ a b Lonely Planet Antigua, Barbuda & Montserrat: Chapter from Caribbean Islands Travel Guide. Lonely Planet. 1 January 2012. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-74321-081-9.
  10. ^ South America, Central America and the Caribbean 2002 (10 ed.). Psychology Press. 2001. p. 568. ISBN 978-1-85743-121-6.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Lonely Planet Antigua, Barbuda & Montserrat: Chapter from Caribbean Islands Travel Guide. Lonely Planet. 1 January 2012. p. 60. ISBN 978-1-74321-081-9.
  • Media related to Brades at Wikimedia Commons
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