Highpark House

Highpark House is a six-bedroom family home on a well-kept 1-acre lot in a quiet cul de sac in High Park, St James, Barbados. It was built by the Gill family to withstand hurricanes, shortly after Janet left her mark in 1955. They chose an elevated site to maximise the sea views and the breeze, and placed the house centrally on its private plot. The present owners have extended and completely modernised the house while keeping much of its original character, making it a fully renovated young plantation family home.

The main floor has an open-plan living and dining room that flows through to a breakfast bar and a large, custom-built contemporary kitchen, with views over the West Coast of Barbados to the sea beyond. The triple-aspect living room opens onto a covered patio with a formal dining area and a full wet bar, all overlooking the private pool and pool deck. Ceilings are high, light is excellent, and the bedrooms have split air conditioning.

Four of the six bedrooms are on the main floor. The master suite has sea views and an expansive open-air walk-in closet leading to a large bathroom with both a shower and a soaking tub. Two more bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms and dressing areas. The fourth is fitted with custom-built bunk beds, a bookcase and storage, ideal for siblings to share, and the guest bathroom across the hall is a vintage design that reuses some of the house's original fittings. There is also a home office.

Downstairs are two further bedrooms with garden views and large, low windows that let in a constant cool breeze, sharing a modern bathroom. A fully equipped laundry room overlooks the kitchen and fruit garden, with a large storage cupboard opposite.

Outside there are storage rooms and a large cellar that may offer scope for conversion into further accommodation or a wine cellar. The garden has many mature trees and includes the pool area with a barbecue, a kitchen garden, a play and adventure area and a formal front lawn. Electric gates, a water tank and pump complete the practical features.

The house is full of character, with fine antiques, a guests' entrance gate over 100 years old salvaged from the Waterfront Café in Bridgetown, and wood floors salvaged from the original builder's plantation home, small pieces of Barbadian history throughout. From its position in upper St James, the island's popular amenities are only minutes away.