The Ins & Outs of Barbados 2022

86 Property & Investment Did You Know? Ronald Tree Did you know that the man who deserves the most credit for development of our West Coast was an Englishman called Ronald Tree? He was born in the USA, on September 26th, 1897, son of an English father and American mother. At 36 he was elected to Parliament and bought Ditchley House in Oxfordshire. He engaged at the centre of politics, being friendly with Sir Winston Churchill. He became Advisor on American affairs and Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Information. He came to Barbados as guest of shipping magnate Sir Edward Cunard and fell in love. He bought 22 acres of beach-front land in St. James and built his magnificent Heron Bay, modelled on an Italian villa, in 1947. It’s regarded by many experts as the finest house in the Caribbean, and was the scene for the cocktail party in Island in the Sun, starring Harry Belafonte. He then bought Sandy Lane plantation, allegedly for six cents a square foot, and developed Sandy Lane Hotel and Golf Club, and four-acre house spots. The West Coast exploded with wealthy British and American homeowners. Ronald Tree immersed himself in Bajan affairs. He founded the Barbados National Trust as first President, donated land for the Trents playing field and created the Ronald Tree Schools Cricket Cup. He died at 79, in 1976. He contributed hugely to our tourism development and fame as a haven for the rich and famous. An excerpt from "Did You Know? - People, Places &Untold Stories of Historic Barbados" by Sir Henry Fraser.