Editing Holetown

{{Use British English|date=December 2010}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Holetown
| settlement_type         = City
| image_skyline           = Holetown, Saint James, Barbados-001.jpg
| imagesize               = 250px
| image_caption           = Highway 1 in Holetown
| image_seal              = 
| seal_size               = 
| image_map               = 
| mapsize                 = 
| map_caption             = 
| pushpin_map             = Barbados
| pushpin_mapsize         = 250px
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location on a map of Barbados parishes
| coordinates             = {{coord|13|11|12|N|59|38|17|W|type:city_region:BB|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   =<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.geonames.org/maps/google_13.187_-59.638.html
  | title = Holetown, Barbados
  | publisher = GeoNames
  | accessdate = 9 December 2012
  }}</ref>
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = {{Flagicon|Barbados}} [[Barbados]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Parishes of Barbados|Parish]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Saint James, Barbados|Saint James]]
| established_title       = 
| established_date        = 
| unit_pref               = Metric
| area_footnotes          =
| area_total_sq_mi        = 
| elevation_footnotes     =
| elevation_m             = 
| population_footnotes    = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&geo=-28 |title=World Gazetteer World Gazetteer |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130111112942/http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&geo=-28 |archivedate=11 January 2013 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
| population_as_of        = 2012
| population_total        = 1595
| population_density_sq_km= auto
| timezone                = Eastern Caribbean Time Zone
| utc_offset              = -4
| timezone_DST            =
| utc_offset_DST          =
| postal_code_type        = <!-- ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
| postal_code             =
| area_code               = [[Area code 246|+1 246]]
| website                 = [http://www.barbados.org/htown.htm Official website]
| footnotes               =
}}
'''Holetown''' ([[UN/LOCODE]]: BB HLT<ref>[https://service.unece.org/trade/locode/bb.htm Barbados codes], United Nations – Code for Trade and Transport Locations (UN/LOCODE) via UNECE</ref>) is a small city located in the Caribbean island nation of [[Barbados]].  Holetown is located in the parish of [[Saint James, Barbados|Saint James]] on the sheltered west coast of the island.

==History==
[[File:Holetown Monument, Saint James, Barbados-1.jpg|150px|right|thumb|The Holetown Monument, commemorating initial English claim and later settlement of Barbados.]]
In 1625, Holetown (formerly as St. James Town) was the site of initial English settlement of Barbados (although [[Captain Cataline]] had previously landed to collect water in 1620).  The envoy (led by [[John Powell (sea captain)|John Powell]]) was blown off-course from [[South America]] to [[England]] and took the opportunity to claim the island for the [[Kingdom of England]].  Some personal possessions were left behind and the crew departed Holetown for England.

On 17 February 1627 the brother of Captain John Powell ([[Captain Henry Powell]]) aboard the "Olive Blossom" returned with his benefactor, Sir [[William Courteen]], a Dutch-born English merchant trader, and fifty other shareholder settlers (and 10 captive negroes).  A monument erected to commemorate this first landing on the island erroneously records the date as 1605.  Since 1977, the town has also celebrated the [[Barbados Holetown Festival]] to commemorate this landing.

The name Holetown comes from the stream, The Hole, which provided a safe landing place for the settlers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barbados.org/htown.htm|title=Holetown|publisher=barbados.org}}</ref> Also sometimes called Saint James Town, the settlement was, until 1629, the island's only town.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}} Holetown celebrates the founding of the first five plantations in Barbados, the first major fortification, the first place of Justice, and the first Governor's House. The town was also involved in the transatlantic trade with [[Bristol]], [[London]], and [[Boston]], although this last was deemed illegal. After [[James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle|Lord Carlisle]] gained control of Barbados as a [[protectorate]] of The Crown, he decided to found his own settlement in the southern part of the island.  Carlisle's move gave way to Bridgetown being settled along [[Carlisle Bay]] and a shift of the capital for the island to that location.

The Island's oldest church, [[St. James Church, Barbados|St. James Parish Church]], was erected here in 1628, a year after the first settlers landed.

The town is the home of [[McGill University]]'s [[Bellairs Research Institute]].

==Geography==
Holetown is located at {{coord|13|11|00|N|59|39|00|W|type:city}} (13.183333, −59.65).<ref>[http://www.maplandia.com/barbados/holetown/ Holetown Coordinates and Satellite Imagery]</ref>

=== Boundary ===
Through Statutory Instrument (S.I) 1984 No. 141, Road Traffic Act, CAP. 295, ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATIONS, and under Schedule Section # 6:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://208.109.177.6/en/showdoc/cr/1984_141/se:105?splitmode=true#Pd61946487e5056 |title=Road Traffic Act |access-date=17 February 2018 |archive-date=18 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218090249/http://208.109.177.6/en/showdoc/cr/1984_141/se:105?splitmode=true#Pd61946487e5056 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Boundaries of Bridgetown, Speightstown, Holetown and Oistins are cited as follows: 3) "Holetown: The section of Highway 1 (formerly West Coast Rd.) from its junction with Lascelles Road at Limegrove Lifestyle Centre to its junction with Trents Road".

==Town twinning==
Holetown has been twinned with:

* {{flagicon|UK}} – [[London Borough of Haringey|Borough of Haringey, London]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.foreign.gov.bb/Userfiles/File/Press%20release%2033.pdf |title= Twinning of London Borough of Haringey with Holetown: 10 December 2009 |access-date= 28 December 2009 |archive-date= 3 March 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172039/http://www.foreign.gov.bb/Userfiles/File/Press%20release%2033.pdf |url-status= dead }}&nbsp;{{small|(13&nbsp;KB)}} – Barbados Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade</ref><ref>[http://www.gisbarbados.gov.bb/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=2948 Twinning Of London Borough Of Haringey With Holetown]</ref> (since 2009)<ref>[http://barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?NewsID=15794 Holetown, Haringey officially linked]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, 15 February 2011 Barbados Advocate</ref>

==See also==
*[[Maple Cricket Club]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last1=Greenridge |first1=Morris |year=2004 |title=Holetown Barbados : Settlement Revisited and Other Accounts |url= |url-access= |publisher=Genesis Press/ MG Events |publication-date=1 January 2004 |page=B000HXMVF2 |access-date= |quote= }}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.barbadospocketguide.com/our-island-barbados/towns/holetown.html |url-access= |title=Holetown |author=Staff writer |year=2022 |website=www.barbadospocketguide.com |agency=Sun Group Inc. |access-date=29 March 2022 |quote= }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.sunsetcrest.org/documents/Sunset_Crest_Rise_Fall_&_Rebirth.pdf |url-access= |title=Sunset Crest: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Barbados Holiday Village |last=Dodge, Ed.D. |first=R. Bruce |year=2019 |website=www.sunsetcrest.org |agency=Sunset Crest Property Owners |access-date=29 March 2022 |quote= }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Holetown}}
* [https://www.holetownchamber.com/ Holetown Chamber of Trade]
* [http://www.totallybarbados.com/barbados/About_Barbados/Local_Information/Towns_and_Places_of_Interest/Holetown/ Holetown – TotallyBarbados.com]
* [http://www.barbados.org/htown.htm Holetown – barbados.org]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places established in 1627]]
[[Category:Populated places in Barbados]]
[[Category:Saint James, Barbados]]
[[Category:Former colonial capitals]]
[[Category:1627 establishments in the British Empire]]