Our History

The Exchange Interactive Centre is housed in a 1700’s building that has been transformed into an exciting interactive museum!

In 1745 Harrison Free School, currently known as Harrison College opened in the building, with a maximum of 24 boys. Founder Thomas Harrison created the school to provide an education for the underprivileged and poor children in the society.  The school operated at this site up to 1870, when the limitations of space and lack of proper facilities proved to be a hindrance to the school’s operations.

Our building was sold to the Freemasons in 1871, and became a Masonic Temple from 1871 to 2005.  The building was expanded by the Freemasons with the addition of a third storey.  The limited space of our Spry Street building also became an issue for the Freemason prompting their decision to move to a larger space.  In 2005, the building was purchased by the Central Bank of Barbados and converted into the Exchange Interactive Centre.

The Exchange Interactive Centre began operations in January 2018. Our intriguing museum features two (2) permanent exhibition galleries, and an Art Gallery space which hosts temporary exhibitions. Our permanent exhibitions showcase an exciting and interactive presentation on the following:

• The development of trade and business in Bridgetown
• Exhibitions on currencies from around the world
• History of the Central Bank and its contributions to the development of Barbados
• Classrooms and Education in the 18^th Century
• The history of Freemasonry in Barbados
• The history of our historic building