Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Barbados inscribed in 2011, is an outstanding example of British colonial architecture. It features a well-preserved old town with buildings from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, showcasing an organic, serpentine street layout distinct from the grid plans of other colonial cities in the region. The site also includes a historic military garrison with numerous period structures, reflecting the spread of Britain's Atlantic colonial empire and its early fortified port role in Caribbean trade.