Fences are a fact of life in Trinidad. They come in all shapes and sizes from the simplest of wooden posts or sheets of galvanise to the ubiquitous linked wire fences to elaborate concrete walls and iron rails.

It almost seems that the ability to fence one's property, to create a tangible border around it, is a status symbol in Trinidad. It's so embedded in our culture that on my first visits to foreign lands I was surprised to see no fences. No walls. Just a straight unimpeded path to any stranger's front door. Mind boggling!

And for us, it's not just private homes. Many public buildings, and parks, are also surrounded by walls of some sort. I'm sure there must be some underlying cultural/social explanation for the phenomenon.

These iron spikes adorn six foot railings surrounding the compound of Queen's Royal College, the southernmost of the Magnificent Seven and one of the oldest and most prestigious boys' secondary schools in Trinidad.