Message from the Executive Director

Our first event of 2022 – the annual Plant & Bake Sale on 12 February - was a great success. The weather held fine and buyers turned out in droves to choose from a wonderful assortment of plants and home-made baked goods kindly donated by our loyal supporters. Thank you to all who contributed. Special thanks goes to the band of volunteers who worked so hard leading up to and on the day: Beryl Bartlett, on baked goods and David O’Neill, Diana Antonition, Robert Chandler, Nigel Chudleigh, Katie Fetigen, Gill Gaade, Sharon Vesey on plants. We were delighted to have Her Excellency the Governor Rena Lalgie, her husband Jacob and their children volunteering on the tea and coffee stand this year, along with Al Spearing. Thanks also to the student volunteers on our AIM programme who helped in many ways.

The annual auction that would usually take place in late February will this year be held in early autumn. It will be an online auction, as in 2021, with the items available to view at Waterville. We will also reopen our Trust Treasures shop in the fall. Donations of auction items and ‘treasures’ such as antiques, artwork, china, glassware, jewelry and ornaments will be gratefully accepted at any time.

We are delighted to welcome Nicky Gurret to the Trust as our new Head of Property & Facilities, as of 1 February 2022. Nicky has previously managed property & facilities for some major local companies, led the Building Control unit at the Planning Department for several years, is a registered architect, and recently obtained her Bermuda Real Estate licence. We are confident that the Trust will benefit from her experience, energy and commitment to our mission.

Karen Border

Executive Director

Reinterpreting sites of enslavement

BNT is embarking on a long-term effort to reinterpret the heritage sites and collections under its care related to the enslavement, resistance and empowerment of Black Bermudians, other people of African descent and the local and global majority.

“Telling more of Bermuda’s story and involving more of Bermuda in that process is critical to fulfilling the Trust’s heritage mission,” said Dr. Charlotte Andrews, BNT Head of Cultural Heritage.

BNT is participating in Re-imagining International Sites of Enslavement (RISE), a year-long programme jointly hosted by the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) and the American National Trust for Historic Preservation. According to INTO, RISE is a ‘knowledge-sharing programme that brings together managers of sites around the Atlantic with a connection to the slave trade’.

Dr. Andrews shared, “Our RISE cohort is exchanging professional experiences and best practice. Sessions so far have focused on appropriate uses of language and marketing, and we’re exploring a variety of topics. Inspiration and knowledge shared by our African, European, North and South American, and Caribbean peers can be applied to Bermuda’s unique heritage and community. Critically, we are also forging relationships and working closely with local partners, particularly in the Black community.”

Dr. Andrews added, “This work is about treating heritage as an intangible process in which we make conscious choices to combat racism and support community healing, as opposed to perpetuating heritage as fixed, exclusive or traumatising. This involves being honest and open about where we are, and choices made in the past. By acknowledging the work to be done, and undone, we hope to contribute to the structural change needed and build trust with the community. The sites and collections entrusted to us are indeed ‘for everyone, forever’, and so we must more fully represent and engage those to whom they belong.”

Jeffrey’s Cave—an African Diaspora Heritage Trail and UNESCO Slave Route site at Spittal Pond Nature Reserve—is the first BNT site to be reinterpreted. Responding to concerns expressed by members of the public about the original signage, BNT further researched and revised the interpretation in collaboration with RISE and Bermuda partners, including local historians, curators and tour operators. Replacement signage is now in place and reinterpretation is also being considered for nearby Portuguese Rock, which is understood to be linked to the slave trade.

“Over time and with thoughtful heritage processes in place, BNT will also be reinterpreting and reimagining other major sites of enslavement, resistance and empowerment, including Verdmont Museum in Smith’s and Tucker House in St. George’s. Like heritage and its management, interpretation is an ongoing process that should involve community participation, reflect social change, and respond to collective needs,” said Dr. Andrews.

To learn more about the evolving interpretative plan for the Trust’s historic house museums and other heritage sites and collections please visit https://bnt.bm/heritage/interpretation-awareness.

Connecting at a Conference of the Islands

Bermuda National Trust was very pleased to take part in the Commonwealth Heritage Forum’s Conference of the Islands about Heritage at Risk on 9 & 10 February. Our heritage team joined 80 other local and regional heritage professionals via Zoom, including those attending in person at Wildey House, the Bridgetown headquarters of the Barbados National Trust.

Head of Cultural Heritage Dr. Charlotte Andrews was one of four speakers invited to present by the founder and Chair of the Commonwealth Heritage Forum, Philip Davies, and longtime Bermuda heritage and BNT partner, Dr. Brent Fortenberry, now the Director of Preservation Studies and Christovich Associate Professor of Historic Preservation at Tulane University’s School of Architecture.

The conference sessions spanned the Trust’s natural and cultural heritage mission with the four case studies discussing heritage management (Charlotte), heritage policy (Kara Roopsingh, Trinidad & Tobago National Trust), climate change and heritage (Dr. Sherene James-Williamson, University of West Indies, Mona), and tourism and heritage (Dr.Kerry Hall, Tourism Consultant).

Charlotte’s presentation explored the Outstanding Universal Value behind the inscription of Bermuda’s World Heritage Site: the ‘Historic Town of St. George and Related Fortifications’, the heritage management infrastructure needed to maintain and leverage our UNESCO status, and socially conscious ways to implement the Site’s management plan and system.

Deaccession to help unlock Trust’s museums and collections potential

Deaccessions from the Bermuda National Trust collection are few and far between. However, after careful consideration, a portrait of the Third Earl of Pembroke (1580-1630) attributed to Daniel Mytens is being deaccessioned for auction by Sotheby’s.

This decision was made by the Trust’s Council, informed by extensive research by Head of Cultural Heritage Dr. Charlotte Andrews and former Museums Manager Anna Stevenson, and with the support of the Trust’s Museums & Collections Committee. The reasons for the deaccessioning include the fact that the portrait has only been in Bermuda for relatively little time and there is no direct or family connection with the island. The enormous size of the portrait also makes it difficult to properly display or store it on the island.

The portrait was purchased from Sotheby’s in 1952 by BNT’s predecessor, The Bermuda Historical Monuments Trust, as recommended by Mr. Hereward Watlington, for the sum of £127. The Trust anticipates the proceeds from the upcoming London sale of the portrait will be considerably more than the original purchase price. The proceeds will be restricted to BNT museums and collections management and projects, and not used for general operations. Therefore, the sale of this piece from the Trust’s collections will provide vital funds to better care for and interpret the places, objects and stories that are central to the Trust’s heritage mission.

Portrait of the Third Earl of Pembroke (1580-1630)

by Daniel Mytens (Daniël Mijtens), Holland (c. 1590 – 1647/48)

Heritage at Risk

Camden, Botanical Gardens

This is part of a series of architectural articles by the Bermuda National Trust to highlight some of Bermuda's endangered historic buildings.

by Linda Abend and Margie Lloyd

Although no premier has ever lived there, Camden in the Botanical Gardens has been the official residence of Bermuda’s premiers since 1979. It has instead been used occasionally for Government entertaining. The main house is surrounded by ancillary buildings which include a carriage house, stables and an arrowroot factory, the latter now the home of Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art. The whole complex is listed grade 1.

The core of the main house Camden is believed to date back to the early 1700s when it was owned by Colonel Francis Jones, one of the wealthiest property owners in Paget. The house and 50 acres remained in the Jones family until 1811 when it was sold to merchant William Durham who with his brother Josiah had offices in St Vincent where they prospered. Durham made major alterations and Camden as it now stands dates to his ownership. In 1822 after the financial collapse of his Bermuda business Durham was forced to sell ‘Camden Park’ with its 34½ acres. The sale advertised that “The house is built more substantially and on a better plan than most of the Houses of this Colony.”

Click here to read the full article

Trust welcomes the Governor, U.S. Consul General and BTA CEO to Tucker House

Continuing a long tradition of diplomats visiting Tucker House, Bermuda National Trust recently welcomed Her Excellency the Governor of Bermuda Rena Lalgie and U.S. Consul General Karen Grissette. Bermuda Tourism Authority CEO Charles Jeffers, Government House Policy Officer Pearl Joseph and U.S. Consulate Hamilton Public Diplomacy, Public Affairs, Political, Economic Specialist Camille Haley also joined the tour. Head of Cultural Heritage Dr. Charlotte Andrews shared the Trust’s evolving plans for its St. George’s museums and heritage sites in the context of the wider World Heritage Site alongside a tour by Museums & Collections Committee member Peter Frith. Her Excellency, the Consul General and Mrs. Jeffers all took a special interest in the African Heritage Diaspora Trail Site honouring Joseph H. Rainey.

As Ms. Haley the U.S. Consulate Hamilton writes, “The next time you visit St. George’s, take a stroll down Barber’s Alley -- Bermuda’s dedication to the legacy of American politician Joseph Rainey. Rainey, who voyaged to Bermuda from South Carolina during the U.S. Civil War, worked as a well-respected barber in Tucker House, the home of Bermuda’s Governor’s Council Henry Tucker. He and his family established a significant presence in the community before returning to South Carolina in 1866. Shortly after launching his political career, Rainey became the first African American to serve in the House of Representatives in 1870. An advocate for human rights, Rainey’s portrait was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol this month where a room has been dedicated in his honor.”

Congratulations to the "My Bermuda" Art Competition Winners

This month we were pleased to announce the winners of our student art competition “My Bermuda”, sponsored by SOMPO International. 172 entries were received from primary, middle, secondary, and home schools across the island. The judges included representatives from the Bermuda National Trust, Sompo International and two local professional artists. The competition was split into two separate categories, 9 - 12 year and 13 - 18 year groups.

The winning artwork is currently exhibited in the lobby of Waterloo House on Pitts Bay Road and can be viewed during regular office hours. All entries can be viewed online.

Winners for the 9 - 12 Year Group:

1st Place: Sienna Spurling

2nd Place: Samiya Senthamaraikannan

3rd Place: Ruth Correia

Hourourable Mentions: Rita Robinson, Shamar James, Cristina Abend, Paget Rytter, Thorsten Ringsted

Winners for the 13 - 18 Year Group:

1st Place: William Brackstone

2nd Place: Arianna Smith

3rd Place: Imani Brown

Hourourable Mentions: Jessica Bucher, Gemma McPartlin, Luke Westcom

We want to hear from you!

Last month’s Trust Talk about the cultural importance of Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) trees by natural anthropologist Bill Davidson stimulated many members of the community to share their knowledge about Ceiba trees to be added to our virtual tree map, as well as other trees in Bermuda that might hold cultural importance.

And, later this year, horticultural agent Stephen Brown from the University of Florida will give a Trust Talk about palms, their common nutrient deficiencies and ways to correct them. He has asked that we collect photos of nutrient deficient or seemingly diseased palms in advance so he can share his diagnoses during his talk.

So, if you have any photos or questions about palms you need answering, or if you know of any Ceiba tree locations or have a special story about a tree, please contact anna.stevenson@bnt.bm or myles.darrell@bnt.bm – we would love to hear from you!