Message from the Executive Director

The holiday season kicks off on Friday 2 December with the Bermuda National Trust Christmas Walkabout in the World Heritage Site! We hope that you will join us in St George’s to visit some of the lovely historic homes we hold in trust for everyone, while enjoying the seasonal entertainment and a sip of festive cheer in many of the buildings.

With only a few weeks to Christmas, gift shopping is high on everyone’s to-do list. Our Treasures shop at Waterville has now transitioned into the annual Christmas Pop-up Shop with many lovely locally made items for sale and our Trustworthy shop at the Globe Museum in St George’s also has great gift items. Stop by for stocking stuffers or something special for the hard-to-buy-for person on your list.

We were delighted to celebrate the launch of the Southampton Architectural Heritage book at Bacardi’s Bar Under the Stars on 25 November, marking the culmination of the entire 10-book series that covers every parish and the City of Hamilton. It is an extraordinary achievement and a hugely valuable record of Bermuda’s architectural, human and cultural history. Although the series was a massive voluntary team effort, it was led every step of the way by Margie Lloyd, who had the original idea to turn BNT’s Old House Survey into a series of books. We thank Margie and the many, many others who have been involved with researching, writing, editing, photographing and proof-reading over the 27 years it has taken to complete the series. We also thank Bacardi which has sponsored the series from the beginning. You can pick up a copy of Southampton at Waterville, Trustworthy, or book shops in Hamilton.

The Southampton book research team.

Karen Border

Executive Director

Bermuda’s Architectural Heritage:

Southampton

Grab the tenth and final edition in our Bermuda Architectural Heritage Series: Southampton.

The book was written by Dr Edward Harris with a strong supporting team and includes information about the history and architecture of Southampton’s most interesting houses, including some, such as those on the former Naval Operating Base, which sadly have disappeared. It also covers a wide range of other topics such as farming, fish ponds and whaling and has a wonderful cover of a painting of Waterlot Inn and the Lighthouse by W F Snow.

Southampton is the perfect Christmas gift for anyone with an interest in Bermuda’s architecture or history. Copies are priced at $55, they can be purchased at Waterville, our Trustworthy shop at the Globe Museum in St George’s, or at Hamilton bookstores.

Natural Heritage Updates

Myles Darrell, Head of Natural Heritage

Demolition moves ahead at Wilkinson Quarry Cave

A significant cave at the Wilkinson Quarry is being demolished. We will never know what exactly we are losing, because scientists were never given the opportunity for a pre-demolition investigation. There could be unknown species in the cave, but that will have to remain one of life’s mysteries.

It was more than two years ago that the Trust fought to save the Wilkinson Quarry Cave. We also worked with cave experts to research and highlight the importance of Bermuda’s almost 200 caves. Armed with scientific information, we lobbied to save this cave. But very sadly, the Wilkinson Quarry cave and surroundings were not protected as they should have been under our planning legislation.

To learn more about Bermuda’s caves, watch Professor Thomas Iliffe’s remarkable Virtual Trust Talk about Bermuda’s unique cave systems.

Clarien partners with BNT for tree planting initiative

We are delighted to have partnered with Clarien Bank to plant 100 native and endemic trees per year for the next three years. Clarien’s total commitment of $10,000 a year for three years includes the cost of the plant specimens (50 trees including Cedars, Palmettos and Olivewoods, and 50 shrubs), as well as labour and materials for planting and aftercare.

To ensure this project will benefit the entire community, Clarien wanted the plantings to be in spaces which can be accessed by individuals and groups at any time for relaxation, wellness and family activities. The majority of the trees will be planted at Scaur Lodge Nature Reserve in Sandys. The plan is to increase the presence of native and endemic flora within the reserve, which will help to reduce the effects of climate change as well as increase biodiversity. Some invasive species removal will also be required to enable planting. To get the project off the ground, over 20 Clarien volunteers assisted in the first planting at Scaur Lodge in November, and another planting day is planned for March.

As part of the launch of this partnership, Clarien hosted a special event in early November for clients of its new Clarien+ premium banking service. It featured keynote speaker Bryan Naqqi Manco, the Assistant Director of Research and Development in the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources in the Turks & Caicos Islands, who chatted with BNT’s Head of Natural Heritage, Myles Darrell, about the similarities and differences between the environments of Bermuda and Turks & Caicos, and what we can each learn from the other about successful woodland management techniques, species reintroduction and invasive species management. Bryan and Myles spent two days together visiting nature reserves and sharing information in what proved to be a very valuable exchange.

Cultural Heritage Updates

Dr. Charlotte Andrews, Head of Cultural Heritage

Connecting archaeological finds and friends

Dr. Michael Jarvis was back this month to process finds from last summer’s dig on Smith’s Island. As his most recent Trust Talk highlighted, understanding connections and answering historical questions often only occurs after the dig, when finds are processed, analysed and interpreted.

At Dr. Jarvis’ side throughout his visit was Bermudian Xander Cook, whose family also hosted him. With a BsC in Archaeology and MsC in Maritime Archaeology and having participated in all the SIAP digs since 2014, Xander represents our next generation of Bermudian archaeologists and heritage professionals. First at BNT’s headquarters at Waterville and then at the Trust Archaeology Lab at Reeve Court, Mike and Xander trained and oversaw about twenty volunteers. Trust members and non-members answered our call. Even dignitaries got hands-on, with Junior Minister of Youth, Culture & Sport Kim Swan and U.S. Consul Karen Grisette both spending time with us.

With everyone painstakingly sorting, counting and bagging, the 240 contexts that needed to be processed were completed. Our thanks to everyone who came out to support the work of our Archaeological Research Committee and the Smith’s Island Archaeology Project!

Globe architectural gathering

Tom James, Dr. Michael Jarvis and Larry Mills, who, among others, have been supporting Diana Chudleigh’s in-depth research on the Globe for the Trust’s next ‘History of a House’ book, met up at the historic site and museum to explore the building’s architectural features together.

Larry Mills also used the visit as a training opportunity in a Department of Culture apprenticeship scheme on traditional building methods. Apprentices Jessica Dill and Akilah Swan also contributed while the group spent several hours exploring the building’s historical construction and conservation needs.

Trust museums need you!

Would you like to connect more deeply with our heritage and share it with others? Do you enjoy historic places and collections? Can you consistently volunteer one day a week for a four-hour museum shift?

If yes, the Trust very much needs you to help us expand our museum hours because we rely on volunteers to keep Verdmont, Globe and Tucker House open. As part of the Trust volunteer network and museums team, you will be supported and trained, and gain cultural tourism and hospitality experience.

To learn more please contact me on charlotte.andrews@bnt.bm or 234-6483 x225

Education Updates

Anna Stevenson, Heritage Education Coordinator

Student Art Competition

There was a large attendance at Waterville for the prize-giving ceremony for our second student art competition, with the theme ‘Bermuda Roots’. Submitted artwork from primary, middle and senior school students was judged by artists Jahbarri Wilson, Jill Amos Raine and Tiffany Banner; BNT council and staff members Meredith Ebbin and Vincent Chaves, and representatives from our sponsor Sompo International.

We welcomed winners and their families to celebrate the students’ artistic talent and enjoy a reception where all entries were digitally displayed. The winner’s exhibition was installed in the foyer of Sompo at Waterloo House and during this month has been seen by hundreds of people. Click here to view all entries.

If you have an idea for next year’s theme, which must encompass Bermuda’s natural and/or cultural heritage, please email education@bnt.bm.

Field Trips

This month at Verdmont we welcomed two groups of P2 students from BHS. Our learning focus was toys and games from the past. Looking closely at some of the historic toys and games on display, the children considered the similarities and differences between their toys. We discussed whether young people from the past took more care of their possessions and whether playing in the past was more or less fun than today.

We finished off the field trip having a wonderful time practicing handwriting skills with a quill and ink and a great deal of fun was had as the girls came to grips with old-fashioned games, such as cup and ball, ninepins, checkers, marbles and pick up sticks.

BNT and BCCL Collaboration

Heritage Education is delighted to be collaborating with the Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning throughout this academic year. The Trust is supporting the BCCL curriculum by providing experiential learning sessions that focus on Bermuda’s rich natural and cultural heritage. BCCL students and staff visit Waterville for an hour each week and participate in a range of fun activities designed to encourage curiosity, engagement, and enthusiasm.

One of our themes for this month was ‘Dirt Diggers’, focusing on the science of archaeology. Students learned about the work of archaeologists, and the importance of stratigraphy and pottery in helping to date sites. We were privileged to have well-known archaeologist Dr Michael Jarvis with us, and the students were particularly excited to have the hands-on experience of grouping artefacts excavated from this summer’s historic dig on Smith’s Island. Plastic, metal, shell and bone, pottery, glass, and porcelain - the BCCL students quickly proved themselves to be an amazing asset to the team and were able to work through 12 bags of finds, accurately sorting hundreds of artefacts. It was an extraordinary accomplishment!

Maintenance Update

Verdmont look out has a new natural wood fence.

Waterville Bay Grape tree and Golden Shower were pruned by an arborist.

Tivoli North painting of walls, woodwork and roof is nearly completed.

Shutters for Palmetto House have been made and are being painted.

A Tribute to Edward Chappell

Edward Chappell was an important contributor to the Bermuda's Architectural Heritage Series. This article is reprinted from Colonial Williamsburg's Trend and Tradition magazine.

When Edward Chappell joined The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation as director of architectural research in 1980, he took to heart the convictions of his predecessors that reconstructing buildings required the study of similar buildings.

Chappell took that study even further. Before he retired in 2016, he encouraged collaborative initiatives that brought the wealth of his colleagues’ working experience to bear in the examination of historic buildings. He also included as part of his research different types of structures and efforts to learn about the people who lived and worked in them.

To ensure the continuation of that architectural legacy, the Edward A. Chappell and Susan L. Buck Endowment Fund was established after Chappell’s death in 2020 to provide ongoing financial support for research.

“His pursuit of fieldwork at the highest levels, including not just looking at buildings but making a durable record, tied his work to that of our predecessors,” said Jeffrey E. Klee, an architectural historian who came to Williamsburg in 2004 and retired in 2020, having succeeded Chappell as the Shirley and Richard Roberts Architectural Historian. “But he expanded on it consequentially, looking at architecture more comprehensively.”

Read full article