Message from the Executive Director
Happy Easter!
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The Trust’s annual Palm Sunday Walk on 2 April was a sure sign that Spring is here at last, after a wet and windy March. Despite dire forecasts, the rain held off for us and over 1000 people took part.
This year’s walk in Southampton wound its way through the Bermuda Audubon Society’s Seymour’s Pond Nature Reserve, as well as the new High Point Nature Reserve (not yet open to the public) and Vesey Nature Reserve, both co-owned by the Bermuda National Trust and Bermuda Audubon Society through our joint initiative Buy Back Bermuda. It is a testament to the successful collaboration between our two organisations that in one five-mile walk we were able to visit so many natural and cultural heritage places, conserved for the enjoyment of everyone.
The Palm Sunday Walk also took in two areas of private land – Sea Swept Farm and the Buckingham estate. We are very grateful to the French family and Buckingham’s owners for allowing access.
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Left to right: ADC Lt. Chris Matvey, Her Excellency the Governor Rena Lalgie, BNT President Alana Anderson and her daughter Azalea, BNT Executive Director Karen Border | |
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With the permission of landowners, the Walk (now in its 48th year) used to traverse much private property across Bermuda, enabling residents to visit areas not normally seen. Sadly, in our highly developed island today it has become more and more difficult to obtain permission to cross private land and design a viable route away from the main roads. Sunday’s walk relied on the Railway Trail, part of our National Parks system, to connect the nature reserves and private land on the route. We are very fortunate in Bermuda to have this wonderful amenity, and thankful for the extraordinary work of the Friends of the Railway Trail who have made so many improvements to it.
Finally, we are grateful to the many volunteers who acted as stewards on the route and manned water stops – we couldn’t do it without you!
You can find the interpretative map of the 2023 Palm Sunday Walk here.
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Karen Border
Executive Director
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Advocacy for Bermuda’s heritage has always been a part of BNT’s mandate. This can present problems, as it has led to BNT being seen by some as the organisation that says “No”. In fact, we weigh up very carefully the merits of any objection that we make and endeavour to take a balanced view that takes into account economic and social factors in addition to natural and cultural heritage concerns.
When it comes to Planning applications, we object to only a very small fraction of those submitted. Our decision to object is guided by whether the development abides by the Bermuda Plan 2018 and/or the regulations governing listed buildings, and whether the issue is deemed of national significance.
In recent weeks, two advocacy matters on which we have taken a stance have hit the headlines. One is the proposed new Special Development Order for the Fairmont Southampton hotel site. This SDO would allow for the building of 261 new units on the site, 147 of them residential units and some of them six storeys high. You can read BNT’s position as set out in a Letter to the Editor here. If you wish to help fight this development we urge you to write to your MP and to the Premier, and look out for any further calls to action by environmental organisations in the coming months.
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The other matter was the rejection of our joint appeal with BEST and the Bermuda Audubon Society against the decision to allow the building of three large warehouses, including five residential units, on the Island Construction site in Devonshire Marsh. Against the recommendation of an independent planning inspector, Environment Minister Walter Roban rejected our appeal and allowed the development to go ahead. You can read our media statement on the subject here. | |
Buy Back Bermuda Gift Certificates | |
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Buy Back Bermuda is busy on the ground at Somerset Long Bay East, Vesey and Eve’s Pond nature reserves. We hope you make regular visits to these special places to monitor progress and enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors. Planning is underway for the new High Point Nature Reserve in Southampton. We are currently running a campaign to support the Buy Back Bermuda nature reserves and hope for your support.
Please visit buybackbermuda.bm for more information or to donate. If you are looking for that meaningful birthday or anniversary gift, consider the gift that keeps giving and make a donation in your loved one's name. We will supply the gift certificate complete with bow.
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Natural Heritage Updates
Myles Darrell, Head of Natural Heritage
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Caring for Bermuda’s Historic Cemeteries | |
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Bermuda has many cemeteries and a great deal of the island’s history and family connections can be traced through these special places. Headstones provide much genealogical information, some of which is available nowhere else.
A walk around our historic cemeteries may remind us of the fragility of life – and how far we have come thanks to modern medicine – as we remember women who died in childbirth, infants and children who fell victim to disease, and those carried off by yellow fever and other plagues.
Our historic military cemeteries recall the importance of the British, Canadian and American military and naval presence on the island and the service of Bermuda’s male and female war veterans. The Trust is proud to care for the memorials of fallen service people and their families at Ferry Point, Grenadier Lane and Secretary Road in St George’s Parish, the Prospect Garrison Cemetery in Devonshire, and the Royal Naval Cemetery on Ireland Island, Sandys.
Cultural heritage apart, graveyards also provide green oases where people can go for peace and quiet, and wildlife, such as our iconic Bluebird, can thrive. As open space becomes increasingly rare, the natural heritage value of these spaces has grown too.
Since 1982, the Bermuda National Trust has leased historic cemeteries from the Bermuda Government and cared for them, relieving Public Works of the responsibility. The Department of Parks continued to carry out horticultural maintenance and BNT received an annual grant from Government to maintain and repair the hardscaping such as perimeter walls and headstones.
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However, in 2013 the Government grant ceased and since 2019 the Parks Department also virtually ceased horticultural maintenance at the East End cemeteries. The Trust was not in a financial position to pick up the slack and some cemeteries became overgrown and began to fall into disrepair. Local families and community groups, such as St. George’s Rotary Club, came to the rescue and put in many volunteer hours to remove invasive species that were taking over, but it was clear that regular maintenance contracts were needed to keep the cemeteries in a good state.
BNT looked to the corporate community for support in 2022, and we were delighted when Chubb stepped up with a generous grant to maintain the cemeteries. We were able to bring the invasive menace under control at the East End cemeteries and then move into a regular horticultural maintenance schedule. We are enormously grateful to Chubb for renewing their financial support in 2023!
We are also grateful to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission which provides some financial assistance to BNT for the monitoring and maintenance of war graves across the island.
Footnote: In 2011 the Bermuda National Trust and the National Museum of Bermuda jointly published Bermuda Memorial Inscriptions by H R and R C Tulloch. It is the comprehensive work and primary reference for anyone interested in military or naval memorialisation in Bermuda.
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Cultural Heritage Updates
Dr. Charlotte Andrews, Head of Cultural Heritage
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High-tech heritage at High Point Ruin | |
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Bermuda National Trust and Bermuda Audubon Society are most grateful for Coldwell Banker Bermuda Realty’s in-kind gift of LiDAR scanning of High Point ruin, a cultural heritage site within the latest Buy Back Bermuda 10-acre acquisition in Southampton.
Bermuda Realty Survey Team Leader Tim Noble brought his portable equipment to the site and within a couple of hours had captured millions of 3D and GPS data points. With the site now virtually recorded, Buy Back Bermuda may cull damaging invasives from the ruin. This will help to stablise the structure for potential architectural and archaeological research and to make it safe for visitors when High Point Nature Reserve opens to the public.
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2023 Palm Sunday walkers were able to see the ruin while passing through the site. | |
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While doing research for her book, Dance Bermuda, Conchita Ming took note of advertisements in the newspaper about the escape or sale of enslaved people in Bermuda. As she read the ‘heartwrenching’ ads, she felt compelled to write them down, until she eventually compiled all such ads published in the Bermuda Gazette (later Royal Gazette) from 1784 until Emancipation in 1834.
Conchita says, “I found myself cheering for those who ran away, especially if they were ‘at large’ for long periods. The newspaper did not report if ‘runaways’ were caught so it is not known what happened to them. They are heroes, nonetheless, yearning for freedom. I wanted to ‘Say Their Names’, to acknowledge them and even recognise their skills which helped to ‘build’ Bermuda.”
Conchita Ming has generously shared her compilation of enslaved advertisements with the Bermuda Archives where she conducted her research. They have permitted the Trust to share the compilation online, as a companion to the Bermuda Slave Registers, at bnt.bm.
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Royal Gazette & Weekly Gazeteer published 15 April 1797. | |
Furniture Collection Conservation | Professional conservator and restorer Andrew Mello has applied his expertise and skill to more pieces within the Trust’s antique furniture collection. These include several cedar pieces on display at Verdmont. Andrew has stabilised and repaired the extremely fragile legs of a cedar chest-on-stand that was barely able to stand. He also brought an important but disjointed and discoloured cedar chest back to life. A sleigh-style mahogany day bed with swan neck carvings is now reassembled and re-glued after it came apart. | |
Heritage Education
Anna Stevenson, Heritage Education Coordinator
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March was a busy month for Heritage Education! The dig in the cellars of the Globe Museum was the perfect opportunity to introduce archaeology to students across the island. We visited all four Government middle schools and five East End primary schools to give talks to some 970 students on what archaeology is, how artefacts are dated, and the upcoming excavations in St George’s. Over 280 students visited the dig, interacting with the archaeologists and taking a tour of the archaeology exhibit at Tucker House.
Bermuda High School P3 students took part in a 3-part learning journey called Explorers and Adventurers, with before and after sessions at the school, sandwiched by an exploration of the settler’s world in St George’s. Harrington Sound P5 students visited Verdmont for an introductory lesson on the development of slavery in Bermuda. Mount Saint Agnes students visited several of our sites as part of a travel and tourism project.
Easter Camps were a great success. Bermuda’s Natural Wonderland campers explored Cooper’s Island, Vesey Nature Reserve, Walsingham Jungle and Spittal Pond, whilst having fun and learning about habitats, eco-systems, and the island’s rich natural heritage. The children produced beautiful Easter-themed crafts and had lots of fun playing in the garden.
We were also delighted to welcome the New England Historic Genealogical Society, for their inaugural week-long cultural tour organized by the Trust.
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We were delighted to welcome visiting groups from the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the Preservation Resource Centre of New Orleans for week-long cultural tours organised by the Trust. | |
NEGHS at Orange Valley with John Cox | |
New Orleans PRC at Verdmont | |
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Verdmont gates restored
Continuing the long legacy of craftsmanship at the Trust’s properties, Hans and Jerome of Atlantic Millwork have replaced the elegant gates on the south side of Verdmont, after the previous gates were badly damaged during last year’s storm season.
Image to right: Hans and Jerome of Atlantic Millwork pose after finishing their installation.
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The Bermuda National Trust | bnt.bm | |
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