So Bubbadus hoping to have UNESCO declare Bridgetown a World Heritage site and from all reports it look like we might be successful in de effort and I would be a proud Bubbajan iffing it happen.
However, I Market Vendor got to ask a few questions. Firstly, iffing we so serious bout becoming a world heritage site how come we destroying so many important buildings and allowing some of the ugliest structures man ever invent to be put up? It does really gall me but right before we eyes some gems of Bubbadus disappearing almost daily.
I know we got laws ‘bout heritage buildings and once a building get declare as one you can’t knock it down nor change it unless permission is given, but de law like it got loopholes ‘cause while you can’t change the exterior of de building, all you got to do is not repair the property and sooner rather than later it will come tumbling down by itself and it seems that people who does buy these properties know that nothing will be done to them iffing the building fall down.
It seems to me that the law needs to mek sure that you maintain the building under threat of severe penalty or loss of the said property! Tek, fuh example, the old Ocean View Hotel. it get push down and gone forever as a landmark from Bubbadus.
The Grotto pun River Road was another sweet example of a traditional middle class Bubbajan home. it get push down last year and now it storing motor cars. Nobody had de money to fix up de place? Recently, I see the former home of de late Eric Inniss pun lower Bay Street – that get push down too. It was a sweet example of middle class Bubbajan houses.
Building after building, important pieces of the Bajan architecture gone through the eddoes. Sam Lord’s Castle burn down. wha gwine happen?
that gwine be just like Farley Hill Great House and disappear forever?
The problem is that government ain’t nuh better cause them don’t fix up the buildings them own either but always abandoning de buildings and letting them crumble. Tek, fuh example, the Newcastle Great House which became a children home – gone forever. the former residence of the matriach of the Zephirin clan on Bay Street – acquired by government and turned into the Child Care Board office, but no care fuh de building and today the spot just empty.
The Marine Hotel, Marshall Hall, all part of it.
A beautiful traditional plantation style house opposite St Winifred’s School falling apart and soon bound to tumble down. The house that the Archbishop of the West Indies used to live in on Philip Drive in Pine Gardens – that, too, empty and in need of major repairs! And we ain’t talk yet bout the Empire Theatre, rotting away pun Probyn street. yet we building new office blocks and some of them real ugly.
If these properties did belong to the people in de civil service wunnah think they would let them fall down like that? They got some sweet examples of Bajan architecture pun Belmont Road close to the roundabout. we gwine wait fuh them to fall down too? We need to do something now and stop the philistines from destroying the heritage of the country.
I Market Vendor gone fuh now, you have a blessed and a wonderful day, yuh hear?
