New Southampton Architectural Heritage Book
The Bermuda National Trust is launching ‘Southampton,’ the tenth and last in its Bermuda’s Architectural Heritage series.
A spokesperson said, “The series, begun in 1995, covers every parish and the City of Hamilton. It highlights the architecture of the most interesting buildings on the island and the people who built, lived and worked in them. In its entirety, it is a fascinating record of Bermuda’s architectural heritage that records the continuous historical process of modification and transformation of Bermuda’s landscape from the time of settlement.
“The entire series has been sponsored by Bacardi, which will host the launch of the Southampton book at its Bar under the Stars on Friday, 25 November.
“Southampton was written by Dr Edward Harris and edited/co-written by Alistair Border. Its production was managed from research to publication by Linda Abend and Margaret Lloyd. The modern photographs were taken by Robin Judah and Katie Berry but there are also many plans and historic illustrations.
“The book 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. The cover features a painting of Waterlot Inn and the Lighthouse by W F Snow.
“The Bermuda’s Architectural Heritage series has been researched and written by a group of dedicated volunteers and historians, some of whom have worked on all the books in the series. The series arose out of research compiled as part of the Bermuda National Trust’s Historic Buildings Survey begun in 1985. The first book, Devonshire, was published in 1995, with subsequent books published at two to five year intervals over the following 27 years.
“Bermuda’s Architectural Heritage is a hugely valuable record and resource for future historians and researchers. Most importantly it serves to increase our community’s knowledge and understanding of our island’s heritage. It might well be the most comprehensive record of a nation’s architectural heritage ever compiled, and beyond that it also records some of the human stories associated with the buildings, and Bermudian customs and values.
Margaret Lloyd explains the purpose of the series in her Forward to the Southampton book, saying: “The team working on these books is driven by a desire to document Bermuda’s irreplaceable historic architecture. This craftsmanship is practical, robust and iconic, developed from material the early islanders found here and informed by our multiculturalism. We hope this book series will assist Bermudians and their visitors to appreciate and treasure our buildings and protect them for future generations. These are the stories of our past.”
“Other researchers and contributors to Southampton include: Linda Abend, Katie Berry, Antoinette Butz, Diana Downs, Graham Faiella, Ralph Furbert, Annette Gilbert, Thomas James, Margaret Lee, Margaret Lloyd, Alicia Resnik, Sandra Rouja, Sylvia Shorto, Cecille Snaith-Simmons and Joy Wilson-Tucker.
“The team was supported by the staff of the Bermuda Archives, the National Library of Bermuda, the Registry General and the Land Title Registry Office, as well as the many private individuals who shared their knowledge, house deeds, family papers, paintings and photographs. Those involved in the production of the book also include Steven Conway, Sean Patterson, Dace McCoy Ground, Lionel Simmons, Hilary Tulloch, Catherine Kennedy, Lokabandhu and Sue Simons.
“Priced at $55, Southampton is available from Bermuda National Trust [Waterville, 2 Pomander Road], Trustworthy Gift Shop [in the Globe Museum, York Street, St George’s] and various Bermuda bookstores.”
Good Afternoon
Would it be possible to purchase the latest Heritage Series book? I always enjoyed them when I would stay at the Hamilton Princess. I would love to have the latest. Thank you kindly.