THE?CHAPEL?at Westbury cemetery, which had fallen into a state of disrepair, is being restored.
The price tag will be $300 000.
Public relations officer at the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA), Carl ‘Alf’ Padmore, told the SATURDAY?SUN work began on the chapel about four weeks ago by Innotech Services Ltd. and should be completed soon.
He explained that the outer limestone walls of the chapel, which were 23 inches thick, were being retained but refurbished, while a new roof and new cathedral windows had already been installed.
Padmore said the facility would be air-conditioned and even though a new organ would be brought in, the old one would be preserved and displayed.
When completed, the chapel will once again be the venue for burial services but it will also become a heritage tourism site.
Padmore stressed that the SSA intended to preserve the original look of the chapel because of its significance.
“Westbury Cemetery is a very important place in the history of Barbados. When this is all finished, we want it to be a place where locals and visitors alike can enjoy the surroundings and get a sense of its history,” Padmore said yesterday.
In 2009, Government announced that it was seeking to refurbish the chapels at Westbury, St James Cemetery, Bushy Park Cemetery and Christ Church Cemetery – all of which had become dilapidated.
