HAVING BEEN OFFICIALLY OPENED by Queen Elizabeth II on February 15, 1966, a mere nine and a half months before our November 30 Independence date, Farley Hill National Park’s golden anniversary will be celebrated in five weeks’ time.
Up until now, no official announcement has been made as to how the attainment of this milestone will be celebrated, but one can assume that the committee responsible for the planning and implementation of events leading up to the 50th anniversary of Independence is already putting plans in place for the commemoration of this landmark.
Back in 1966, no better location than the Farley Hill property, with its extensive grounds, situated on the crest of our uppermost coral limestone terrace, could have been made for the choice of a national park.
What makes the park all the more impressive is its mature indigenous and imported trees, most of which are mahogany but also the stately royal palms, bearded fig trees, casuarina, birch, eucalyptus and even a towering Canadian pine. Besides this attraction, the park offers magnificent vistas of the Scotland District and of the East Coast.
With its all-year-round cooling breezes accompanying the shaded areas, there is possibly no better place in the island for rest and relaxation whether on a family picnic or simply hanging out.
Until its destruction by fire in the early sixties, the great house built by Sir Graham Briggs in the 19th century (from 1818 until the 1860s) and of which the ruins now form the centrepiece of the park, had been the most magnificent of Barbados’ plantation houses for approximately a century.
It is in this idyllic setting that much of the 1956 movie Island In The Sun, with music by Irving Burgie and starring Harry Belafonte along with Joan Fontaine, was filmed, thus enriching Farley Hill’s legacy and enchantment.
So now that we are coming around to the celebration of the golden anniversary of our nation and of our national park, what is the condition of the ruins of the Farley Hill mansion with its multiple windows, said to be 99 in all? When it was first suggested that the resonating pounding of amplified guitars and drums at the various festivals “on the hill” could possibly worsen the condition of the ruins, some persons thought that this was far-fetched.
When, after the November 29, 2007 earth tremor, it was noticed that some fissures and cracks had appeared in the ruins’ coral/limestone superstructure, Government made the wise decision to erect a chain link fence all around the ruins. This was done for the protection of the public since, prior to that, some people were known to venture inside of the ruins and the occurrence of casualties resulting from falling brickwork is quite likely.
Sad to say, however, what has been allowed to happen in the interim is that, with there being no “maintenance” carried out, profuse parasitic vegetation in the form of trees, shrubs and vines has sprung up throughout the length and breadth of these ruins which constitute an indelible part of our built heritage. It is quite certain that if an effort is not made to clear the ruins of these marauding invaders presently taking over its superstructure, that these iconic ruins will be completely ruined.
In writing about Sam Lord’s Castle, Julian Armfield, an Englishman, says in his recently published Absolutely Barbados, an enticing travelogue about this country: “There are many examples of other historic properties that have been allowed to decay or die without any Government intervention and this is one aspect of life in Barbados that is unacceptable.”
My concern is not so much about where the emphasis is placed, whether on the preservation of our Afrocentric or Eurocentric heritage, but rather on our patrimony in general. Many of our tourists, including day-trippers on cruise liners, visit this oasis of calm. The Barbados Tourism Product Authority is hereby being advised that it may be better for them to focus on the preservation of the Farley Hill ruins rather than on any attempt at “restoring” the HARP gun at Paragon.
As a resident of St Peter and being involved in tourism, I am appealing to Government, the Barbados National Trust, the Task Force for the Preservation of Barbados Built Heritage and the Preservation (Barbados) Foundation Trust to come together for the common purpose of rescuing these iconic heritage ruins from further deterioration and possible demolition.
A suggestion for demolition has already been made by a self-seeking promoter, possibly in the hope of being able to pack more patrons into the grounds for his “on the hill” event and, surprisingly enough, this was endorsed by a former minister of social transformation. Have they not taken in the beauty of these ruins as they serve as a surreal backdrop, with coloured spotlights directed to the stage at their very own concerts?
A call is hereby being made on all proud Barbadians to join with me in making a call for the restoration of the Farley Hill ruins to the point that, if at any time, octogenarian Harry Belafonte were to return here, he would still recognise the outline of the Farley Hill mansion.
And why should not Government invite Irving Burgie and Belafonte here for our 50th anniversary celebrations in November when some suitable activity can be planned? Certainly, that would be a coup de grace.
•Julian Atherley is a retired educator.
