site header

Sites of Memory

Let us take a glance at some familiar places and objects around Antigua and Barbuda that are brimming with cultural memories and historical significance. 

We might realise that we sometimes take them for granted.  They have become so familiar to us, always present, as we regularly journey past them.  But it is unlikely that we would ever deny their cultural/historical significance to the nation OR that they are uniquely Antiguan and Barbudan.

What places/spaces and objects would you add to the list below?

LMR Community Bench.

This community bench in St. John’s, installed by Mr. Ludwig M. Reynolds, also known as LMR. It bears a religious text: “Since you are my rock and my fortress. For the sake of your name. Lead and guide me” .

This bench and others like it often bearing religious/ inspirational messages have long been familiar sights/sites in Antigua, particularly in St. John’s.

Photo credit: Dr. Hazra C. Medica

The Potters Tank.

This tank is located a short walk from the Potters Primary school. Its accompanying plaque reveals that it was constructed in 1935 by Luther George, and refurbished eighty-six (86) years later!

Luther George was a figure who loomed large in Antigua’s political culture and its trade union history.

Photo credit: Dr. Hazra C. Medica

Redcliffe Quay in St. John’s often referred to as “Historic Redcliffe Quay” dates to the 17th Century. It boasts buildings that are considered well-preserved or re-created reminders of historic 19th-century Antiguan architecture.

The plaque sign (pictured centre) is a reminder of the restoration and refashioning of the area in the 1980s. How many of us would be able to list, from memory, at least three of the images that appear on the plaque sign?

Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/RedcliffeQuay

The Showcase Mas Camp building.

When you know you just know. And those in the know — longtime carnival and mas enthusiasts — would definitely know the significance of this Ottos village building and the historic place of Showcase Mas Camp in Antigua’s Carnival/carnivalling history.

Photo credit: Dr. Hazra C. Medica.

Fisheries Facilities in Barbuda.

This plaque stands outside the Fisheries Facilities in Barbuda. Besides the importance of the facilities to the industry, the fisherfolk and their patrons, it also doubles as an events space.

During the passage of Hurricane Irma in 2017, this facility was reported as providing a haven for Barbudans who had to wait out the passage of the devastating hurricane in safer surroundings.

Photo credit: Yuri Peshkov

The historic and famously well-preserved Blouse and Skirt House in Swetes.

This famous house in Swetes stands as a living monument to working-class Antiguan architecture, ingenuity, and aptitude for repurposing. It was previously featured in one of our January post’s here. Want to see this marvel in person? The Unlock the Museum series continues July 1st, 2023, in Swetes and this building will be a main attraction of the tour. Visit Unlock the Museum on the Events Map for more information on what promises to be an intriguing and educational event!

Photo credit: Dr. Hazra C. Medica

The Martello Tower, Barbuda.

A 19th-century (1800s) construction that was designed as a British defence base, which has now been reclaimed by Barbudans as one of their most popular historical sites/tourist attractions.

Photo credit: The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority

The former Official Residence of the Prime Minister.

Last occupied by the nation’s first Prime Minister and National Hero, the late Sir Vere Cornwall Bird KNH, this building is in Tomlinson’s (Tomlinson’s Estate). Prior to this, the building also served as the residence of head of the Antigua Sugar Estates Syndicate, the late Sir Alexander Moody-Stuart, and his family. The building sits above what has become known as the Heroes’ Park Cemetery. Both the late Sir Vere Cornwall Bird KNH and the late Sir George Walter KNH (former premier and national hero) are interred in the walled garden below the house.

Photo credit: Dr. Hazra C. Medica

The Bethesda Tamarind Tree

The park area created beneath this tree and the installed plaque commemorate the sugarcane estate workers’ strike (1951-1952) and the meeting under this very tree that, as history tells it, resulted in the strengthening of the workers’ resolve to continue with the historic, long strike for better wages.

Photo credit: Dr. Hazra C. Medica

And finally…

The Life Saver.

There are ‘back in the day’ calypsonians and calypsos or clubs/liming spaces that will always be on a top ten list. Likewise, there are eateries that existed ‘back then’ whose names will always be featured in any case of “remember when…”. The Life Saver is one such eatery. The sign still stands on this Tanner and Market Street building invoking memories by the dozens for those who enjoyed its late-night takeaway offerings. A reminder then and now of a local culinary institution that was indeed a ‘life saver’!

Photo credit: Dr. Hazra C. Medica

Historic Blouse & Skirt House

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This post is therefore an essay! Take a trip back to a past that is still, curiously, the present.

The front/entrance of the historic blouse and skirt house.
At the time of this photo, the historic house was still in use. The resident, a descendant of the original occupants!

Blouse and Skirt. Wood, seated on stone that was sourced locally.
This angle shows more clearly the shape that led to the popular name for historic homes such as this one.

A glance at a portion of the interior of the home.
Note the furnishings and the use of the crocus flour sack.
Wood neatly stacked away at the back with still-hot bush tea in the pot on the outdoor stove in the forefront.

This view of the back of the historic house shows clearly the great care taken with repairs over the years.

Thus ends the essay, all six thousand (12 point font, of course) words; 12 pages single-spaced, 24 pages double-spaced.

Photos courtesy of Dr. Hazra C. Medica (photos taken with the house’s resident’s permission to share.)