I refer to the article in yesterday's T&T Guardian on the attempt to demolish the buildings on the Greyfriars site on Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain. We may well be looking at a parking lot in the short term, and in the long term, some glass-fronted commercial building that bears no allegiance to anything, anywhere.
It is disgraceful that the Church of Scotland abandoned the property without bothering to secure the necessary protection through the National Trust. One speculates that the price paid would have been far less if the site were listed.
My family has had a close association with Greyfriars since 1840 and one of the three babies buried in the churchyard is a direct ancestor.
This is more than just a fight on a personal level, this is about trying to preserve the soul of Port-of-Spain.
There is a lesson here: the National Trust must become more proactive and take stock of, and give the necessary protection to, the precious few structures of historical significance that remain in our capital city.
Jennifer de Verteuil,Black Rock, Tobago