There is an islandwide process now on to assess T&T's national heritage sites, and in some cases, to rethink what constitutes such a site, and embrace new ones. And the whole village of Lopinot will soon be listed as a national heritage site. This is according to Dr Winston Suite, chairman of the National Trust of T&T, in a recent interview with the T&T Guardian.
Meanwhile, in Tobago, new relationships are being established between the National Trust organisation in Trinidad, and its sister organisation in Tobago, the Tobago Trust, which is run independently.Early last month, Suite met with representatives of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) at Calder Hall to discuss collaboration and initiatives to preserve Tobago's landmarks and heritage. Suite had admiring things to say about the good work being done in Tobago on heritage matters.
Large detailed maps of every regional municipality now cover the walls of the National Trust offices on Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain. Dots on the maps mark existing heritage sites, as research officers work hard to organise data coming in. The maps make it easy to grasp that some areas are very under-represented in terms of officially labelled "heritage sites," while other areas, such as Port-of-Spain, seem to have an abundance of sites. Part of the Trust's current job is to redress some of these regional imbalances, said Suite.
Suite said the Trust's priority right now is to identify, assess, list (and eventually, if possible, develop) all natural heritage projects throughout the country. This process is ongoing, he said. He said the Trust had already met with almost all municipalities to ask for their help in identifying and refining sites of interest in their areas; the only municipalities still to agree to meeting with the Trust are San Fernando and Chaguanas.
Seven committees of experts, in areas such as history, literature, engineering, architecture and planning, are now helping in the process of evaluating sites, said Suite.
Suite said when he first came to the post less than a year ago, he inherited a list of 430 heritage sites, and that right now, the figure is 444, as some sites were found to be beyond repair–"completely lost"–while others had been added. "By the end of the year, we expect to have about 500 validated sites," he said.
The process of protecting or formally listing a site passes through several stages: first, a site is identified; then it is validated; then experts produce a detailed dossier on it; the dossier is then approved by the National Trust Council, which agrees to list it; the Council grades the building; the owner is notified of intention to list; the intention to list is published in the Gazette; any objections must be raised at this point; and finally, the Minister of Diversity approves the site/building's listed status, which means it's an official heritage site.
Right now, we have 29 protected heritage sites, including 16 newly protected ones which Dr Rodger Samuel, Minister of National Diversity and Social Integration, signed off on in a short ceremony last month. And another 50 sites are expected to be listed soon, said the Trust in a release.
The importance of memory
What criteria are currently being used to select and (re)assess T&T's national heritage sites? Dr Suite was not specific, but shared this comment:
"National heritage is the memory and the experience of the people, not just built structures and land space. It is where some aspect of our collective consciousness has been developed ....on who we are, what we believe in, what makes us a T&T person, as opposed to a Venezuelan, or a Colombian, or an American.
"What makes us is our experiences in these different places in T&T. So we preserve these things because they are capturing our memory, our collective experiences. So, critical to this is not protecting physical (assets) just for themselves, but protecting them for the memory of the society, the cultural significance."
The National Trust began 24 years ago, in 1991, with a mandate to improve communities through preserving built and natural heritage. In theory, this involves acquiring heritage properties; repairing and servicing these properties; improving amenities; preserving natural areas, conserving animal and plant life there; and enabling the public to have access to, enjoy, and educate themselves from these heritage sites.
However, limited resources means the Trust cannot, in effect, do the kinds of repairs, maintenance and servicing of sites it would like to; some proposed heritage sites belong to private owners and require discussion; and many sites are, as a result, neglected.The educational as well as tourism potential of many sites is significant, but requiresconsiderably more resources to develop their potential.
Despite the setbacks, chairman Suite does not seem beleaguered, but has an optimistic, resolute attitude, making do with what's available, and building outreach projects incrementally. He commented that when he first came to the National Trust's office at 35A Wrightson Road just eight months ago, he met a staff of only two people, despite the huge amount of work the Trust could be doing.
That skeleton staff, in itself, says a lot. Since then, the Trust has attracted several professionals, some on a contract or temporary basis, with a passion for the Trust's mission, so that staff numbers are a little healthier today.
National Trust seeking partnerships
A constant challenge is often the basic maintenance of existing sites, acknowledged Suite.
There is a funding, and sometimes a staffing, problem. Some local field naturalists, observing the already rotting jetties at the Caroni Swamp Visitor centre recently, noted that islands far smaller than T&T, with much smaller budgets, still manage to maintain and upkeep their significant sites with a greater sense of pride and attention.
The answer may lie in developing more effective partnerships between local community bodies and diverse funding sources, suggested Suite.
Philanthropic service groups, community-based groups, faith-based groups and the private sector, alongside the existing municipal authorities, are now all being encouraged by the National Trust to help develop or renovate community-specific projects related to heritage sites in their own areas, said Dr Suite. The idea is to generate direct community involvement and interest in local sites through partnerships.
Pride in local sites should include honouring of the birthplaces or important venues linked with some of our outstanding achievers and local citizens, he said. So, for instance, there's value in protecting as heritage sites the homes of some of our leading citizens–such as Stokely Carmichael (in Belmont), Boscoe Holder (in Newtown), VS Naipaul (in Chaguanas/St James), and CLR James (in Tunapuna).
New project ideas
�2 Energy museum. "Our industrial heritage is strong, dating from the 1880s. Yet we do not yet have an energy museum," said Suite. The National Trust would like to collaborate with UTT to establish a museum on the history of the energy sector here, he said. And continuing along the idea of museums, he encouraged all regional authorities to consider setting up their own area museums.
�2 Tours. Another promising idea is to run educational day tours for the general public aboard water taxis, to visit T&T's various smaller islands. This may be in the nostalgic spirit of the old steamers which used to be a mainstay of transport for the cocoa and coffee industries, said Suite. The idea certainly promises a fun option for historical and environmental tourism.
�2 Library/research site. A new project, already started, aims to develop a collection of all books ever written about T&T, in any language, to become the kernel of a centre for scholarship and research. The beginnings of this are evident in a back conference room of the National Trust office where a range of new bookcases contain the beginnings of the collection.
OUR HERITAGE SITES
Previously listed:
1. Queen's Royal College (Main Block)
2. Hayes Court
3. Mille Fleurs
4. Ambard/Roomor
5. Archbishop's Palace
6. Whitehall
7. Stollmeyer's Castle
8. Banwarie Trace Archaeological Site
9. Fort King George
10. Fort Picton (St. David's Tower)
11. Royal Victoria Institute
12. Wesleyan Church (Tranquility Methodist Church)
13. Old Mayaro Post Office
Recently listed in July 2015:
1. Carnegie Free Library, San Fernando
2. CLR James House, Tunapuna
3. 58 Piccadilly Street, Port-of-Spain
4. Calvary Hill Stations of the Cross, Calvary Hill, Laventille
5. St. Francis of Assisi RC Church, Belmont
6. St Joseph RC Church, St Joseph
7. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain
8. George Brown House, 6 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain
9. Ortinola Great House, Acono, Maracas Valley, St Joseph
10. Kong's Store and Cocoa/Coffee Clearing House, Corner De Gannes and Hosein Streets, Arima
11. Shiva Mandir, 1 Railway Road, Reform Village, Gasparillo
12. Lopinot House, Lopinot Historical Complex, Lopinot Settlement, via Arouca
13. The San Fernando Railway Station, King's Wharf, San Fernando
14. Lord Harris Square, Port-of-Spain
15. Arima Dial, Intersection of Queen Street and Broadway Street, Arima
16. Naipaul House, 26 Nepaul Street, St James
MORE INFO
The National Trust, 35A Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain
T: 623-9311, ext. 2073/74
E: nationaltrust.tt@gmail.com
To become a Trust member: TT$25 per year per adult (18 & over); under 18s–$20; family–$100; non-profits & NGOs–$250; and corporate–$500 per annum.