Georgian Manors of the Caribbean Part 1
Gabriella Howell is a PhD student at Buckingham University, looking at the influence of Antigua, a Leeward Island, and former British colony, on the development of North Carolina and Virginia during the 1700s. She is using the estate house, Mercers Creek, and the family associated with the estate as a microcosm example of the island's wider influence. Her academic work developed from the physical restoration undertaken on the property, including the restoration of Wedgewood and Chippendale furniture. Gabriella is currently Special Advisor to His Excellency, the Governor General of Antigua & Barbuda, working on the restoration of Government House.
Government House
In 2018 while working at the Civil Service on the Euratom Brexit Negotiations my mother and I sat down to discuss what to do with my grandmother's 350-year-old Sugar Buff House in Antigua.
Our home on the island needed someone to live in it, needed people to enable it to continue breathing. If you know old buildings and the work that goes into running them this odd expression will make perfect sense to you.
We decided to convert the Buff House and the remaining 26 acres of grounds from the old Mercers Creek Plantation Estate into a micro-boutique hotel. As the last stone Buff House on the island, we thought it was our duty to preserve and showcase the history of the property and the people associated with it over the centuries.
Government House, Antigua and Barbuda
Converting my grandmother's home into a historic hotel and business took a great deal of work. My mother, Janey, began her Masters in Georgian Interior restoration as part of the research to restore the historic furnishings, while I began the research into the house and people’s history, which developed into my current PhD.
The work that went into the restoration of Mercers Creek Estate, to become The Great House Antigua, is for a blog post another time!
Instead we fast forward to 2022 where, in recognition of the work and success achieved with the Great House Antigua, Janey Howell and I were invited by His Excellency the Governor General Of Antigua and Barbuda to become Special Advisors for the Restoration of Government House in Antigua.
His Excellency The Governor General, Mrs Janey Howell and Miss Gabriella Howell
Dating back to the 1700's Government House is the current headquarters for His Excellency The Governor General. His Excellency has been working to restore the former buildings within the Government House compound.
The next step of the restoration work has been undertaken by Janey and I for the furniture and interior restoration. Using our academic and past experience, undertaken with the Buff House restoration, our mother-daughter duo has joined this exciting project.
Items of furniture in the restoration project include the Prince of Wales Billiard Table, a Queen Ann four-poster bed, and a 1905 Victrola gramophone.
Prince of Wales Billiard Table from the 1800s
The past few weeks have been spent securing the furniture and beginning preliminary research in the Antigua and Barbuda National Archives, searching for documents such as the bills of lading to establish provenance. Next steps are in the British Archives looking for similar items. Once we have been able to establish the provenance, restoration work on the items can begin.
We are undertaking the restoration work in Antigua, using the skills of local specialists to enable the furnishings to be brought back to life and used within Government House for current and future generations to visit and learn about the history and life within the walls.
