Things that Matter: Letter from Britain – Part 2
Our visit to Britain is primarily to see our son, his wife and our beautiful grandchildren, of course; but no visit to Britain is complete without enjoying some of their amazing heritage. This is a country which has not only learnt to exploit its heritage for the huge tourist market, but for its own citizens, who enjoy it even more. In fact, while Britain received some 36 million visitors last year, there were 114 million, or three times that number, of “overnight or longer” visits made within Britain. While some of this internal movement was on business, much of it comprised “staycations” at heritage sites, and the total visitor spending on heritage sites reached more than £26 billion – hardly peanuts! It’s now a well-known fact that heritage tourism is the fastest growing segment of tourism globally, and these visitors spend far more than average visitors spend.
We’ve taken side trips to three historic towns: Portsmouth, Glasgow and Durham. Portsmouth is one of Britain’s key historic South coast port towns, and the dockyard is the site of Lord Nelson’s HMS Victory and the recently salvaged Mary Rose of Tudor fame. The HMS Victory was a revelation. An impressive vessel – ingenious in its construction – the Victory is a historical icon, but for the men below deck it was almost a prison with hard labour. In fact, many British ordinary seamen were “press ganged” – that is, captured on the docks, probably while staggering home drunk or sleeping it off near the docks. Once on board, they were “committed” to life on the ocean wave for a year or two. The living conditions in such confined spaces, with beams at less than head height, and primitive sanitation, were pretty awful, yet Nelson could inspire these men to heroic action. The tour of The Victory brought these conditions home.
In contrast, Glasgow is a grand, spacious city of great beauty. The Glasgow Cathedral is an impressive Gothic pile, gargoyles and all, begun in the 12th century, and elaborated over the ages. Overlooking it on a steep hill is the necropolis, with the lavish tombs of Glasgow’s wealthy as well as a giant obelisk for John Knox, their great reformer. It would take a month, visiting two historic sites each day, to see Glasgow properly, but I spent a whole morning at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, enjoying both magnificent art and an inspiring organ recital. And I had a magnificent haggis dinner, “compliments of mine Scottish host”!
Next stop Durham. Older Bajans will know of our connection with Durham: from 1860 until 1953 Codrington College was affiliated with Durham University and Codrington graduates were awarded Durham degrees. Most of my teachers – A.R.V. “Pappy” Newsam, P. McD. Crichlow, and Sir Alexander Hoyos – and my father-in-law, the legendary Lee Harford Skeete of Foundation, were all MA (Durham). So it was an emotional bond that we were satisfying by visiting Durham.
Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle and surroundings in the old part of Durham are a UNESCO World Heritage site, like Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison. But THEY take it seriously. The whole town is spic and span. Hanging baskets of gorgeous flowers are everywhere; and the locals act like long lost cousins. And the entire place is teeming with visitors, who from their accents are an equal mix of Brits and tourists.
Durham Cathedral was voted the most magnificent building in the world, some twenty-five years ago, by a panel of 50 architects (followed by the Taj Mahal). We had the moving experience of attending evensong, with a full choir – simply awesome! And the ancient castle is a typical British example of restoration, maintenance and adaptive re-use – it’s part of Durham University! There must have been several hundred people around the complex while we were there.
I say all this to contrast the enjoyment of these beautiful places – both for pleasure and profit – by both the British AND their millions of visitors, with the neglect of our World Heritage site here at home. Within Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison and the surrounding area are what I call the dirty dozen derelict treasures of Bridgetown – The Empire Theatre, Queen’s Park House, the Carnegie Library, The Old Supreme Court, St. Mary’s Boy’s School, The Old Eye Hospital, The Marshall Hall, Culloden Farm, The Eyrie, Belfield Mansion at the Nightingale Home, The Tercentenary Ward, and the Garrison complex of at least four derelicts.
The abandonment and decay of these buildings goes back through every single administration to the closure of the Empire in 1975. It is, in the words of the calypsonian, a “shame and scandal”; we boast of pride but have no pride. As the Minister of Tourism repeatedly points out, Heritage Tourism is where tourism is at today, and yet we can have a budget which yet again ignores this obvious fact. “Heritage is a strong driver for both international and domestic visitors”, says Dame Jenny Abramsky, chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Britain. But where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29. 18)
Post budget Bouquets: First to Colonel Bostic, whose passionate and powerful call was made in Parliament for us to capitalise on our World Heritage designation, with “a comprehensive and cohesive strategy to maximise the benefits of having a designated World Heritage site”. In five years since the inscription we have achieved nothing, and sad to say, most private sector leaders are declining to take on what they say is government’s role in restoring the Carnegie Public Library for our youth. Where there is no vision, etc…
Another bouquet: to the Minister of Finance for trying to assist health care funding with a levy – call it what you like. HOWEVER, the method of a 2 per cent import tax will impact equally on the poor and the rich. I’ve been suggesting a health levy “for the longest time”, but like the former Drug Levy, it should be income based, so that the poor are not penalised.
(Professor Fraser is past Dean of Medical Sciences, UWI and Professor Emeritus of Medicine. Website: profhenryfraser.com)