Heritage

Nominations for the gold medal in cultural vandalism for 2009. The New Year has just begun. We already have the first nomination for the gold medal for cultural vandalism for 2009. It is a new award, invented today. The nominee is the Hon Hubert Hughes, proprietor of the old Cotton Gin Factory in The Valley.

The gin itself was erected in 1910. It last worked in about the year 1950. Then the world market price for cotton collapsed and the industry closed down in Anguilla. That means that the machinery was nearly one hundred years old. Up to the end of last year, the disused equipment was standing there as if waiting for the factory workers to return from lunch. There was a bale of compressed cotton still in the bailer, and a sprinkling of lint stuck on the belts. Everything was as it was when Carter Rey locked the door for the last time. Years later, someone was to remove and steal the bronze plaque presented to the Factory by the textile industry of Lancashire, congratulating the Anguillian cotton gin for having produced the best cotton lint that they had ever seen in England.

Last week, the cotton gin was demolished and ordered to be taken to the Corito garbage dump.

Corito Dump: Anguilla's graveyard for used machinery

I have not checked with Mr Hughes for confirmation that he gave the order, but he owns the property, and only the owner could have given permission for such a drastic alteration in the structure.

Empty space where the cotton gin used to be

Close-up of empty space

Remnants of equipment in the ceiling above

Some Anguillians are outraged. I have no idea why. After all, it was done so that the otherwise wasted space could be used as a Chinese Restaurant. It is going to look so much neater now. So much more modern, as befits an up-market destination such as Anguilla is.

Why would anyone think that Hubert should have considered the Cotton Gin to be an important part of Anguilla’s built heritage? What an idiotic concept, anyway. Built heritage! Just a fancy name for broken down old buildings and rusting machinery. Much more merciful to put them out of their misery, and tear them down. Only effete foreigners could find such a thing of interest. Little do these foreigners know that the old cotton ginnery symbolized nothing more than the state of near slavery that our Anguillian forebears were forced to live in right up to the modern time. We must get rid of these last remnants of exploitation in order to expunge our shame at the poverty of our grandparents.

Besides, it is not as if Anguilla is not already blessed with an abundance of monuments to the industrial endeavours of our Anguillian ancestors. There are magnificent old mansions scattered around the island that anyone who is determined to visit old structures can take their pick of. We don’t have to go to Jamaica or Barbados to find Great Houses. We have them right here.

Antique Anguillian house

So what if the Cotton Gin was one of the last pieces of Anguilla’s built heritage that was in relatively good working condition. There are other mementos of Anguilla’s rich economic history, for those sentimental fools who want to waste their time looking at that sort of thing. They can still go to Sandy Hill and admire the Sugar Works ruins of Governor Richardson.

Gov Richardson’s minimalist animal round foundations

What about the benefits to the living Anguillians? Is it not better for us to look after the financial needs of those who are living today, and those yet to come, rather than wasting time worrying about worn out machinery. As the US industrialist Henry Ford said, “History is bunk”.

It isn’t as if Anguilla already has too many Chinese restaurants. Anguilla desperately needs this Chinese restaurant. In the circumstances, the loss of Anguilla’s most famous surviving part of our built heritage is a small price to pay. I understand Anna wanted the equipment removed. It was occupying valuable space in her proposed new restaurant. Anyway, it was just old junk, wasn’t it? Hubert was glad to oblige. Anything for Anna.

Those idiot heritage persons should be grateful the truckers telephoned Colville Petty at his Heritage Museum, “Do you want this stuff, or should we take it to Corito?” He agreed to rescue what they offered him.

Cotton gin equipment dumped outside Petty’s museum

The rest of the rubbish is, presumably, now buried at the public dump. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say.

If the Public Health Department insisted on its removal for health concerns, congratulations to them for their foresightedness.

If the Planning Department permitted it, in authorizing the change of use, kudos to them for their long sightedness.

If the Environment Department encouraged it when their views were sought, bravo to them for their concern and dedication!

This decision was an inspired one. In the race for the gold medal, it will be hard to beat for the rest of 2009.

Crown Jewels

Selling the Crown Jewels on eBay. This woman tells a story that she could not have made up.

“I acquired this medallion in 1995. It came from accountant David Stevens of Rutland, VT. He got it from a diving expedition off the coast Anguilla. The claim had not even been filed yet, he did provide us the name of the ship and Captain. El Buen Consejo “70 guns”, headed by Julis de Urcullo. It sunk in 1772.

My boyfriend at the time, Scott Young, was working in construction, did a job for David and was rewarded for a job well done with 4 of these medallions. Scott gave one to me. I put mine in my banks safe deposit box, and it has been there ever since.

The link to El Buen Consejo: http://www.spanishgalleon.ai/

I believe the saint pictured to be St. Camillus de Lellis: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=265

I have found reproductions of this medallion for sale from 80-600 dollars.”

Does anyone in Anguilla remember the terms on which David Stevens and Bull Webster and their friends were permitted to excavate the ruins of Anguilla’s most famous shipwreck?

Does anyone even care that Anguilla’s crown jewels are being sold on eBay?

Entrepreneurship

Why are all those Asian boutiques and shops being allowed to open up in Anguilla? I well remember Ronald Webster announcing in about 1980 that he would never permit Asian merchants to set up shop in Anguilla. His concern was that, with their world-wide networks and connections, they would kill business for local merchants. How things have changed!

Who says that Anguillians cannot be entrepreneurs too? Someone sent me a link to a page on eBay. It was obviously put there by an enterprising Anguillian. It reads:

“SOLID 14k Yellow Gold

Retail $1,195 (The starting price as well as the buy it now price can not be touched out there. I encourage you to look around and see the price out there for yourself) . . .

I also wanted to give you some information on where this beautiful treasure came from!

The Shipwreck of El Buen Consejo
In 1772, El Buen Consejo-[Our Lady of] The Good Counsel-sailed from Spain, bringing 52 Franciscan missionaries and thousands of bronze religious medallions to the New World. The ship, however, wrecked in the Caribbean, off the coast of Anguilla, leaving the precious cargo on the sea floor, undisturbed for 225 years. In 1986, the treasure was discovered. These medallions are first generation replicas of the originals, offered for sale to help preserve and develop the site, in cooperation with Anguilla Maritime Research Ltd., and the government of Anguilla.

This is an absolutly breathtaking piece. When you hold it in your hands as you feel the weight the strength and energy of what it represents is captivating. This will be past down from generation to generation.”

How do I know an Anguillian is responsible? Well, at the end of the second to last paragraph it says that these gold replica medallions are offered for sale “in cooperation with . . . the government of Anguilla.” The dead giveaway is the last sentence of the last paragraph: “This will be past down from generation to generation.” The whole of the last paragraph, with its typing errors, its absence of commas to indicate where the parentheses are, and the confusion between the past participle and the adjective, are breathtaking for me.

What I really want to know is, Which part of the government of Anguilla is involved in this enterprise?

And, how much of the proceeds of sale will “help preserve and develop the site”?

You can read it for yourself by clicking here.