World Heritage Committee for Charlestown, Nevis

St. Kitts and Nevis secures recognition of SIDS representatives at sustainable education conference

Paris, January 29, 2020 (SKNIS) –The 24th January last was not destined to be an ordinary day for Ambassador David Doyle, the Federation’s permanent delegate to UNESCO in Paris. A few minutes into an information meeting hosted by UNESCO relating to the planning of the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development to be held in Berlin in June, he argued for targeted funding to be considered to enable one education minister from each SIDS region to participate in this important strategic conference.

St. Kitts and Nevis secures recognition of SIDS representatives at sustainable education conference The 24th January last was not destined to be an ordinary day for Ambassador David Doyle, the Federation’s permanent delegate to UNESCO in Paris. A few minutes into an information meeting hosted by UNESCO relating to the planning of the

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 10, 2020) — Two British World Heritage specialists have given the Bath Hotel, Bath Stream and Fort Charles at Bath Village on Nevis thumbs up and referred to them as a remarkable heritage sites. They were at the time meeting with Hon. Eric Evelyn, Minister of Culture, and Hon. Spencer Brand, whose ministry is engaged in the ongoing Restoration Project at Fort Charles. The venue was at the Nevis Island Administration’s conference room in Charlestown on February 07, 2020.

British Heritage specialists describe Nevis’ heritage sites as remarkable NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 10, 2020) — Two British World Heritage specialists have given the Bath Hotel, Bath Stream and Fort Charles at Bath Village on Nevis thumbs up and referred to t…

Meeting with Messrs. Barry Gamble & Mr. Paul Simons (Heritage/Historical & Spa Consultants), with Committee members & other attendees, at Ministry of Finance Conference Room, on Friday 7th Feb 2010 - Photos by Lester Blackett

The Nevis World Heritage Committee welcomes Mr. Barry Gamble & Mr. Paul Simons to Nevis on Wednesday, February 5th to 8th, 2020.

Their visit is intended to concentrate both on the general prospect of a World Heritage Site in Nevis, and the heritage potential /economic potential for the Historic Nevis Bath House, Hotel and Springs (as Paul is a spa expert), and other sites. They will provide a short report following their discussions on the Island. We will also discuss how/whether we feel that they can help with next steps. Be assured that they would like to assist with securing a future for this our special heritage.

Paul is an architect and was Director of Tourism in the World Heritage City of Bath where he led the team that reconstructed the historic thermal baths as a Millennium project until 2003, now the very successful “Thermae Bath Spa”.

Paul was the last chair of the British Spas Federation to 2006, which was subsumed by a commercial spa association, and he is currently chair of the Scientific Committee of the European Historic Thermal Towns Association, which is also certified as one of the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes. Barry’ s day job is as the Secretary General of the Great Spas of Europe UNESCO nomination where he represents 11 component spa towns in 7 States Parties in Europe. This nomination is currently being evaluated by ICOMOS and is where Barry and Paul work as collaborators.

Barry is a geographer and geologist with 25 years’ experience as an independent World Heritage consultant. As author of a number of nominations to the World Heritage List, Barry either work autonomously or as part of a multi-disciplinary, commonly cross-cultural, team. International clients include national and federal state governments ranging from Europe (Poland, Germany, Romania and the UK) to Japan, South Africa, Australia, Mexico and island states in the Caribbean.

Most of his working knowledge of World Heritage is derived from intensive practical experience since 1995. From 2001 to the present he has acted predominantly as an independent World Heritage consultant, dealing with a diverse range of heritage projects. His principal role for over 15 years has been in authoring and coordinating World Heritage nominations.

Aside from Paul's experience in World Heritage and his considerable experience with the re-utilisation of such facilities for high-quality tourism, he and Barry have been working together intensively on the serial transnational nomination (7 countries) of the Great Spas of Europe, submitted to UNESCO in 2019 (nomination in progress). Their continued work with this project means that they meet frequently and can always put any issues regarding St. Kitts and Nevis on their agenda. Besides World Heritage, Paul and Barry can further assist with longer-term advice concerning heritage-led and conservation-led tourism.

All Photos by Lester Blackett

Drone views of the Historic Bath Hotel, Bath Stream & Bath House, Nevis. It is one of the key buildings that the Nevis World Heritage Committee has included in the proposed list for UNESCO, for the designation of Nevis (or parts thereof) for World Heritage status for 2022.

BATH STREAM AND HOTEL, NEVIS Tags ( Bath Stream, Mineral Bath, Charlestown, Nevis, Bath Hotel, Nevis Historic Site, Premier Office Nevis)

What I Learned at the Traditional Building Conference in Winston-Salem

"Materials and Methods: Windows & Exteriors," the third Traditional Building Conference of 2019 took place at Graylyn Estate in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

“Windows tell a story. Windows are the eyes of the building. Windows define style.” This is how Brent Hull opened his seminar at the recent Traditional Building Conference. We met at the historic Graylyn in Winston–Salem, North Carolina, for a program called “Materials and Methods: Windows and Exteriors.” When my team first considered producing a packed two-day conference largely about windows, I was skeptical—is there that much to talk about?

......... Repairing historic windows, rather than hauling them to a landfill, is sustainable practice. The preservation of historic style is important, but so too is restoring the old-growth wood that historic windows are made of. The wood and the windows are durable. More ................

What I Learned at the Traditional Building Conference in Winston-Salem "Materials and Methods: Windows & Exteriors," the third Traditional Building Conference of 2019 took place at Graylyn Estate in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Preservation Timber Framing Restores First Parish Meetinghouse - Thoughtful restoration brings craft, communication, and celebration to the First Parish Meetinghouse in Derry, New Hampshire. Judy Hayward - Nov 12, 2019

We ask a lot of steeples, belfries, and bell towers. For 365 days a year, year in and year out, they weather rain, wind, and storms. We expect them to be beautiful, inspirational, straight, and sturdy. Timber framers who repair these iconic structures know that there is more than meets the eye; the loads these buildings carry behind their deceptively simple white clapboard façades are enormous and complex.

...... Take the East Derry First Parish Meetinghouse, for example. In June of 2019, the crew of Preservation Timber Framing, with the aid of a crane, hoisted a restored bell tower, bell, and double lantern weighing 43,400 pounds onto the 250-year-old meetinghouse as part of the 300th anniversary of “Nutfield,” an area in southeastern New Hampshire where Scots-Irish immigrants settled in 1719. It was the culmination of seven years of work on the historic church. Click the image for the full article ............

Preservation Timber Framing Restores First Parish Meetinghouse Thoughtful restoration brings craft, communication, and celebration to the First Parish Meetinghouse in Derry, New Hampshire.

UNESCO’s Education and Water Policy expertise extolled by the Federation’s Deputy Prime Minister

(15th November, 2019)–Before a packed audience of UNESCO ministers converged in Paris to attend the General Conference of this specialized UN agency, the Deputy Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Shawn Richards, touched on a topic close to his ministerial portfolio: education. He commended UNESCO for its “penetrating” review of St. Kitts & Nevis’ education strategy and structures back in 2017.

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“We take solace that, in spite of these uncertainties, Member States like ours have come to rely more than ever UNESCO’s comparative advantage, and competencies, in fostering peace to war-torn societies and in eradicating poverty in our societies. Our vulnerable small islands appreciate UNESCO’s efforts in strengthening our capacity to address challenges of climate change, access to education and protection of our cultural heritage”.

The Federation’s Ambassador Doyle, declared the St. Kitts and Nevis presence at the 40th UNESCO General Conference a resounding success. “The government of St. Kitts and Nevis welcomes the heightened importance provided by UNESCO in deploying its unique multi-disciplinary expertise – in science, culture, climate change, education, biodiversity resource preservation, knowledge management and information for decision-making – in addressing the multiplicity of challenges facing SIDS”. More ........................

UNESCO’s Education and Water Policy expertise extolled by the Federation’s Deputy Prime Minister

Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the island of St. Kitts in the Federation of St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis in the Eastern Caribbean. It was designed by British military engineers and built and maintained by African slaves. It is one of the best preserved historical fortifications in the Americas.

Brimstone Hill Fortress St Kitts SOC visits the Brimstone Hill Fortress in St. Kitts, a World Heritage site. Our guide shares how the history of Brimstone Hill has taught him to appreciate h...

Alissandra Cummins, leading expert on Caribbean heritage:
Alissandra Cummins (born 30 October 1958) was the Chairperson of the UNESCO Executive Board (2011-2013). She is from Barbados and is one of the leading experts on Caribbean heritage, museum development and art.[1] Alissandra Cummins is Director of the Barbados Museum & Historical Society [2] and she is a lecturer in Museum and Heritage Studies at the University of the West Indies. She is board chair of International Journal of Intangible Heritage.[3] She is on the board of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience,[4] and the International Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship.[5]

She was educated at Queen's College, Barbados, the University of East Anglia (BA, History of Art) and the University of Leicester (MA, Museum Studies).

Alissandra Cummins served in lead positions for several intergovernmental committees and NGOs, in particular she was Chairperson of the Advisory Committee of the International Council of Museums, and successively President of the organization (2004-2010). As such she was the first even female president of the organization and the first to serve from the Caribbean region.[6] Within UNESCO, Alissandra Cummins was a member of the Executive Board for two mandates, and between 2009-2011 she was elected as Chairperson of the Board’s Finance and Administrative Commission. Most recently she also chaired the Administrative Commission during the 36th session of the General Conference of UNESCO.

Within the cultural programmes and conventions of UNESCO Alissandra Cummins acted as Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Country of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP) (2003-2005), as Chairperson of the International Advisory Committee of UNESCO' Memory of the World Programme (2007-2009) and she was Vice-President of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the World natural and Cultural Heritage (2009, 2011).[7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alissandra_Cummins

unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/GBS/SCX/pdfs/BIOGRAPHYACUMMINS2011.pdf