Glendairy ‘languishes’ as museum idea stalls – Sir Henry

Architectural historian Sir Henry Fraser is deeply disappointed in the government’s inaction on transforming Glendairy Prison into a museum and multipurpose facility, describing the neglected site as a “gold mine” of untapped tourism potential.

Speaking at a book launch at the Barbados Museum and Historical Society in St Michael on Tuesday, Sir Henry expressed his frustration that the authorities failed to recognise the potential of the defunct prison.

He said: “I wrote a 25-page proposal to the government, which now rests in the circular bin of the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. It took me five years of canvassing the last government to agree to what was said needed to be done, to decommission the prison.

“There are more than 100 prison museums around the world. Wherever they are, they are the [main attraction] in that city. It is an absolute shame that Glendairy Prison, which was only about seven per cent damaged by the fire [has not been repurposed]. The most magnificent building in Barbados is there. Only the central stairhall and the rooms behind it are damaged. Only one block of five in the women’s section and the dining area – about seven per cent by my calculation,” Sir Henry added.

The prison was partially damaged by a fire in March 2005 and was decommissioned in October 2016. The 22.7-acre site in Station Hill, St Michael was subsequently vested to the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. For over a decade, Sir Henry has advocated for the building’s transformation into a museum and multi-use entertainment facility, believing it has significant economic potential if repurposed.

The historian and author said acting on his proposal did not require any major financial investment by the government.

“It is 19 years since the prison caught fire and it is growing bush and it could be a unique tourist attraction. My proposal said ‘put it out to tender’; the government would spend nothing, except a few hours preparing a tender document,” Sir Henry said, adding that there had been private sector interest in the project.

“There were two private sector entities that were desperate to get a hold of it because of the very little expenditure [required] to create a museum area and to clean up the prison. It would be a magnificent site – the only one in the Caribbean – and we are sitting on a gold mine.”

In August 2021, the then Minister of Housing and Lands, Dr William Duguid, publicly announced that the administration was interested in a rejuvenation project to transform the prison into a heritage tourism product. However, to date, there has been no update on that development. 

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb