Design Anguilla Issue 04 - Made In Anguilla

04

www.DESIGNANGUILLA.COM

architecture interiors art fashion life

Made in Anguilla Fenestrated A pictorial of Anguillian windows and doors

plus...

10 (+1)

thing consid s to er selling when your

home!

Wallblake House The Grand Dame ages beautifully

Wallblake House Ageing Gracefully

inside: Sandy island x island information x restaurants x hotels x villas & more!

La Vue Boutique Inn is a family owned and operated inn, which offers all the charm and intimacy of a traditional inn, but with all the amenities of a fullservice hotel. The Hotel features 32 over-sized and affordable rooms, each designed with comfort and relaxation in mind with king-sized beds, air conditioning, efficiency kitchen, free internet WIFI, cable TV, private bath and private balcony.

The Pool with a Bar and Grill guarantees pure relaxation and comfort while enjoying what we have to offer. There is an eclectic boutique with amazing Caribbean selections to appeal to varying fashion senses. We have also added a fully equipped conference room for hosting seminars, meetings and similar events.

LA VUE BOUTIQUE INN

Back Street, South Hill

r (264)- 497-6623 or (264)- 462-6626 h info@lavueanguilla.com p www.lavueanguilla.com

Fun food meets flair at

Flavours Restaurant Open for breakfast and dinner, Flavours combines the best of Caribbean fusion cuisine with today’s more casual restaurant ambiance. Capturing the amazing view of Sandy Ground Bay sets a tone for dining that is unmatched. An uninterrupted sightline of the restaurant kitchen brings a whole new meaning to the words “open concept”, where Executive Chef, Shane Hughes, and his team invite guests to relish in the theatre of food preparation.

Dubbed the “Steak House” from its prior endeavours, Flavours has kept true to its brand of offering guests premium beef steaks and ribs. Culinary tributes to land and sea collectively amass to bring you a stellar menu that includes signatures of the freshest seafood and a variety of meat cuts.

The dining room at Flavours has been designed to accommodate 300 guests seated and up to 500 at standing room only, making it ideal for any large events, private parties or weddings. Whilst the restaurant’s regular setting for nightly dining offers an area for lounging and a deck for which its canapés can be sampled in between. Flavours has certainly become the long awaited multifunctional spot for nightly entertainment with a favoured twist. With the team at Flavours, committed to ensuring that guests’ experiences exceed their expectations, Anguilla’s natural aptitude for hospitality is nurtured.

Flavours provides professional service with such a rich and distinct understanding that can be further customized to the needs of its guests. The restaurant offers private event packages that are hand selected by the Chef and feature a variety of his cuisine specialties from which to choose.

Owners Kirk and Joylynn Hughes, spoke about their vision to create a fun and unique atmosphere in the restaurant.

“We strive to bring you the very best, even at the very least, to satisfy your perfect Anguilla dining experience.”

Breakfast: Tuesday- Sunday: 7-10am Sunday Brunch: 10:30am- 2:30pm Dinner: Monday- Saturday: 6:30- 10:00pm

FLAVOURS RESTAURANT At La Vue Boutique Inn Back Street, South Hill

r (264)- 497-6623 or (264)- 462-6626 h events@lavueanguilla.com

contents

50

28

10

14 Pro File

44 Time Travel

Omari Banks

22 Pro File Charla Hobson

26 Material World Anguilla Stone

56 Nature’s Design Sandy Island

60 Real Estate www.designanguilla.com

14 FEATURES

18 Pro File

4

56

DEPARTMENTS Daryl & Vanessa Thompson

10 (+1) things to consider when selling your home.

62 Wine & Dine Fine Food - Made in Anguilla

| DESIGNANGUILLA

44

The Warden's Place (Koal Keel) stands proud in The Old Valley. She may have 'had work done', but she wears it well. Painstakingly renovated by an owner dedicated to preserving her good looks, the house is now on the brink of a new life.

50 Ageing Gracefully Behind the peaceful facade of Wallblake house lays a story of invasion, ownership squabbles and bloody murder. Now restored after falling into decay, Wallblake is a beautiful reminder of a bygone era.

18 IN EVERY ISSUE 6 Editor’s Note 8 Contributors 10 Bits & Pieces 66 Advertisers' Directory 68 Island Map 70 Event Calendar 72 Hotels & Restaurants

62

22

26

SPECIAL SECTION: MADE IN ANGUILLA 28 Essay: Does creativity matter?

An introspective of the theme "Made in Anguilla".

36 Ani Art Academy Classical training for a new generation of Anguillian artists.

40 Pictorial: Utterly Fenestrated Documenting the windows and doors of the past.

All you need is Love!

We specialize in ideal cut GIA certified diamonds

7 Rue du General de Gaulle - Marigot - St. Martin F. W. I. - Tel: (590) 590 87 25 50 Frontstreet - Philipsburg - St. Maarten - Tel: 1 721 542 6808 USA Tel: 1 917 546 0902 - info@jewelsbylove.com - www.jewelsbylove.com Not all brands available in both locations

editor's note

on their shoulders

www.designanguilla.com

If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants – Sir Isaac Newton.

Made in Anguilla: I can hear the sceptics already, “Nothing’s made in Anguilla, man!”

There’s an element of truth to this. After all, we import a lot of the things we use here, and the freight and shipping industry thrives around the need for “foreign” goods. Be that as it may, it’s disingenuous to think that nothing at all is made here. Anguilla is a creative place.

When we started the magazine, I remember being asked, “So, how long before you run out of things to write about?” Well, this is our fourth issue, and I can safely say we have barely even scratched the surface. In that time, we have showcased some of the usual suspects and unearthed a few gems as well.

Anguillian stories can fill many issues.

The magazine was meant to explore creativity on these 35 square miles. We hope to celebrate creativity in all its forms and, for the most part, we’ve stayed true to that.

Creativity and design make our world a better place, and the creators should be celebrated.

For this issue, we wanted to delve further into that raison d’etre. This special issue kicks it up a notch, looking at the many things that are Anguilla-made. I’m 100% sure we’ve left out a host of things and people, and for that we are truly sorry. But, the omissions themselves dispel the myth that nothing is made here.

6

| DESIGNANGUILLA

As we began to assemble the magazine, it occurred to me that our take on Made in Anguilla skewed to the contemporary. We highlight some of the newest, shiniest bits of Anguillian culture. As a new publication, that focus seems to suits us. However, I realized that it might seem as if we have slighted the artistic and societal contributions of older Anguillian stalwarts. I worried about ignoring the people who, before anyone made anything in Anguilla, made Anguilla.

Omari Banks, the former cricketer and progeny of Anguilla’s preeminent musical icon Bankie Banx, helped to put those fears aside.

When I spoke with him, he emphasized the gratitude he felt to his father for building the foundation for his success. Like Newton, he feels like he stands on the shoulders of giants.

He made me realize something: when we create, we do not forget what came before: rather, we come to understand that it is only through the work of our forebears that we can create at all. In the same way, the work being done today will be a platform upon which a future generation will build and grow. I like to think that the celebration of contemporary work is the ultimate way of paying homage – carrying the torch and making the forebears proud.

We’ve interviewed Anguillian designers, artists and musicians – people who have taken torch-bearing to heart. We’ve looked at pieces of work by some people who might not categorize themselves as “creators” but who, nevertheless, are making, and who have created wonderful pieces of work. We also explore two of the oldest buildings on the island: Koal Keel and Wallblake House. They call to us from a bygone era, bridging the gap between then and now. We also look at Anguillian food (and what defines it) through the eyes of two Anguillian chefs.

Enjoy reading the magazine. We hope, when you’re done, that our little publication will have joined the long (and growing) list of things truly Anguilla-made.

Orrett H. Wynter Editor

DESIGN ANGUILLA ISSUE 04 July 2013 Contributors Crispin Brooks Sarah Harrison Andy Connor Trudy Nixon Maris Edwards Derrys Richardson Associate Editor Ellen Fishbein Cover shoot credits Anguilla Doll made by Bernice Fahie-Richardson of the Anguilla National Creative Arts Association Photography Keiroy Browne Josveek Huligar Derrys Richardson Orrett H. Wynter Contact P.O. Box 5050 The Valley Anguilla, BWI e-mail: info@designanguilla.com web: www.designanguilla.com www.facebook.com/designanguilla www.twitter.com/designanguilla Advertising Inquiries sales@designanguilla.com www.designanguilla.com/advertise Read Online www.designanguilla.com/digital Other Photo Credits

Shell Vase, pg. 6: made by Bernice Fahie-Richardson of the Anguilla National Creative Arts Association Crispin Brooks portrait, pg. 8: Keiroy Browne Derrys Richardson portrait, pg. 8: Derrys Richardson Sarah Harrison portrait, pg. 8: Rene Guinto Literary Festival photos, pg. 10: courtesy of Anguilla Tourist Board/Photos by Josveek Huligar Omari Banks portrait, pg. 12: Derrys Richardson Ani Academy artwork, pg. 40: Timothy W. Jahn Chef Vernon Hughes portrait, pg. 66: Josveek Huligar

Design Anguilla Magazine is published four times a year and is distributed at hotels, villas, restaurants and ports of entry in Anguilla.

This publication has been compiled and reproduced with the utmost care to ensure that the information is up to date and accurate. However, the information may contain inaccuracies or typographical errors.

The publisher accepts no responsibility for such typographical or other errors.

No part of Design Anguilla Magazine may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent.

The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of Design Anguilla Magazine.

Island Dream Properties offers a comprehensive suite of professional real estate and villa rental services.

Our services are designed to fulfill the unique needs of both home owners and visitors. We offer the assurance of a full time, dedicated and professional staff with more than 30 years experience.

• Villa Rentals for all budgets • Villas, Land and Commercial Property for sale • Property Management • 5 star Service

Tomac Plaza, Anguilla, British West Indies [PHONE] (264) 498-3200 [EMAIL] sales@islanddreamproperties.com [WEB] www.islanddreamproperties.com

contributors

p Maris Edwards Loves all things art-related: photography, magazine writing, dining (on vegan food that is delicious, beautifully presented and cooked by someone else); teaching; design; conversation.

She is the mother of one curious eight year old who is helping her to learn the art of parenting.

Maris owns Inspire Décor & Design, an interior design store in North Hill; she has done a number of interior design projects on island.

Her latest entrepreneurial project is Inspire Naturally – a 100% petroleum-free, chemicalfree, natural body care lifestyle boutique located within Inspire Décor & Design.

Maris gets introspective on the topic of Made in Anguilla on page 28.

Andy Connor u Andy W. Connor was born and raised in beautiful Anguilla, British West Indies. He is best known as the owner of Andy’s Car Rentals (www.andyrentals.com), but is also a licensed seaman and author of the monthly tourist publication, Let’s Talk About Anguilla. Andy is a self-proclaimed “Beach Hunter” of Anguilla’s pristine beaches, both exposed and hidden, he is also an avid cyclist and water-lover; fishing and sailboat racing at every available opportunity.

Andy takes us on a trip across to Sandy Island in Nature’s Design on page 56.

t Crispin Brooks Crispin Brooks has a BA in Journalism from Howard University and studied film at the Masters level at American University. His love for all things visual allowed him to develop a passion for homes and properties in Anguilla, coupling his media and sales skills to showcase the properties represented by his company, Island Spaces (www.islandspaces.com).

Crispin shares with us some of his best advice for prospective home sellers in our Real Estate feature on page 60.

Derrys Richardson u

p Sarah Harrison

t Trudy Nixon

www.designanguilla.com

Anguillian Derrys Richardson captures some of Anguilla's most romantic and dreamy destination weddings.

His work has been published in Destination Wedding & Honeymoon magazine, and he has been featured in MACO Caribbean Magazine.

Derrys regularly contributes photography for Design Anguilla, but decided to stop shooting long enough to grab a pen (or keyboard) to chronicle one of his hobby photo projects of capturing windows and doors in a special pictorial Utterly Fenestrated on page 40.

Sarah Harrison has lived on Anguilla with her family for the last four years. Before this she lived, and worked, as a marketing consultant in Poland, Belgium and the USA. She later lived in Zambia, where she first enjoyed tropical living. Although a Brit, Sarah has managed to avoid living in the UK for the last twenty years.

Unfortunately, time has now run out and she is returning to UK life this August.

Before she leaves, though, Sarah took some time to write about two of Anguilla's few remaining old houses in Time Travel, on page 44; and Ageing Gracefully on page 50.

UK-born Trudy Nixon has lived and worked in Anguilla for 10 years. A previous Executive Director of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association (AHTA), she now runs a PR and Marketing Consultancy called True Communications. She misses her family and friends in the UK, but not much else (definitely not the weather). She loves her adopted home and her Anguilla “family” including AARF dogs Sweetiepie Woofydog and Godiva.

Trudy chats to a pair of local chefs to find out what makes Anguillian food in Wine & Dine on page 58.

8

| DESIGNANGUILLA

Photo by Christian Gomez

A Tropical Asian Villa

“World’s Best of the Best” Award for the Best InternationalArchitecture Single Residence for 2012-2013: The Beach House

Exquisite Custom Designs for Your Anguilla Dream Home

www.sunsethomesanguilla.com www.anguillabeachhouse.com Cell: 1-264-235-7667/3666 Office: 1-264-497-3666

Bits Pieces

Welcome to Bits and Pieces, a chance for us to share some of the interesting news makers—people, places and things we often come across while putting together each issue. Enjoy!

www.designanguilla.com

4th Annual Fashion Show Presented by Runway Anguilla The fund-raising fashion show held at the Italia Restaurant at Cuisinart Golf Resort and Spa on April 7th was a hit.

Pieces on show included designs by Anguilla’s own exquisite designers: Feelo’je, House of Panache and TheoChris.

Other fashion include pieces from local boutiques: Boutique Blú at Cuisinart Golf Resort and Spa, Irie Life and Petals at Frangipani Beach Resort.

Proceeds from the event went to assist elderly citizens with medical care and school supplies for youth in need.

Runway Anguilla is a team of dynamic women who blend their varied experiences, talents and passion for the community, to create one of Anguilla’s most anticipated events on the social calendar.

To get further information please contact: Claire Hage, clairehage@live.com; or Janine Edwards, edwards@anguillanet.com

10 | DESIGNANGUILLA

Anguilla Literary festival 2013 The 2nd annual Anguilla Literary Festival: A Literary Jollification held in May sought to build upon the success of the first event the year before. Poor weather over the weekend didn’t dampen the spirits of those who made the event hosted at Paradise Cove Resort.

A knowledgeable and engaging panel of guest writers were on hand to dish out inspiration and information in equal measure. Among them were Nikki Giovanni (Love Poems, The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection), MSNBC’s Touré (I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon), Edwidge Danticat (Brother, I'm Dying) and Jamaican dub poet Yasus Afari (Overstanding Rastafari: Jamaica's Gift to the World).

We’re already looking forward to the 2014 instalment. For more information on the next Anguilla Literary Festival, contact the Anguilla Tourist Board’s website: www.ivisitanguilla.com; call: 1-800-553-4939 or 264-497-2759.

SPOKEN WORD Hot on the heels of the Literary Festival in May, Flavours Restaurant at La Vue Boutique Hotel launched its weekly Poetry Night on Tuesdays, capitalizing on the interest in literature, and poetry in general.

Featuring talented local poets and singers, the first event drew a capacity crowd eager to hear the performance of celebrated Jamaican dub poet, Yasus Afari, as well as other local acts which included Dr. Linda Banks as well as her brother, and reggae icon Bankie Banx. www.lavueanguilla.com

Jamie’s Villas Island Harbour

Waterfront 2-bedroom apartments with private balconies. Completely furnished with modern amenities. : (264) 497 2934 m: hertztriplek@anguillanet.com

Bits Pieces

thatch brooms

omari banks releases first album

While searching for interesting stories for this "Made in Anguilla" issue, we stumbled upon these thatch brooms made by Collins Richardson of Long Bay. As sustainable as can be, the bristles are made of dried coconut leaves from trees that grow right in his backyard. The sticks he sources in the woods.

For him, the craft started when he was a teenager and he remembers his mother making the household implements and walking with a stack to the East to sell.

87 year-old Richardson recalls the days as a young man cutting yards (lawns) for 8 pence a day, as well doing a four-month stint in St. Croix to cut sugar cane. He's been making and selling brooms ever since.

The brooms are still quite popular and, while chatting with him, a regular customer came to pick up a 24-broom order!

The former West Indies cricketer released his debut studio album titled Move On. The ten-song album includes hit single Unafraid, title track Move On, and a duet with his father, Bankie Banx, titled ‘We've seen it all’.

The album was launched to much fanfare at a release party held at the Anacaona Boutique Hotel on June 8th. www.omaribanks.com

TANYA Clark unveils new work The celebrated artist opened her latest collection of work at her Phoenix Gallery in South Hill.

Originally from Canada, the artist has been an Anguilla resident for almost two decades.

Mainly oil-on-canvas, her new works include pieces inspired by Anguilla landscapes. tanyaclark99@gmail.com

soda-can airplanes

www.designanguilla.com

These fanciful, streamlined jets made from discarded soda cans are the creations of Kelly Harrigan. They range from antiquated propeller-nose planes to modern, sleek jets. Kelly is a hobbyist who lovingly cuts and glues each one into being as if it were his first. They make surprising gifts for aviation enthusiasts and are curious accessories for office spaces. kelly_f7@hotmail.com

12 | DESIGNANGUILLA

ani art academy has first open house The Ani Art Academy held first open hose for the local community to get a glimpse of the work being done by the students. The event was an opportunity for the Academy apprentices to show off their artwork, as well as an informational event for prospective students.

The art school, which offers free enrolment to locals, is funded by the Tim Reynolds Foundation.

It is a 3-year professional art program focusing on the fundamentals of form, light, and various methods of painting. www.aniartacademies.org/academies/ani-art-academies-anguilla

design anguilla needs you!

Send us your suggestions of interesting people, places, properties, or products that you would like showcased in our magazine.

For more information go to: www.designanguilla.com/submit

profile

it

out The husband-and-wife team Daryl and Vanessa Thompson are nothing if not multitalented. The duo took a few minutes to talk about how they’ve slotted their new line of fashion accessories, Fashion Cuts, into a schedule already cramped with PR & marketing, social media management, laser engraving and, most importantly, their two young children. Some very funny banter ensues.

INTERVIEW: Orrett Wynter You guys are involved in many things. Do you mind telling us what they are?

Vanessa: Wow, ok. Well, currently, I’m working with Black Orchid Florists doing PR & Marketing. I also do Social Media Management for a number of other companies in Anguilla and the USA. And I sing, too. Can’t forget that. I sing with Asher Brooks, who is a wonderful musician. Right now we do a few gigs a week, which is great. I am always looking at new artistic ventures, so of course there are the earrings -- Fashion Cuts. I write… poetry, prose, anything really. I just was asked to be one of the artists at the Anguilla Literary Festival, and it was surreal for me to be around other like-minded individuals. We got nametags. Mine said “Poet”. I took a picture of it and was like, “Wow, I’m a poet!”

Daryl: I run an engraving store that specializes in trophies, laser engraving and design. I’m a freelance graphic designer. I do

Caribbean Alliance Insurance Representative Agent: D-3 Enterprises Ltd. Caribbean Commercial Centre, P.O. Box 1377, The Valley, Anguilla • +1 264. 497. 3525/5325/5526

www.designanguilla.com

everything from logos to websites. You know: branding, identity, stuff like that. I’m also an artist. My mediums are watercolour and occasionally pastel. And we started Fashion Cuts, our earring brand. So, we are working on those now, which is exciting.

How did jewelry get in the mix?

V: Well, like Daryl said, he runs his family business, Alloyd Enterprises, and there is a laser machine there. There are these conferences for people who have the laser, and there was one in 2010 that was in New York, up by Niagara Falls, so Daryl decided to make a short vacation of it and bought me a ticket to go with him. I went to all the workshops about the laser with Daryl.

There were just so many other people there who were using this machine for art, you know, and before that I hadn’t thought you could use it for anything other than engraving plaques or stuff like that. Stuff that people brought to Alloyds. So I thought, “OK! We are going to do art with our laser.” And I sort of said to

16 | DESIGNANGUILLA

him, “Earrings would be cool,” and he thought it was a great idea. It was a way to bring something new to Alloyds.

Describe the designs?

V: The designs…are bold. I don’t want to sound too cliché, so I want to use some other adjectives…ok, so bold, fresh, unique. That was cliché, wasn’t it?

Where does the inspiration come from?

D: It comes from all over. I sometimes find that I’m looking at women’s earrings when we are out, and then I think, “Ok, Daryl, you’re a guy, why are you noticing these things?” We mostly look around online or in magazines.

Sometimes Vanessa sees something she likes and sketches it, and I make it into something the laser can read.

What materials are used?

D: We use natural materials like wood or leather, and we also experiment with different types of acrylic.

Why only earrings? It seems so versatile.

V: I’m big on earrings. Sometimes I may be in a hurry to layer on other accessories, but I always ALWAYS have on my earrings.

Some people have asked us to do

some necklaces, and we did, but I really didn’t mesh with the idea.

After that, we just decided to stick to earrings and really develop the ways in which we could build the brand that way.

How did you two meet?

V: It’s Anguilla, we didn’t meet.

We just always knew each other.

Ok, no, in all honesty, Daryl was always in love with me.

D: [Laughs hysterically] Ahh….no…

V: We met in APPLE Theatre, which was a summer programme run by a Canadian woman. We were always cast to play the lovers in the musicals we did. So we became friends, and Daryl saw how amazing I was.

D: I gave her a chance, since I always thought she had an attitude problem.

V: We were friends for a very, very long time before we ever started dating. Daryl is my best friend. He was my bestest friend, and now he is my husband.

D: It was interesting, because

most of our friends always thought we would end up together. And here we are.

What’s it like being a husbandwife team? Any disagreements?

D: We have disagreements, but it is easy to work them out, since we can always pick up the conversation, because we are always around each other. It works with our work, since we don’t think of it as work. It’s stuff we love to do. We bring that to the table as a husband, and wife and it flows.

V: I think being a husband-andwife team is great. It always gives us stuff to talk about, and we have

loads more in common. It’s really perfect, actually.

Who does what?

V: I do everything.

D: Right…

V: Ok, Ok. Well, for Fashion Cuts, we approach the idea generation together. Sometimes I will come to Daryl with an idea, and he makes it actually doable. A lot of the times, he is behind the scenes marketing the brand while I’m doing the designing. Although with the new line, which we just launched, he did a lot of the design work on his own, since I was busy with the baby.

Who’s the boss?

V: Me. D: I let her think that.

V: I let him think that he thinks that.

With so much going on, how do you make time for family?

V: There is always time for family.

D: Definitely. It’s our number-one priority.

How do you spend a perfect day when you’re not busy?

V: Hmmm… probably at Blanchards Beach Shack. We love going to the beach, and we love their food, so it’s the perfect solution. Definitely the beach, for sure. If not, then we hang out at home with the kids and play in the yard.

How is Fashion Cuts distinctly Anguillian?

D: It’s important to us for Fashion Cuts to be able to compete globally but still represent Anguilla. It’s distinctly Anguillian because it’s designed and made

by Anguillians, here in Anguilla.

What’s next?

V: Everything. We are always looking for a new project. I’m toying with the idea of writing a book. Daryl is going to start making more time for painting.

Who knows? We will see.

Lloyd's Bed & Breakfast is located on Crocus Hill, three minutes walk to Crocus Bay. Lloyd's is elegant with a repetition of architectural detail patterns, creative airflow and strong relationship between indoor/ outdoor spaces. The subtle hand craftsmanship seen thoughout the property is engaging.

Clear, cozy, crisp, classic - this is what you will find. "A modern take on the 1950's".

It is always our pleasure to serve you at Lloyd's.

Photo: Derrys Richardson

profile

It’s easy to say that Omari Banks is simply following in the footsteps of his father, Anguilla’s reggae star Bankie Banx, but this would only tell part of his story. Growing up in a family of musicians and music lovers gave a hint at his future, but cricket beckoned, and he obliged. Sport gave the former West Indies cricketer an opportunity at an altogether new challenge; one that he feels has allowed him to now approach music with a fresh perspective.

Omari took a few minutes off of putting the final touches on his debut album, “Move On”, to talk about the early influence of his dad, his unique sound and a musician he’d love to perform with.

PHOTOS: Derrys Richardson & Orrett Wynter

You come from a musical house/ background. What was that like?

We did. Tahirah, my sister, is an artist. She sings, writes and produces her stuff. My brother, Cuji, lives in New York. He’s into hip-hop and rap. I had a guitar before I could even play one.

I had a drum set, keyboards, and bass. My brother Olaide, my manager, is a lawyer and accountant. He also plays the guitar. He did piano lessons growing up. I never did piano lessons [laughs].

My aunt Linda taught me some of my first chords on the guitar.

Another aunt, Gloria, was involved in singing around Anguilla with different cultural groups. Both sides of my family, more so my dad’s side, are lovers of music and are/were involved in music.

You’re like the Anguillian Marleys, aren’t you?

[He laughs] My biggest influence as a kid would have been my father. I saw a lot of bands come in and out of the house. My bedroom was just above the band house, so I would hear them practice. Later on, my father would tour the world. I visited him a few times while he was on

tour. He eventually moved back to Anguilla and started Moonsplash.

Back then, it was small and not something that had a lot of financing, so bands from overseas would come here and many of them stayed right there in our house. I was about 7 or 8 at the time. I was blessed and lucky to see and get introduced to a lot of musicians.

My earliest memory of singing was when I was 5. My dad was playing in Italy and I remember on one show, I jumped on the stage, took the mic and began to sing. I competed in local talent shows and, I’m proud to say, each time I competed, I won the best male performer. I guess that’s part of my claim to fame. Music was always a part of me.

How did cricket get in the mix?

My cousins and I grew up playing sports…a lot of baseball, actually.

I never played cricket, but I was good at baseball. When I was in high school, a friend suggested I go to cricket practice, so I tried it. I already had the hand-eye coordination from baseball, so I could swing and hit the ball well.

So cricket grew into a passion and then an obsession.

I loved singing and performing and I was very competitive. I always wanted to win and do well in these talent shows. I felt there was some weight of expectation as well, with my dad being a musician. Cricket became an escape. I started to like cricket more than competing in the shows. I still loved music, and I still performed in the school choir, but I didn’t consider pursuing music as a career. I remember thinking I wanted to play cricket for the rest of my life, or as long as I could do it. Cricket became a way to create my own path, to be able to do something that was completely different from my dad.

How has the transition back to music been?

It’s been great. The decision wasn’t hard at all. I got to the point where I felt I needed a change, and wasn’t mentally or emotionally into playing cricket any more. Growing up, my two passions were sports and music.

Although I played professionally, I always played music. My first job after high school was playing gigs with my guitar at the local hotels. I used to perform

at Sonesta, Malliouhana and Frangipani. It was really just a way of making money while working on becoming a professional cricketer.

Did you play while you were with the West Indies?

I would always travel with my guitar. I remember one time we were on tour in Pakistan; I brought my guitar down and played in the hotel lobby. I wouldn’t play gigs, but I always played my guitar at home during that time.

At what point did you decide to make music the new career?

When I decided that I didn’t want to play cricket any more, I asked myself “What’s next?“ I knew there was a demand for entertainment. I decided to do gigs around the hotels again, like I used to. I got some guys together, and we did a few gigs. It was OK, but it didn’t work out. I took the time to start writing songs and develop my material. The first song I wrote was “Unafraid.”

I then started playing gigs again, and the response was good. I got a backup vocalist, Daniella. Then I got a bass player, Troy Bartlett, 8 who’s still with me.

www.designanguilla.com

INTERVIEW BY: Orrett Wynter

issue04 | 19

My dad would come to watch us perform and play every now and again, and suggested we get a drummer. So I was on guitar, we had a drummer and a bass player and it was starting to sound good.

So I thought “maybe we should get a keyboard player.”

11 Band is now comprised of me (guitar/vocals), Desroy Findlay (drums), Garson Kelsick (keyboard) and Troy Bartley (bass).

We also have another guitarist, Michael Wilson, from St. Maarten, that plays with us from time to time.

How did the name “Eleven” come about?

It’s a cricket influence. It is how people in the wider world would have first been introduced to me. Eleven was also my jersey number, it’s also a term used to refer to a cricket team. If I was the captain, they’d refer to the team as “Banks’ Eleven.” Also, I played professionally for 11 years. So the number eleven strikes a chord.

Interesting. “Move On,” the album...what inspired it?

My life, my experiences. It’s the product of who I am today, put together to poetry, and then to music. It’s also about my transition from cricket to music – a shifting of the gears to something different.

Do you plan to go on tour?

Definitely! We have some private events in the US, but we also have an acoustic tour planned for the

20 | DESIGNANGUILLA

region - St. Kitts-Nevis, Grenada, Jamaica.

Is your dad on the album?

We collaborated on one track, a song called “We’ve Seen It All.” It’s one of my favourites to perform because it’s powerful and real. I think a lot of people can relate to the song. In life, there are a lot of characters, and it’s about sifting through and understanding what each relationship is all about.

My dad had a lot of the same challenges and triumphs and experiences and so he can relate to the song.

Bankie is such a big personality.

Do you ever feel that you’re in his shadow?

I’ve never really thought about it.

I don’t think so. My dad is part of the foundation on which I stand.

Standing on the shoulders of giants?

Yes. It’s important that you acknowledge and respect that.

They’re not there to keep you back, but to push you forward.

It doesn’t mean you have to do everything their way or always agree with them. I understand the sacrifices that he’s made, as well as the disappointments and misfortunes that he’s had in his life. These are lessons for me to learn and to help me grow.

Now that I’ve been able to chart my own path in a different field, without my dad, it gives me selfassurance and confidence to do what I’m doing now.

How would you describe your sound?

It’s me. Even my dad talks about it. It was never my aim to sing like any other artiste. I never grew up trying to sing like my dad, for example. I think I’ve created my own sound, and I think it’s important to be able to distinguish me from someone else.

Ever get compared to any particular artiste?

A lot of people have said that I sound like Stevie Wonder [laughs].

I wouldn’t have guessed that!

Some people have mentioned John Legend, even. What people do say is that my voice and the way I sing is very clear, and they can understand what I’m saying.

That is even more important for me than sounding like someone else, because uniqueness is your currency.

Any other genre of music interests you?

I’m interested in all genres! I don’t label myself as a reggae singer. My earliest influences were soulful. I grew up singing Billy Ocean, Michael Bolton, Vanessa Williams, a lot of love songs when I was growing up. I don’t write a song and earmark it to be a Reggae song. I usually start writing with the acoustic guitar. After it’s written, the vibe of the song, how I feel about it, will determine what it’s becomes.

Would you label Omari as a particular genre of artist?

Never! My music is about speaking truth based on my experiences. I make music just to try to touch lives and have an impact on people and to create emotion. The upcoming album will be mostly Lovers Rock, with a Reggae feel. There’s also a ballad I wrote for my daughter, a funky R&B track, and a few others that are a mixture of different styles.

Best musical experience so far?

That would be the chance to

Photo: Orrett Wynter

www.designanguilla.com

Photo: Orrett Wynter

profile

work in the studio with musicians who’ve been tried and tested.

I’ve been able to work with people like Sly Dunbar (half of the musician/producer duo Sly & Robbie); Junior Jazz (Inner Circle’s former lead singer), who is like an uncle to me.

What would be your ultimate musical experience/fantasy?

One of the guys that I like as an artist is John Mayer.

Coincidentally, he was at Moon Splash a few years ago. I think he’s a great songwriter. I like his vibe – he plays guitar, he sings. He’d be someone I’d love to collaborate with and even perform with on stage.

Do you see yourself approaching music in the same way?

Definitely! He’s a musician first and I like that. He has an understanding of the whole process. I was involved in producing and arranging on my new album. Music is about expression and the best way for me to accomplish that, rather than doing something that is just commercial, is for me to be hands-on.

What’s next?

The album launches in June, which I know people will love.

Aside from that, it’s just about moving forward. That’s what this entire movement is about… moving on.

this page Omari & his Eleven Band performing at DaVida Restaurant on a sunday afternoon.

NAGICO INSURANCE ACCEPTED

Pharmaceutical Chemist Emergency-24 hours Fills Prescriptions Supplies Pharmaceuticals Cosmetics Baby Products etc.

Water Swamp Mon-Sat 9:00 am to 7:00 pm Sun 2:00-4:00 pm Tel: 264-497-2366

B ERNSVILLE Pent House Open a New Luxury Experience

Lower South Hill Mon-Sat 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Tel: 264-498-2366 Email: paramountpharmacy@hotmail.com

PARAMOUNT PHARMACY Serving You for Over 25 Years

T:264-497-3067 or 235-7167 . F: 264-497-3866 Web: www.bernsville.net

Dry Clean Plus We Specialize in…

Bridal Wear Business Wear Dinner Wear Household Laundry Commercial Laundry Spo Sports Wear Sweaters/Coats Leather Outtts Suede Sherling Fabric Fur T-Shirts Mending & Repairs (coming soon) #43 Caribbean Commercial Center The Valley, Anguilla Mon-Sat 7:30am to 7:00pm Phone: 264-498-4124 E-mail: info@skylinedryclean.com

USA Standard Certiied Facility

In Dry Cleaning ‘GREEN’ is the new ‘CLEAN’ We use Environmentally Friendly Products

22 | DESIGNANGUILLA

Photo: Orrett Wynter

www.designanguilla.com

profile

C h a rl a

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT INTERVIEW BY: Orrett Wynter

MODEL PHOTOS: Keiroy Browne

Charla Hobson and her House of Panache brand have been ushering in an exciting new era of Anguillian fashion. Her designs evoke style and elegance and have graced runways locally, and further afield. The mother of two splits her time between teaching her first love, Visual Arts, in local primary schools and her young family, but still finds time to design fab clothing.

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) graduate talks to us about her plans for her fashion line, her personal style and the importance of her family.

First thing you designed?

When I was younger, I remade my clothes into what I wanted them to look like. I don’t really like to sew [laughs], but I love shopping.

If I have a look in mind and no clothes to match, I'll make it. My mom and I were at odds sometimes because I made my school skirts shorter. My parents signed me up for a sewing class and, at the time, I opposed because I thought sewing was for old ladies.

How old were you?

I was 12. I ended up liking it and was the top student. I think that’s what started it.

What inspires your collections?

I love fabrics. Sometimes I start from there,

and then develop a theme and run with. It can be different things: an experience, lines I see somewhere, or world trends. For the current Spring collection, I did a lot of researching and finally thought about my close friends, hence the name, “Birds of a feather.” We have some similarities, but each also has a distinct personality.

Describe your process.

It’s changed over the years. Before, it was very random. Now, with formal training, it’s about finding inspiration. I might jot down some words, and look at fabrics. I then begin thinking about silhouettes and begin sketching and whichever silhouette best reflects my 8

her work at Caribbean Fashion Week in Jamaica some years ago before I went to university, and it was interesting to see a Caribbean designer that didn’t have a lot of colours or busy designs.

At SCAD, I realized that design is a process, not just the final product.

Being able to look at things outside of design and integrate that is important.

Thoughts on the budding local fashion scene?

When I started, there was only one other local fashion designer.

I think some people had the desire, but thought it wasn’t possible in the Anguillian context.

After my first show, I would get approached by people saying they wanted to be designers.

Now we have people like Janay (Feeloje) and Alexis (TheoChris) who are fairly accomplished and see more people getting involved.

What’s next?

Positioning my brand in stores.

There are many directions I want to take. It’s hard to figure out which one to focus on. Since 2005, I’ve done shows and that allowed me to put myself out there. I think now is a crucial moment for my brand. Long term, though, I want to have a brick and mortar boutique.

Where would it be?

Preferably in the West End,

Photo: Keiroy Browne

theme, I produce.

What’s your personal style?

Minimalist, but I try to have that element of surprise.

I think it’s important to come out of character.

It keeps things fresh. I try to maintain a clean, sophisticated, chic look.

Sometimes I decide to go a bit more junior and sporty.

Ever just throw something on?

I’m a wife and mom, so that happens sometimes! I’m not good at planning outfits; I just pick out something whenever I’m ready to go. Once, I tried ironing a week’s worth of outfits and ended up wearing other things.

How much of your wardrobe is your design?

Maybe 40%. There might be looks I can’t find elsewhere, so I create them.

Does your style bleed into your work?

Heavily! This might not always be good when designing for a market. I’ve evolved, and my brand has evolved from being trendy to being more mature and functional.

Does Anguilla inspire you?

Yes, but it would be very limiting to always be that way. My influence is more from the wider Caribbean – lighter fabrics, with a hint of colour and a sense of freedom.

International designers you like?

Yves Saint Laurent, Michael Kors and Tracy Reese - because I’m into a clean-cut, ready-to-wear look. I also like Rachel Roy, Mimi Plange & Korto Momolu, who was on Project Runway. I really like Meiling Esau from Trinidad. She was one of the first Caribbean designers I followed. I first saw

Photo: Keiroy Browne

Photo: Keiroy Browne

profile

but I have access to a location elsewhere. The physical building has to represent my brand’s style and I have a vision of what that is.

Why only women & children?

I design for men sometimes. Your life often influences your work, and before I had kids I never cared about doing kids’ stuff, but I’m heavily into that now. My daughter is only 1 year old, but if she had to go somewhere special, I’d make something for her. She’s my little muse.

Anything else?

I love being an artist, but in many ways it’s second to my children, family and other areas of my life.

Sometimes I think it may not be good for my design work, since I focus most of my energy on that.

Maybe that’s why many artists are loners?

For me, family is important. I get a lot of support from my husband, parents and friends. When you get older, regardless of what you’ve achieved professionally, you still wonder what else you’ve done in life. I was pregnant when I started SCAD. I became a bit of an outcast. I was supposed to be training to become an artist and this child now got in my way. I felt pitied and wanted to be happy as a designer – to have my brand, my store; and people wearing my clothes, but it has to include my children and family. I think I’m getting that balance now.

PHOENIX GALLERY THE FRAME SHOPPE UPPER SOUTH HILL

tanyaclark99@gmail.com

Photo: Keiroy Browne

FINE ART

264-235-7036

FINE FRAMING

materialworld

www.designanguilla.com

romancing the stone If you’ve been around Anguilla long enough, you’re sure to hear the old joke, “The only thing that grows on Anguilla is stone.” It’s as much a reference to Anguilla’s scant agricultural history as it is to fact that the island is simply chock-full of rock…it’s everywhere. Locally quarried stone and centuries-old local stonemasonry shaped the built heritage of the island. Traditionally, stone is cut, shaped by hand and laid to create foundations, retaining walls and cellars.

Though the rough-hewn stone walls are beautiful in their own way, Cleophas Gumbs saw the need to create alternate uses for the material and opened his company, Anguilla Native Stone, to do just that. By developing a method of cutting and finishing the material, he has created a wide range of possibilities.

“We do tiles for floors, bathrooms, interior walls, exterior walls, bars and other countertops.”

The process starts at their quarry in Shoal Bay. There, massive 8-foot long slabs are cut and transported back to the plant in Stoney Ground, where they are cut to smaller, pre-determined sizes and thicknesses.

These pieces are then shaped, polished and sealed.

A variety of limestone, the local material lacks the hardness of more

26 | DESIGNANGUILLA

The quintessential local material has been used for centuries and can be found in many of the older homes around the island.

Now that the stone can be shaped and finished to create a highend material, it has gained renewed interest and popularity. popular stones such as granite and marble (Gumbs doesn’t recommend it as a first choice for kitchen counters, for example), but its natural beauty and versatility make it an alternative worth considering. It helps that it is locally available and costs a bit less.

In recent years, its popularity has resurged, partly due to the recent building boom but also due to the newly expanded range of possibilities.

One particularly interesting use has been for commercial signage.

“People love the idea of using the big slabs to engrave their company logos. My own sign is made from the stone as well.” Gumbs said. We can see the appeal because, after all, who wouldn’t like to see his name forever etched in stone?

The material has also garnered overseas interest, as Gumbs explains.

“The general view is that it is very impressive. I ship products mainly to Tortola and to St. Martin. I have even done a few jobs in the States. I get the requirements and have the material shipped to them.”

From loose-packed retaining walls to polished countertops, it is this versatility that makes Anguilla’s oldest building material one for the future. The following are a few examples of innovative and interesting use of locally sourced stone.

CĂŠ BLUE VILLAS ANGUILLA The recently completed Clubhouse building at the luxury CĂŠ Blue Villas, designed by local architecture firm, Morlens Architecture Services, is a stunning showcase of the versatility of the local material.

Rich texture and a rustic feel is added to the very modern design.

The stone used varies in finish from the very glossy, polished countertop of the bar, to the hand-cut stonework that serves as an accent wall at the entrance.

www.designanguilla.com

The most striking, and innovative, element though, is the reception desk made entirely of stone.

Comprised of a polished top slab, supported by four massive slabs with one side left raw and unfinished. A truly one-of-a-kind piece that is as much functional furniture, as it is artful scupture.

issue04 | 27

anguillamade Essay

does creativity matter?

Exploring the significance of things Made in Anguilla.

By Maris Edwards

Boating The National sport, Anguilla has a sailing history that dates back hundreds of years.

Stories of Anguillian sailboats, boat-builders and the modern racing boats and their crew is the stuff of legend. Model boats such as this one miniature versions of the full-sized Anguilla racing boat races.

Anguilla boat racing and the vessels that compete are both unique to Anguilla and are inspired by the schooners that used to transport men to and from the island in search of work around the region.

In more recent times, inspired by the rich boatbuilding history of the island, David Carty and his Rebel Marine crew have set about creating a new modern boat-building operation churning out top-of-the-line ferries, sports fishers and other pleasure boats.

www.designanguilla.com

Does creativity matter?

Creativity drives the world’s industries: entertainment, marketing, design, technology, tourism. In all these areas, we crave freshness and difference.

Creativity, as defined by one of my colleagues, is “synthesising what you have at your disposal to create something of greater value.” I like that. This value may be calculated along a spectrum of different kinds: economic, aesthetic, emotional, cultural, aspirational.

Creativity matters because it is part of progress. It makes life easier, more interesting and more beautiful. Creativity adds variety and widens possibilities, fueling change. Creativity erases the problem with an answer.

But what about creativity in Anguilla? Does it matter? Does it even exist? Admittedly, creative expression is not collated, branded and commercialized in Anguilla as in other places, and this cultural difference makes it seem that little is created at all. Carnival, the grandest attempt to exhibit creativity in Anguilla, is reserved for once a year, and music, song, poetry, drama, dance and fashion parade for about two weeks.

After Carnival, the scaffolding that brought all the energy together is

28 | DESIGNANGUILLA

dismantled, and we settle into the routine of our lives until the following year. Sometime during the year, we enjoy the occasional art exhibition and fashion exhibition, which are personal undertakings. We have the once-in-a-long-time book launch.

Probably because of its ready market and lower costs, the music industry fares much better than other modes of expression. Increasingly, music videos pop up on Youtube, consumed by Anguillians as well as the world at large. Music by nature draws tourism and can move easily across the internet; as a result, Anguillian musicians get more exposure, and they are proliferating and experimenting with new techniques and genres more freely than ever.

Some may advance the idea that certain products and services cannot be made in Anguilla because the market is limited. One friend of mine emphatically declared, “Some ideas are just not viable in this market.” To prove his point, my friend pointed out the failure of the last attempt to create public transportation. We have seen many enterprising ideas fail in Anguilla. Is it simply because some ideas just won’t work 8 (because they happen to be executed in Anguilla)? This perception

Hospital Grade Oxygen Transmission Repair Vehicle Servicing Brake Repair Welding Vehicle A/C Repair Vehicle Diagnostics Engine Repair and Rebuild Suspension Repair Wheel Alignment/Balancing Tyre Rotation Auto Parts & Fluids Available Auto Parts Sourcing

P. O. Box 681, Rock Farm, Anguilla Tel: 264-297-7152 or 264- 235-7152 Email: raymelake@yahoo.com Web: www.beautomotive.com

anguillamade

FASHION Still in its infancy, Anguilla’s fashion scene has registered a few successes: Janay Reymond’s Feelo’je and Alexis and Marilyn Ryan’s TheoChris Designs are a few that have garnered attention locally, as well as in the wider region. The truism that “success breeds success” certainly applies and new ventures keep popping up all the time.

www.designanguilla.com

Creative Clothing is one of these. With its flagship brand I Represent Anguilla - 100 % and Proud, the brand targets a young, and young-at-heart, demographic market with its affordable designs. The popularity of the brand stems from its ability to allow people to exhibit national pride in a hip, fashion-forward way.

30 | DESIGNANGUILLA

contributes to many Anguillians’ unwillingness to break the mould and make big moves in Anguillian and international markets.

My well-meaning friend is under-informed.

Creativity conforms to the size of the market, but creative people find markets to accommodate their ideas. In fact, the essence of creativity is in finding the right market: finding the place where an idea is relevant, where the audience hungers for its novelty. Anguilla, a land that stubbornly insists on monotony and scarcity, is a perfect playground for creative people. Creative people in Anguilla find creative ways to accommodate their ideas.

In fact, surviving on Anguilla – making it and succeeding here – is an ideal exercise for the creative spirit. Creativity surpasses boundaries, thriving where no one would expect. That is what it means to be made in Anguilla.

Today’s Lake’s World, though it seems standard business at this time, was once a creative entrepreneurial endeavour. The 1940s was a time of scarcity. The world was reeling from World War II. The market was small: Anguilla consisted of a barely-made-it-through population of four to five thousand. Money was scarce. Work was limited. Needs were basic.

And The Valley was a long way from home for those without transportation. It would seem that a corner store was the best, most viable option for Anguilla in the 1940s. Yet Albert Lake wanted to make the shopping experience central and expand beyond the corner store.

With no cold storage and with fresh meat on hand to be sold, Mr. Lake carried his meat to his market by bicycle. Today, Lake’s World is not going anywhere because someone found a way to be relevant to his market. And better still, it grew with the market, responding and expanding to its needs.

Had Anguillians not been a creative people, the ferry service between Anguilla and St. Martin would have been owned by someone from St. Martin. The Heritage Museum, another creative undertaking that synthesizes what we have had, who we are, and where we came from and how we are journeying forward, wouldn’t exist. While the Anguillian market can hardly be described as one of museum-goers, Colville Petty saw a need for Anguillians to value their history, and the message caught on.

Still, the label ‘Made in Anguilla’ is hard to interpret. Must the product be literally made in Anguilla, or can it be about Anguilla? Can Anguilla simply inspire the work of art? Does the artist have to be born in Anguilla? Does the artist have to live in Anguilla? Does the label 8

green club

join the

Installation will be done by professional installers

Anguilla Green Energy is new company with its roots in Anguilla. Our goal is to deliver affordable green energy products to our customers.

We specialize in solar panels, solar pool pumps, new style solar water heaters and many more green and energy-saving items to help you keep more of your money each month.

Let ANGUILLA GREEN ENERGY help you THINK GREEN!

Wallblake, George Hill The Valley, Anguilla (264) 476-2188 (264) 584-2993 (264) 235-1430 axarenewableenergy@gmail.com

www.designanguilla.com

anguillamade

‘Made in Anguilla’ create a certain expectation for the brand?

Because Anguilla does not harbour manufacturing or industrial production, its product offerings take on a semblance of the exotic: the air of rarefied, creative difference is further entrenched by tourism marketing. Also, because of the smallness of the market, its buying patterns, and the unavailability of most raw resources, being made in Anguilla is indeed a feat. As a result, new products in Anguilla often encounter predators and lookalikes, and true creative progress reaches a stalemate. The same environment that inspires creativity can stifle it.

There is a call for a creative consciousness and creative vibrancy to enable more to be made in Anguilla. We cannot assume that it will just happen. We have to deliberately decide it: we have to think creatively and live creatively.

Legislate it, even. Creative expression is still placed in a box labelled ‘personal and hopeful’: mainly separated from the social, political and economic issues that affect the way we live now, and hopefully waiting for some foreigner to recognize what we have as legitimate and valuable. Author and Poet Yasus Afari, guest at our recent Literary Festival, noted, “All creative expressions must address social and political conditions.”

For all the beauty of Anguilla’s exotic products, why is it that our creators do not follow his advice? Perhaps those who do create do not speak loudly and insistently enough about social and political issues. Perhaps our creations are too caught up with mimicking others beyond our shores or reliving a longdeparted past. Stories of raising goats and bringing water and jollification have little in common with angry young men sitting under a tree. Or do they?

Economic sufficiency is a breeding ground for creative strangulation. Invention does not thrive well outside the embrace of necessity.

Nowadays, this island of scrub and large, bare patches of earth coexisting with an expanse of sparkling, turquoise water and pearly white beaches, speaks bilingually of agricultural challenge and touristic laze – economic dependence and unhurried ease.

A closer look, however, does reveal some refreshing water-holes of creative expression on seemingly dry, rocky terrain. These refreshing water holes may be sitting under a tree in the form of a fisherman preparing a fishpot for the day’s catch; weaving a fish net and then a hammock while the twine is out. Unseen

32 | DESIGNANGUILLA

and unaware, people design, stitch, weave, construct everyday objects to meet everyday needs. No pressing economic agenda is at play.

It was a delight to stumble upon Kelly Harrigan’s soda-can airplanes. Sitting on a polished, stone counter in one lawyer’s office, Kelly’s miniature airliner assumed a huge air of importance. It was fascinating because it was beautiful; it was an unexpected accessory in a legal firm. The idea was quirky but ecoconscious, and it was inexpensive to produce.

And so I pursued Kelly to make me some can planes, at least one. Perhaps I could hang them from nylon and create a skyscape of airplanes in a little boy’s bedroom (a boy whom I know all too well). Creativity inspires. Kelly said that his hobby started with a statement. Someone told him that a soda-can could be used to make things. He became curious and started experimenting. Now, he is making planes: Febreze planes, Sprite planes, Fanta planes, or a flavourful mix of metallic wings. Kelly’s creations are born out of a desire to create because he wants to create. No economic necessity. No market to appeal to. No spotlight.

No competition. The freedom feels great.

Nowadays, ‘necessity’ has become a buzzword, along with ‘recession’, ‘no money’, ‘competition’ and ‘agriculture.’ Perhaps this could spawn a new approach to the box in which we have packaged our lives. Invention remains a loyal son to his mom, necessity.

Creativity, however, interfaces with skills, need, competition, the market, end-users, and the applications others may see for it. The annual Literary Festival, for example, provides a platform for an exchange of ideas that is inspiring and empowering. We get to interact with artists and editors and we weave dreams and spin ideas on looms of possibility. We go home and begin synthesizing.

There are challenges to making products on this island. Therein lies the beauty of the finished product: it has been tried in the crucibles of scarcity, high importation taxes, and a prejudiced market. After all these, the product has no excuse but to be of superlative quality and specialness. A national consciousness can shape this spirit; it can nurture it or diminish it.

Similarly, the creative spirit can help to create a national consciousness and a clearer national identity. Celebrating the wealth of our minds and finding ways to continually mine this wealth could well become a meaningful part of our cultural, political and economic agenda. The entire world’s a stage; let’s re-make the stage in 8 Anguilla!

music Popular music today runs the gamut from Reggae, to Hip-hop, Rock and Soca; and finds its roots in other lands. But, like so many other things, Anguilla has its own take on different forms of expression. If we’re looking for true “Made in Anguilla” music, then sounds of an Anguilla string band would be that.

The Anguillian form of String Band music employs, among other things, a bath-pan (washtub) bass, a banjo (or sometimes a banjolele – a cross between a banjo and ukulele), and a grating, percussive instrument which, in their case, would be a metal güiro/geero (looks a bit like a grater/shredder). All these instruments would have been homemade, and are the items that make the local string band music unique among all the other types of folk music around the world. In the past, Anguilla Carnival would to be predominantly made up of string bands marching in the parades.

The brainchild of Ash Hodge, the Anguilla Time string band was set up because of a need to preserve this very important part of the culture. Hodge likens string band music being to Anguillians, what reggae would be to Jamaicans. The name Anguilla Time comes from the idea that more attention should be given to Anguilla’s culture and its elements; to things indigenous; things Anguillian. It is also a play on local time-keeping norms.

Anguilla Time has been carrying the torch of Anguillian folk music, performing at local festivals and special functions throughout the island.

Hodge, though, wants to see the form of music incorporated in the schools as part of the existing musical curriculum, as well as recognition of Anguilla folk music as the country’s national music.

If you believe that natural is best, you’ll love ‘In spire Naturally’: a new in-store lifestyle boutique at In spire Decor & Design.

Our products are 100% natural; petroleum-free, chemical-free and vegan. * Bath Salts & Scrubs * Liquid Soaps * Body Butters * Hair & Skin Care Oils *Henna * Oral Hygiene Products * Himalayan Pink Salt * Wild ower Honey and more We are committed to supporting natural beauty, healing and happiness.

In spire Naturally @ In spire Decor & Design, North Hill Ph #: 497.7623 Store Hours: 9 am - 5:00 pm (closed for lunch from 1:00 - 2:00 pm)

ASK ME ABOUT

ANGUILLA

Our culture tour is 3 hours at $45 per person Our Night tour services start at 8pm and ends 1/2 hour after the last bar closes in sandy ground. Round trips cost $15 per person, We service all the hotels in West End Cell: 1-264-772-9827

Scan qr code with your smart phone or tablet for more information

www.anguillaaccess.com for more information and bookings.

anguillamade

A quick glimpse of some of just a few of the other things Made in Anguilla

furniture Well before Anguillians had ever even heard of, let alone could afford now –popular brands such as IKEA, Crate & Barrel and Room & Board, there was Arthur Richardson. The island’s first furniture builder and furniture store, Richardson’s Furniture has been in business for over half a century, supplying Anguilla and, in the past, St. Maarten, with wooden furniture.

Richardson’s pieces reflect a very traditional Caribbean aesthetic with intricately carved details, a high-gloss finish and the use of solid woods such as pine, mahogany and oak. He’s also been instrumental in training many of the early furniture builders on the island.

Arthur now considers himself retired, though he’s still in his workshop every day and the company continues to produce quality furniture.

film Though not quite Hollywood (the recent trysts with reality TV notwithstanding), the island is no stranger to the big screen. One particularly notable example has been Nuttin' Bafflin'.

Adapted from his book of the same name, David Carty's award-winning documentary tells the story of Anguilla’s love affair with the sea and how this spawned the national sport, a unique form of boat racing that is not practiced anywhere else.

An accomplished boat builder in his own right, David Carty is a story-teller of some acclaim and effortlessly translates his love for boats and boatbuilding into a gripping story of how a small, abandoned colony's struggle for survival laid the foundation for a nation's identity.

photography The island's pristine waters and white sandy beaches serve up a much soughtafter backdrop for many events, with destination weddings being chief among them.

The question of whether photography is art, even considering the new digital age we've entered is one that's rarely asked anymore. Being able to not just record moments, but to truly evoke emotions is quite possibly what sets photography-as-art apart from simply taking snapshots.

In the Anguillian context, few photographers take that more seriously than Derrys Richardson. The self-taught Anguillian wedding photographer describes his work as story-telling: capturing the emotions and expressions that accompany those memorable moments.

www.designanguilla.com

LITERATURE

34 | DESIGNANGUILLA

Anguilla has taken turns providing inspiration, as well as subject matter and a backdrop for a number of writers and playwrights. If the annual literature festival, recently celebrating its second year, taught us anything, it was that there is a rich history of the written, and spoken word and that local creative output is not in short supply.

From Colville Petty’s “Bless our Forebears” to the more contemporary works of Jo-Anne Mason and her series of children’s books, and even to the other numerous unpublished writers and poets that populate these shores, we can be certain that Anguilla’s literature legacy will remain strong for years to come.

Building products One of only a few manufacturing companies on the island, the relatively young company of Anguilla Aluminium has been supplying building products to the local construction industry for the past 6 years.

The sort of light manufacturing of the kind suited to the island, the company imports aluminium materials which are then used to fabricate windows, doors, railings, hurricane shutters and other items.

sculpture Barbados-born Courtney Devonish recalls his first vivid memory of Anguilla as being around the time of the Revolution (‘The Mouse that Roared’) while he was living in England. Trained in the UK and Italy, he has cultivated an international reputation for his craft. He moved to the island and opened his Devonish Gallery, one of the first on Anguilla.

His works since then have been heavily influenced by his adopted home of the past 25 years. Equally skilled in wood, as he is in clay, many of his scultures are stylized impressions of Anguilla birds, shells, and other forms. One of his most notable pieces sits in the lobby of the offices of the Social Security Board in The Valley. Taking him 3 years to complete, it was carved from one of the last bits of “The Mahogany Tree” that stood in The Valley for many years, and titled “A Nation Strong” as a tribute to Anguilla and its people.

bath & spa products A trip to Anguilla over a 15 years ago inspired Carroll Shannon to start Caribbean Soaps & Sundries. She hand makes soaps, candles, bath salts and lotions in small batches at her home in Little Harbour. The products have been a big hit among locals as well as tourists.

cRAFTS & SOUVENIRS In an age where even country-specific souveniritems are made in China, it's refreshing and heartening that many of the iconic Anguilla keepsakes are still made here.

Island Art Gallery’s husband-and-wife team of Melsadies and Lucian Fleming have been at it for 20+ years producing paintings and ceramic figurines that capture the essence of Anguillian life.

Ceramic figurines of the national mascot, the goat, is particularly popular and offers an authentic reminder, rather than one full of kitsch, of a beautiful place visited.

www.designanguilla.com

Great as souvenirs, or for more functional usage, the items have very relaxing, very Caribbean scents, and are made of natural materials sourced almost entirely around the Caribbean region.

issue04 | 35

anguillamade

ani art academy Classical training for a new generation of Anguilla artists

Wow! That was my first impression when I walked into the studio at Ani Art Academy Anguilla (there are two others – the first is in Pennsylvania, and latest opened a few months ago in the Dominican Republic) during its first open house in March. I had been there before, just months after the school opened. The first batch of students had just begun their training, and their work was only just developing. At the open house, however, the progress was worthy of open-mouthed amazement and offered striking insight into the Academy’s

Apprentice Romaro Richardson at work.

36 | DESIGNANGUILLA

Photo: Tim Jahn

www.designanguilla.com

future.

The brainchild of Tim Reynolds – Wall Street executive, passionate artist and owner of the nearby luxury property Ani Villas – Anguilla’s Ani Academy joins two other Academies as part of Reynolds’ nonprofit mission to offer a world-class art education to aspiring artists. The school’s curriculum was developed by Anthony Waichulis, a celebrated contemporary Trompe L’Oeil (French for “deceive the eye”) painter. His curriculum’s rigorous technical focus sets Ani Academy in a class of its own.

Many insititutions place a disproportionate emphasis on individual creativity. The Ani Academy operates differently: the curriculum is rooted in technical mastery and espouses a method of training that dates back to the early European Renaissance classicists. The students, who are referred to as “apprentices”, learn through direct instruction and specific examples from a master artist in an atelier (private studio).

Apprentices begin with the most 8

Join the Conversation

BENJAMINE GROUP OF COMPANIES

THREE COMPANIES EQUALLY DEDICATED TO SERVICE Caribbean Juris Chambers

Benjamine Company Services Ltd

Cube Credit Services Ltd

Legal (Full Range Services)

Company Formation (Offshore & Local )

Debt Collections, Auctions, Real Estate

Check us out at:

www.facebook.com/designanguilla www.twitter.com/designanguilla

Hannah Waver House, The Valley, Anguilla tel: (264) 497-3470 fax: (264) 497-3177 caribjur@anguillanet.com www.benjamine.ai www.cubeauctions.com

www.designanguilla.com

anguillamade

basic elements, such as drawing a straight line, and build on those techniques until, eventually, they try their hands at more complex art.

I sat down with instructor Tim Jahn, himself a graduate of the first Ani Art Academy in Pennsylvania. He explained how the Academy’s basic, technical focus allows students to advance easily into sophisticated work.

“Everything fits together like a jigsaw puzzle,” he said. Students must master each skill before moving on to the next. After two months and 40 hours a week of practicing one narrow skill set, students may advance to the next set of exercises. The three year program devotes the first two years to dry media – pencil and charcoal; the final year involves using paint.

“The students hit the painting program really far along in their progression and are able to zip through the exercises. At that point, they already have the anatomy of form down, the neuro-muscular skill – all they’re learning now is how to use paint.” After years of practicing fundamental skills, Jahn finds that Ani-trained artists apply them fluidly to painting, as well as computerized media, including PhotoShop.

Unlike many schools, Jahn explained, “There’s no social promotion” at Ani Academy.

“If you haven’t mastered the skill, you don’t get to move on. Everything [the students] have accomplished, they’ve earned.” This groundup, skill-building philosophy is the center of Waichulis’ curriculum.

In Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell cited the research of psychologist Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, who observed that mastering a skill takes, on average, 10,000 hours of dedicated practice and focus on continuous improvement. Jahn feels the training at The Ani Art Academy pushes apprentices in that direction. “Practice it every day, you keep it sharp. It’s boring, but it works.” he insisted. To illustrate, he compared it to learning a language.

“You start off with an alphabet. Then you learn how to spell words, then make sentences.

Ultimately, you get to stories and poetry.”

The system is not without its critics, but Jahn believes the focus on skills development frees artists’ creativity and expression.

“Yo-Yo Ma,” he continued, “arguably the greatest cellist who ever lived, practices scales – the simplest, fundamental learning tool there is for music – every single day. Once they’ve gone through the curriculum, they’re no longer bound and blocked by what they can’t do, but rather, they are excited by all the possibilities.”

For their part, the students seem excited by the possibilities. I talked to Elizardo Mojica, an

38 | DESIGNANGUILLA

apprentice at the school, who said, “I expect to get skills to become a good artist, and I want to be a great one. Galleries are interested in our work, and it’s motivating.”

I learned that the students are studying art here not only because they want to express themselves; they also feel drawn toward the larger community of Anguilla and the world.

“Anguilla will benefit from having artists of a higher calibre,” another apprentice, Vanicea Parker, said, “and it should attract some tourists. We could also help train some of the younger kids. I also think the community will appreciate art more. That’s what I want.”

Elizardo reflected that although Ani Art Academy is “a foreign program, a number of the apprentices are making it their own. They are capturing Anguillian places and things and doing things from an Anguillian point of view.”

Tim Jahn agrees. He takes pride in his apprentices’ artistic focus. “They’re defining, and evolving, and clarifying what Anguillian art will be as we move into the future. Long term, what I would love to see is, at minimum, 100 super-highly trained Anguillian artists who can paint better than I can.” I raised an eyebrow – after all, Jahn is a master with an astonishing array of artistic skill. “It’s mind-blowing to see some of them reach a level of technical skill in 9 months that took me 15 years,” he said. “If I’m doing this in my late 30s, where will they be at my age? I can’t wait to get to old – to see what happens.” He concluded.

The progress I’ve seen first-hand is inspiring and, with the first batch of students completing in two years’ time, I can’t wait, either.

elizardo mojica, Apprentice End of Time

tim jahn The Secret

Timothy W. Jahn, Instructor

tim jahn Descent of Man

Want one of your own...?

Tequila Sunrise Villa Dropsey Bay, Anguilla

Let us build it together!!!

For over twenty-six years, Leeward Construction Co. Ltd has been dedicated exclusively to the building needs of the construction industry throughout the island. Our commitment to the highest standards of quality is unwavering, and our only concern is complete client satisfaction.

We specialize in residential and commercial properties, industrial projects, high-end villas, swimming pools, concrete walls and wire fencing, driveways and landscaping.

264.497.5613 264.497.5613

Telephone FAX emAil

architecture

leroygumbs@hotmail.com

construction

management

anguillamade pictorial

A

utterly fenestrated Photography & Text: Derrys Richardson Fenestration. It’s a rare word that describes the openings to buildings - windows and doors. Windows and doors allow us to secure

www.designanguilla.com

our prized possessions and enjoy freedom on our terms. They allow us to connect, as the social animals that we are, but retain privacy when we need it – to be selective. Tom, but not Dick or Harry, wind and light but never snow or rain. If we consider a house a man’s (or woman’s) castle, a sanctuary, then fenestration allows us to peek virtually into someone’s soul. Life, laid bare.

40 | DESIGNANGUILLA

When I first embarked on my journey to document old windows and doors, I never anticipated how much fun I would have roaming the island in search of these precious and historic gems. I had long realized that eventually all of the old would be replaced with the new, the context being, of course, old doors and windows being replaced with more modern appeal. The problem with modern appeal is that it lacks the texture of chipped, colourfully faded paint and the grunge associated with compounded dust and weathering.

What I found amazing was that despite the condition of some of the windows and doors, many of them were still firmly affixed to houses that remain occupied. The dwellers have trusted and continue to trust these historic pieces with the same confidence that we put in newer, more sturdy windows and doors.

My task was more than simply documenting these doors and windows (and, in some cases, just frames). I hope it serves as a testament to the quality of Anguillan carpentry and preserve 8 them digitally for generations to come.

made in anguilla

professional aluminium...

Hurricane Protection & roll-uP SHutterS & accordion SHutterS & railingS WindoWS & louverS & StaircaSeS & glaSS & MirrorS & StainleSS Steel Work

A professional team, serving you for 6 years with the best quality products available on the market.

Wallblake, George Hill The Valley, Anguilla Phone: (264) 476-2188 (264) 476-1795 Email: anguillaaluminium@gmail.com

anguillamade

B

C

D A. flaky.

Stripping paint and beautiful texture, located in beautiful Sandy Ground.

b. Closed for business.

Located at an old store/bar in the West End.

c. HOLY ENTRANCE. This is one of the two front doors of the Beautiful Bethel Methodist Church in South Hill.

d. Speaks Volumes.

This story-telling door is located on the beach in Sandy ground and it is still occupied.

e. Free Entrance.

This beauty was off the main road in west end and didn't have any doors or windows attached.

www.designanguilla.com

f. Seeing Double.

This is located in the Forest.

42 | DESIGNANGUILLA

E

F

G

I

J g. family matters.

This house belonged to my Wife's maternal great-grandparents and is located in Rey Hill h. Single and loving it.

Located in George Hill.

i. Generations.

This house belong to my paternal grandparents and housed my dad and his 9 siblings. j. Trifecta!

White washed and located in beautiful Sandy Ground. k. Batten Down!

Located in Rey Hill.

K

www.designanguilla.com

H

issue04 | 43

Time warp

this page As was the prevailing style of many West Indian great houses at the time, the all-wood upper floor, complete with decorative fretwork sit atop the stone lower floor. opposite page Covered patio and breezeway links the original house to the new restaurant building. The old stone oven is in bottom right corner.

The Warden's Place (Koal Keel) stands proud in The Old Valley. She may have 'had work done', but she wears it well.

Painstakingly renovated by an owner dedicated to preserving her good looks, the house is now on the brink of a new life.

www.designanguilla.com

TEXT: Sarah Harrison & Orrett Wynter PHOTOS: Rene Guinto

issue04 | 45

this page The barrel-shaped structure [looks a lot like a cistern] is actually the entrance to the wine cellar [below ground] opposite page, clockwise (from top left) -View of south façade -The lower floor, made of stone is unusually low by today’s standards -Inside the upper floor main room -The main entrance to the house has a double door system with shutters on the outside and a screened louvre window for ventilation.

As drought and famine struck Anguilla, the owners abandoned their fiefdom and their land was parcelled out to a series of owners. The building eventually came into the hands of Gussie Hodge, who leased it to the British Government as a residence for the medical doctor assigned to Anguilla.

During the early years of the twentieth century, a long list of official British representatives resided here. These officials also acted as the Chief of Police and Magistrate, and so the house was dubbed "The Warden's Place".

After the revolution of 1967 official roles changed and the house once again fell vacant. Alan Gumbs acquired the property in 1973 and a twelve month renovation process started in 1984. Alan commissioned Adrian Kobbe to manage the renovation, putting his professional training in architectural conservation to good use. Adrian worked alongside Evans Harrigan who managed the construction

project. Adrian remembers that "the house was in a saveable, but very run-down state.

I wanted to bring it back to life, to give it a soul, to make it a real house again." There was a debate as to whether to rebuild the house as they found it, with later additions, or remove these "improvements" and take it back to how it was originally built. They decided to go back to the original design.

During the renovation, layers of whitewash that suffocated the original stonework were removed. When finally released from its blanket, much of it was found to be damaged and in need of repair. Replacement stone was collected by row-boat from Scrub Island by James Ruan, a master stonemason. Workers also discovered a nineteenth century attempt at a septic tank, abandoned. Fast forward to the twentieth century and a new bathroom was installed in its place. Another discovery was the use of cotton, used to seal the gaps between floorboards, a resourceful

www.designanguilla.com

T

here's a discernible shift in the atmosphere as you drive through the Old Valley. As you drive up the hill, it's almost as if you pass through a portal, time drops down a gear and modern Anguilla is left behind.

Standing on the crest of the hill is The Warden's Place, one of Anguilla's prettiest buildings and one third of 'Anguilla's Big 3' the three landmark residences of Landsome House, The Warden's Place (as it came to be known) and Wallblake House.

It was built around 1780 by slaves from Africa and indentured Irish servants for a French/Dutch family from St Maarten. They were one of several sugar merchants with property on Anguilla and used the house to preside over a plantation of about 200 acres of sugar, tobacco and cotton that extended as far as Crocus Bay. Opposite the house is an old yellow house with a red roof, which used to be part of the original estate and was used as slave quarters.

issue04 | 47

this page The original rock oven has been renovated and is still in operation today, slow cooking slow-

www.designanguilla.com

cooking everything from bread to roast chicken

improvisation for resin.

As always when updating a historic property, there were some tradeoffs.

The beautiful, original wood shingle roof needed repair, but re-shingling would mean losing the original carved interior woodwork. Adrian comments "We reached a compromise to leave what was there on the inside and cover the old shingles with galvanised sheets."

The accommodation laid out on the upper floor, would have consisted of a drawing room, dining room and bedroom.

Indentations in the doorways reveal that jalousie screen shutters once hung here.

The old rock oven on the property was built using a type of lime ash as mortar, made by burning a mix of hardwood and

48 | DESIGNANGUILLA

sea coral for days or weeks. The resultant ash was then mixed with sand and water to produce the mortar. The oven was repaired using the same materials.

In 1989 Koal Keel restaurant was built in what used to be the house's garden, appropriately serving food where provisions would once have been grown. The restaurant took its name from Coal Keel - a West Indian expression for coal kiln. The renovated rock oven took centre stage, slow-cooking everything from bread to roast chicken, just as it had done centuries earlier. Sea grape wood was the favourite oven fuel, its unique flavour captured in the food.

A prestigious wine cellar was completed in 1989, storing 15,000 bottles 17 feet

below ground level. Built of stone taken from Limestone Bay, the cellar's staircase and walls then matched the stone structure of the original house. Koal Keel has now closed. Owner Lisa Gumbs now runs an inflight catering business for aircraft, as well as a wholesale bakery from the house.

What of the future? Lisa says, "We plan to bring the house back to life through its past, researching the lives of its many previous occupants. We have a lot of historical family information and hope the house will become a museum, possibly combined with the slave's quarters across the road, once more uniting the two properties."

Taking the house back to its original form and unearthing its history for the future allowing us all to do a little time travel.

wooden slatted balustrade and wooden shutters on the windows

- all decidedly West Indian design elements.

www.designanguilla.com

this page The front of the house shows off intricate fretwork patterns,

issue04 | 49

this page Original stone steps provide a grand welcome to the entrance of the restored building. opposite page, left Two different style of shutters combine to provide protection to the wooden double-hung windows. opposite page, right Large boulder and plaque marks the house as a part of the Anguilla Heritage Trail: a set of 10 historical sites.

Ageing Gracefully Behind the peaceful facade of Wallblake house lays a story of invasion, ownership squabbles and bloody murder. Now restored after falling into decay, Wallblake is a beautiful reminder of a bygone era.

www.designanguilla.com

TEXT: Sarah Harrison PHOTOS: Orrett H. Wynter ARCHIVE PHOTOS: www.wallblake.ai

issue04 | 51

this page The backyard houses the stone cistern which still holds water.

Inset: backyard before renovation. Corrugated metal sheets here replaced with wood shingles throughout.

www.designanguilla.com

L

ike a society grand dame, Wallblake House presides serenely over the bustle of modern life in The Valley. It has been a fixture on Anguilla's Facebook page for over 200 years and is our oldest surviving plantation house. During the prosperous 'sugar period, plantations occupied The Valley, and merchants' homes lined the road from Crocus Bay to the main Valley settlement. Wallblake was one of the pre-eminent houses on the island, built for the owner of the Wallblake sugar plantation, whose estate ebbed and flowed over the years as parcels of land were sold off or acquired through marriage, purchase or crown grant. At its peak it extended as far as the current airport.

Wallblake's story intrigues; ownership squabbles redolent of the Cap Juluca saga and supernatural happenings in the cellar. The current building, dated to 1787 by a carved brick in the kitchen, is a relatively recent upstart. The original owner of the first estate here is thought to have been a sugar planter, Valentine Blake, possibly one of the original settlers to arrive around 1650. The pronunciation of Val Blake gradually changed with usage and became Wallblake.

Arthur Hodge acquired Wallblake around 1716 and was appointed Governor of Anguilla in 1727.

52 | DESIGNANGUILLA

The current house was possibly built by his son Thomas Hodge, who inherited the estate on his mother's death in 1798/9. What he built remains miraculously intact; the main house, outbuildings and the nearby ruins of the sugar works. The house remained in the Hodge family for at least 150 years. In 1883, the house passed in dubious circumstances to one James Lake and thence to his heirs.

The last owner, Louise Marie Rey Lake, died without heirs in 1976 and bequeathed the house to the Catholic Church.

The construction of the existing Wallblake no doubt took many skilled stone-masons and carpenters. The basement, foundations, cistern and sugar works were all built from local stone, hauled possibly from East End or Scrub Island, and then hand cut using hammer and chisel and laid in courses. The lime that holds the stone together was made from burnt coral and shells mixed with molasses and marl. This was a very expensive project, possibly using shipwrights, as well as gangs of unskilled labour.

The design for a Planter's house took advantage of the tropical climate. One or two stories, residences would be elevated to capture cooling breezes. The cellar space under the house would be used for housing livestock at night, storing commodities or housing the cistern. Design influences came from various cultures:

barrier for the sun and ventilation for inside.

Beaded ceiling trim shows off the skill of the house's carpenters

This brick chimney atop the standalone kitchen is the only one of its kind on Anguilla.

shutters from the French, dormer windows from the Dutch and the 'Union Jack' railings from the English. The sloping hip roof, with its pitch of 32 degrees-plus, is ideal for withstanding hurricane winds, while also providing for water collection.

The compact main house contains a dining room, sitting room and two bedrooms on its upper level. An elevated cellar at ground level housed machinery and sometimes, workers. The kitchen/ bakery, storehouse and stable are positioned around the courtyard.

The stone ruins of the animal round, used to grind the cane, are about 100 metres from the house. A slave village of wattle and daub houses would have been attached to the plantation - its location is still unknown. A slave return registered in 1834 identifies 131 slaves domiciled at the Wallblake estate.

The kitchen building, which is some distance from the main house, contains a remarkable oven that spans the entire 12 foot width of the building. A stepped brick chimney is supported by a beam of lignum vitae, one of the world's hardest and heaviest woods, which once grew on Anguilla. The chimney is the only example of its type on Anguilla. The stone cistern, with an enclosed water collection area, is also unique and still holds water today.

Painstaking labour is evident in the wooden roof and impressive interior woodwork of the main house. Every board in the double panelling of each partition has been beaded. Intricate hand carving decorates the edges of the 'tray' ceiling, so named as they resemble inverted trays suspended from the roof, with carved wooden rope borders tacked onto edges to hide irregularities.

www.designanguilla.com

An enclosed patio with louvers provides a Innovative steel latch for wooden shutters

issue04 | 53

www.designanguilla.com

Nine years after completion in 1796, the French invaded, destroying Anguilla's main settlements. All who could, fled east, and one crippled member of the Hodge family took refuge in Wallblake's cellars. He was discovered, murdered and the house set on fire.

In the early years of the 20th century, Anguilla's tycoon, Carter Rey, rented Wallblake, from where he supervised an impressive cotton and salt empire. He also ran the only general store on the

54 | DESIGNANGUILLA

island, which provided everything from pins to molasses. This was housed in the same building as the cotton ginnery, a building still known today as the Factory, just across the road from Wallblake House.

During Rey's bachelor tenure, it is said that Wallblake was more spartan business headquarters than his home.

After Hurricane Louis in 1995, a three feet hole was gouged in the roof. On the heels of Luis, damp took a damaging hold with the passage of hurricane Marilyn. Extensive

renovations begun in 1998 were completed in 2004. Costs of $235,000 were met by fundraising organised by local residents.

The roof was replaced, some of the floor, 70% of the walls and all the doors, windows and shutters. Local builders copied original designs to the letter. A foundry in the states was commissioned to replicate the iron tie backs for the shutters. By scraping back to the bare wood, it was possible to find what are thought to be the original paint colours, which were then applied in the renovation.

Throughout its life the house and estate has played many roles - a school in 1827 for 132 children, including slaves and a court house in 1874, when archival documents were signed 'Court House, Wallblake'.

The Catholic Church used the house as a temporary place of worship and presbytery.

In 1978 the Department of Tourism moved in, now Anguilla Finance and the Anguilla Community Foundation lease parts of the building. The house is also one of the sites on Anguilla's Heritage Trail.

Lost to fire or decay, few historical houses survive. Modern building styles and techniques erode Anguilla's precious vernacular. Wallblake remains, an icon of ingenuity and craftsmanship. David Carty wrote "it is the duty of all Anguillians to ensure that this beautiful mansion continues to grace the present with memories of the past.� Architecture has been described as music - frozen. We need to preserve the ancient notes distilled into Wallblake's stones.

In our haste to keep up with modern life, we sometimes overlook the original or belittle the past. Plans to upgrade the Heritage Trail into a digital experience are underway, so soon you may be using a 'latest version' gadget to interact with Wallblake. Something the grand dame Wallblake just might approve of.

Thanks to Heather Nielsen and Martha Burrows, direct descendants of Arthur Hodge for their research; David Carty's "Wallblake House: An Historic Past" and to Marjorie McClean and Aileen Smith.

www.designanguilla.com

this page Care was taken to match the renovated building to the original [inset]. This view shows off the house's stateliness. Its great craftsmanship, design & materials are well suited to the Caribbean.

issue04 | 55

Nature’sdesign

an island all your own TEXT: Andy Connor

PHOTOS: Orrett H. Wynter

Just off the shores of Sandy Ground lies the closest thing you'll find to a deserted island - Sandy Island.

N

ature has a way of carefully selecting its treasures. It is true that on Anguilla we have beautiful beaches, which are all public, un-crowded, pollution-free and un-spoiled. It is also true that we are ranked number one in the world for the best allaround beaches. Did you know that? Well, don’t take my word for it: go to travelchannel.com, it’s all there. But did you know that we officially have 38 beaches? 33 are on the mainland and 5 are offshore cays (pronounced “keys”) and islands including Dog Island, Prickly Pear, Scrub Island, Scilly Cay and Sandy Island. Even though you have all the relaxation you need on Anguilla’s mainland, if you dare to venture off to one of the cays or islands, it’s a whole new world.

Sandy Island is a rare retreat and a true treasure. Located about a mile

offshore from Sandy Ground on mainland Anguilla, it’s only 5 minutes away by boat, but that’s all it takes to feel transported from civilization to a private, deserted space. Picture yourself in the middle of nowhere with everything that you need. By my standards, that’s a rum punch in one hand, a menu of seafood, ribs and chicken in the next, a beautiful atmosphere and someone to share that moment with. This is NOT a dream, my friends. This is reality at Sandy Island. Come with me to a place that’s a classic example of the phrase, “deserted tropical island.”

At Sandy Ground beach, wait at the pier by Johnno’s Beach Bar for the boats “Happiness”, or "Bliss" to ferry you across.

Approaching the island, you’ll notice that it seems like nothing more than a little island with sand and coral reefs. This tiny sandbar in the 8

www.designanguilla.com

Nature’sdesign

middle of the water is only about 50 by 150 yards. What you see is what you get, but it’s more than you bargained for. A crystal clear, whitish colour at the surf extends to a light blue about 30 to 40 feet out, followed by the deepest blue as you enter the waters beyond the reefs. Cruising over by boat is no easy task. It takes skill and years of experience to navigate through the dangerous coral reefs, which can be a graveyard for sailing vessels. On the other hand, the intricate reefs are a paradise for snorkelling. If one of your goals is to spend time getting up close and personal with beautiful and colourful marine life, then this is your private island.

Right on the shores of Sandy Island is a beautiful beach with shallow, calm waters for the kids to swim and enjoy themselves or for you to have quiet and peace of mind. You can’t help but let your hair down and let yourself go. It’s here that a family can have a picture-perfect island to snorkel play or do absolutely nothing. With the tropical flavour of island palm trees and the local grape trees, it’s all part of what makes Sandy

58 | DESIGNANGUILLA

Island what it is today. Also found on Sandy Island are the Coco Plum trees. This tasty pinkish fruit once flourished all over the mainland, but now it has become so rare that Sandy Island is one of the only places to find it. The island also boasts man-o'-war jellyfish, pelicans, and seagulls as its frequent visitors.

The passage of many hurricanes over the years has changed the landscape. The tiny sandy outpost was fully submerged in 1995, when Hurricane Luis devastated the Caribbean Islands. But, like all great Anguillians, it bounced back. Sandy Island still carries its paradisiac, deserted-island spirit even though it’s now a lot smaller than it was before the big storm of 1995.

As you can imagine, any place to get away and unwind would be popular, and Sandy Island is a haven for private parties and weddings. If you aren’t interested in rules and regulations on how long and hard you can party, Sandy Island has no limits. Simone, Jo-Jo, and the entire crew over at Sandy Island are in charge of making the island what it is today,

Clear Your Mind...Be Still...Relax

Soaps . Scrubs . Bath Salts . Lotions . Lotion Bars . Soy Candles . Diffusers Phone: 264.729.3678 * Email: carrann@msn.com Web: caribbeansoapsandsundries.com

and they organize events to exceed your expectations.

At the heart of the island, you’ll find a wooden shelter designed to make your day at Sandy Island a cool and comfortable one when you’re ready to get away from the burning sun. To add to the joy, picnic tables under the hut let your belly know it’s time for some amazing food. Don’t be surprised if, and when, Simone places a 5 lb. lobster on your table.

Monsters like those turn up often on Sandy Island, and they pair well with the island’s other traditional dishes and goodies.

One day at Sandy Island is never enough. Something always seems to catch your heart and call you back. Snorkelling is great, the water is fantastic, the staff is the best and they’re super friendly. This sandy isle in the middle of the water is nothing less than special.

As one of Anguilla’s finest offshore cays, beautiful Sandy Island will be one deserted island you’ll never want to be rescued from.

You can contact them at 264-476-6534, 264-476-4104 or by e-mail: mysandyisland@hotmail.com.

realestate

1

things to consider when

selling your house TEXT: Crispin Brooks

Selling your home can be a rewarding experience – both financially and emotionally. It will probably be one of the most difficult things you will ever do — this was your dream after all. You helped in the design and you took pride in decorating the interior. Most of all, this is the place where you would have cultivated memories and celebrated milestones. However, life is ever-evolving and new circumstances invite us to make changes.

Whether you are selling to expand your family, or downsizing because of the economy, there are a few things you should know about preparing your home for sale. Following these tips can lead to a faster sale and a quicker settlement. Good luck!

t Become emotionally detached from your property Owning a house is a huge part of Anguillian culture, so having to sell your home may be difficult. You must convince yourself, and all who occupy the home, to remove all attachment to the house. Treat it as a temporary dwelling and consider it to be just a business transaction.

t First impressions count Don’t skimp on curb appeal. The first thing that a potential buyer will see is your house’s exterior.

Make that impression count.

Ensure that your exterior paint is not chipped or peeling. Your yard should be free of debris and unnecessary items. Bushes should be trimmed and lawns mowed.

Plants also add a nice touch.

Make necessary repairs q Hire a Real Estate Agent u Many people try to sell their homes on their own. Unfortunately, many are unsuccessful. Hiring an agent says that you are serious about selling.

Secondly, a good real estate agent knows sales techniques, is able to answer questions about the housing market and can negotiate better prices for you. An agent is also able to focus more on the marketing and sale of your house allowing you to get on with daily life. If you still live in the house, it’s best to allow the agent to give tours when you’re not there. This will allow the potential buyer to ask as many questions as they wish without feeling intimidated.

www.designanguilla.com

t Paperwork is VERY important

60 | DESIGNANGUILLA

The moment you decide to sell, ensure you have several copies of your property deeds. If the property is not in your name, have it transferred even before contacting a real estate agent. This will definitely help you avoid any legal hiccups later on. The last thing you want is to miss out on a substantial offer because of a simple signature. Have copies of a valuation of the house. Ensure that it was done within one year of you deciding to sell your house. Get copies of the house plans as some buyers can be quite particular. Not having them may cost you a sale.

Don’t ever use the famous “Don’t worry, it will be fixed before I sell it” line. Seemingly minute things like squeaky doors, leaky faucets, holes, worn out fabrics, blown bulbs and chipped tiles can all be deal breakers. Make sure that walls are well-painted. A half-painted wall or one with large spots of primer can be a major turn off. A purple or bright orange wall may have worked for your décor, but it will deter many buyers. Paint these to a neutral colour.

Hide your pets q

p Clean, clean, clean!

A well-cleaned and fresh-smelling house will sell much faster than an untidy one. Cleaning windows, fixtures, dusting and polishing furniture and surfaces shows buyers that you have cared for the property. You never know when your agent may find a busy potential buyer that only has twenty minutes to view your house. Always be prepared!

Although some people don’t mind pets, there is the off chance that you will encounter a potential buyer that is either allergic to animal fur or has a phobia when it comes to animals. Therefore all furniture should be thoroughly inspected and all pet fur should be removed. Chew toys, leashes, litter boxes, pet beds and pet bowls with left-over food should all be stored out of sight.

p Get rid of clutter Remove as many personal items as you possibly can. This includes family pictures, special ornaments etc. The potential buyer must be able to imagine himself living in, or owning the house. Remove items you’d like to keep as well. It may be an antique table, a comfortable lounge chair or a fancy lamp. Potential buyers will often ask if including these items in the overall sale price is an option. Telling them no can possibly ruin a sale.

Sell, donate or store away any unwanted items. This is especially true for kitchens and bathrooms. Crowded counter tops can be a huge turn off. Put away lotions, hair gels, brushes and combs in the bathroom and opened boxes of cereal, plastic bags, etc. in the kitchen. Remove boxes and unnecessary items from hallways. Buyers like to see everything, so ensure that even your closets are neat. De-cluttering will make sure your house is always ready for the big sale.

No bugs allowed u There is nothing more embarrassing during a house showing than a surprise visit from insects or rodents. It is extremely important to remove garbage as much as possible during the period that any house is up for sale. Immediately before the house is put on the market, have an exterminator visit the property. Be sure that both inside the house and the outer parameter of the house are sprayed.

p Let there be light

t Be realistic with price Prior to 2009, any house in Anguilla could sell for top dollar.

However, the world financial crisis has meant that houses are definitely selling for less. Do not pass on a reasonable offer because you think that your house is worth more. Although your valuation may suggest one figure, you should factor in market conditions as well as housing prices in your neighbourhood.

We’re not suggesting you sell your house for less than it’s worth, however be prepared to compromise in order to get a successful sale.

www.designanguilla.com

Before any potential buyers visit, be sure that the house has enough light. Dark hallways and corners may sway buyers in the opposite direction. Be sure that all glasses are thoroughly cleaned; ensure that all bulbs are working and that any heavy drapes are removed from the windows. Light allows any space to appear larger.

Opening windows also takes away the stuffy feeling that some houses tend to have. Potential buyers are usually more critical than the average visitor to your house, so you should go above and beyond to make them feel as comfortable as possible. If they feel comfortable from the beginning, they may make up their mind to purchase sooner.

issue04 | 61

winedine

Fine Food...

TEXT: Trudy Nixon

A

nguilla is marketed to tourists as a “foodie’s paradise” because of the number of restaurants that populate our little island. We boast that we have over 100 and that there is not a chain or fastfood franchise to be found amongst them.

It’s a well-known fact that not only tourists, but locals eat out regularly in Anguilla.

Anguillians love food and cooking - not only to feed the belly - but also as a career and means of lifestyle enhancement; becoming a chef is a popular choice of profession for both men and women. Many youngsters aspire to be chefs, as opposed to being forced into cooking because employment opportunities in this tourism-dependent

economy can be limited. Being a professional chef is a tough job, one that takes dedication, attention to detail, creativity, research, practicality and, of course, lots and lots of hard work – many hours on your feet in an often blisteringly hot kitchen. But it can also bring great rewards, such as international travel, awards, recognition, and your own successful business. We have a spectacular array of talented, hardworking and successful culinary professionals on this island– and they are what make Anguilla a stand-out culinary destination.

The theme of this issue of Design Anguilla is “Made in Anguilla” and I wanted to make sure that the chefs and restaurants featured really are truly that - from top to toe. I was privileged to work with the Anguilla National Culinary Team for three years and during that time I got to know a lot of

Anguillian Chefs – professionals who wanted to represent their country in the Regional Culinary competition "Taste of the Caribbean".

Vernon Hughes of E’s Oven and Dale Carty of Tasty’s both took part in the competition and then became judges and mentors to subsequent teams. They are two ‘Anguillian Entrepreneurs’ who run successful restaurants and catering businesses, and they were interviewed for this article. But I would also like to briefly mention two other influential Anguillian chefs (sorry haven’t got space for all of you!). George Reid, an icon of Anguillian cooking, now delighting palettes at Viceroy.

The previous executive chef of Cap Juluca for many years, George has won multiple awards and is probably the most influential and well-known proponent of Anguillian cuisine worldwide. Glendon Carty, the executive chef at Ripples Restaurant, a talented chef who pays great attention to detail, and is the only Anguillian to have won the coveted title “Caribbean Chef of the Year”. He continues to lead and motivate Anguilla National Culinary Teams.

Dale Carty Tasty’s Restaurant and Catering Service

Conch Fritters with dipping sauce

good cocktails made from local juices. You can come to our bar and enjoy coconut water, local golden apple juice, passion fruit and mauby – with or without rum! We’ve also added local West Indian themed tapas, such as barbecued chicken with plantain and spicy ribs with papaya coleslaw and conch fritters. I change the menu regularly and have daily specials but our guests’ favourites don’t change. They love the Pumpkin Soup and Seafood Papaya Salad and, as an entrée, the Curried Goat or the Snapper with Fungi [pronounced foon-jee.

A thick, pudding-like cornmeal mix similar to polenta] are the most popular.

I also do villa catering and what we describe as “the best beach party” – where we set up tents and barbeque – people love it.

What other cooking styles have you combined to make your restaurant the way it is?

There is a strong French influence to what I do. I spent many years working at Malliouhana Hotel (from age 15 to 28). During my apprenticeship, Mr. Royden would send us to France for 2 months.

That meant I spent time in the

South of France, firstly at a 2-star Michelin Restaurant - Le Bonne Auberge, owned by Jo Rostang, and then in Paris at Michel Rostang—another 2-star. When I was 28, I left Malliouhana and set up Tasty’s. I’d always wanted to be self-employed – a very Anguillian trait!

I still love to learn new things and whenever I get a chance to go on vacation, I try to do a week somewhere. Recently, I went to Wolfgang Puck’s Spago Restaurant in Chicago; in September I’m going back to France for a week at Michel’s. 8

www.designanguilla.com

What are the key components of Anguillian food?

The things I cook and use the most are crayfish, snapper, goat, cornmeal, ground provisions, pork, local herbs, thyme, scallions, garlic, seasoning peppers and, of course, our mouth watering, local tomatoes.

What makes Anguillian food different from other types of Caribbean Food?

Very good question, but I’m not sure it is different; Caribbean food is all basically the same.

What does make us different is our international training, our exposure to French and American cuisine, and marrying local flair and ingredients with what we have garnered internationally. In my case, it’s French.

What local food do you make for yourself and your family?

I like everything on the grill – so grilled snapper, grilled crayfish, and barbecued pork.

How do you describe the style of your restaurant?

I use the freshest ingredients, and I love cooking with a passion.

That’s what makes me different.

When I created the restaurant I wanted the customers to enjoy authentic, Anguillian cuisine.

I want the customer to leave having had an experience almost like dining in an Anguillian home. Tasty’s is a family house – the one I grew up in—that was converted into a little West Indian restaurant. We maintained the shutters and the painted trim. Recently we extended the restaurant and added a bar area.

We’ve succeeded in giving it a relaxed, rum-bar vibe. I wanted a great atmospheric bar with

issue04 | 63

winedine

Photo: Josveek Huligar / Anguilla Access

Curried Goat

Vernon Hughes

www.designanguilla.com

E’s Oven and Valv’s Catering

What are the key components of Anguillian food?

Local seafood - particularly snapper, conch and crayfish, and, of course, rice and peas.

What makes Anguillian food different from other types of Caribbean Food?

It’s pretty much the same indigenous Caribbean food but we make it different by using different styles of cooking - for example French. It’s the fact that we travel around and go to different places; that’s what

64 | DESIGNANGUILLA

makes us different.

What local food do you make for yourself and your family?

They usually want really simple food. For a party I make things like rice and peas, scalloped potatoes, fish with caper cream sauce, chicken with mushroom sauce, baked chicken. Me? I like chicken and chips! KFC! (laughs) How do you describe the cooking/style of your restaurant?

I describe what we do at E’s Oven as “local food with a fine touch”.

A good example would be that we prepare our snapper ‘Oriental Style’ with Napa cabbage and a cumin vinaigrette, and that we present our goat meat in a French cooking pot, which makes it look more upscale. I use a lot of different herbs and spices such as cumin, curry, cardamom, anise and fennel seeds. I want locals

to come in and look at the menu and say, “What’s that?”, and try something different.

How do you decide what to feature on the menu?

I change some of the dishes each season. I go around the shops and see what’s on the shelves, and see what’s in abundance. This has helped me come up with some of our most popular dishes like the Grilled Octopus Salad with Green Banana and Honey Mustard Dressing. I like to play with food. I really enjoy cooking, discovering what to do with new ingredients, and new techniques. I read a lot of books and gourmet food and wine magazines. Every season before we open I invite the staff to a session at which they try all the new dishes and comment on them. Sometimes I change things based on their feedback. We

have some dishes I don’t change because they are so popular, like the Lobster Spring Roll with Root Vegetable Salad, Creole Conch, Curry Goat and Grouper with Banana Rum Sauce.

What other cooking styles have you combined to make your food the way it is?

I worked my way up, a lot of the time with George (Reid), in places like Cinnamon Reef, ICI at Sonesta, and Cap Juluca. I’ve travelled and worked in other restaurants in Europe – England and France as well as Washington, Miami, and Puerto Rico, and I’ve learned from that. My brother built the building and, initially, I only did catering. Then I opened the restaurant in 2000 – it’s called E’s Oven for my Mum. She used to bake in a brick Oven where the bar now sits.

OPENING HOURS AND & CALENDAR OF EVENTS Main restaurant opens Tuesday to Sunday. Dinner 6:00 - 9:30 pm Tapas at da’Vida lounge 5:00 - 9:00 pm Happy hour Thursday thru Saturday 6:00 - 7:00 pm Ladies night Thursdays 7:00 - 10:00 pm Live entertainment at da’Vida Lounge Friday and Saturday Bayside Bar and Grill opens daily from 10:00 am - 5:00pm

directory

NedCAD Solutions

Sign-Making & Architectural Design

Providing high impact advertising and architectural solutions to benefit you in the long run. NedCAD offers a comprehensive listing of affordable ways to advertise and a directory of designing services.

Edwin Nicholls (Sign-Maker/Designer) (264) 729 1357 Caul’s Bottom, Anguilla nedcadsolutions@gmail.com

Vanterpool Services

Unique Landscapes

Water Delivery Services

All Water is Bottle Quality Bottled and fountain water Ice Available Delivery for Residential, Commercial, Construction including Swimming Pools

General Trucking Roll on Roll off Garbage bin rentals Crane services

Specializing in landscape Design Landscape Installation Landscape lighting Irrigation Pest Control

tel: (264) 497 7543 cell: (264) 476 7543 / 235 7543 fax: (264) 498 4543 P.O. Box 4100, Welches, Anguilla email: vanterpool_services@hotmail.com

Desmond Paul Cove Road Anguilla, BWI tel: (264) 583 1889 fax: (264) 461 1889

Sunshine Rainbow Real Estate Offering luxury villa sales, rentals and sales of land. Anguilla Customs vessel authorized clearance agent.

Let Sunshine Rainbow Real Estate make your dream become a reality in Anguilla.

(264) 235 6912/7183 email: utonrogers@hotmail.com www.sunshinerainbowrealtors.com

Pineapple Gallery Started in 1984, Pineapply Gallery is Anguilla’s first art gallery.

Specialize in: Haitian Art Interior Decoration Landscape Design Furniture conception & realization Picture framing Sandy Ground P.O. Box 319, Anguilla, BWI tel: (264) 497 3609 fax: (264) 497 5037 manasse@anguillanet.com

www.designanguilla.com/directory

Alfonzo's Caribbean Restaurant Newly opened in February 2013, the restaurant is owned, and operated, by award-winning chef Alfonzo Brooks. Through his 24-year career, Chef Alfonzo has perfected Caribbean cuisine highlighting local meats and seafood.

Open Daily 6:30am to 9:30pm Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Spring Path Anguilla, BWI tel: (264) 497 7684 or 729 2348

66 | DESIGNANGUILLA

Our very affordable food and drink menu has a variety of options to satisfy the most discerning palate.

Tucked away on Spring Path road, our quiet surroundings offer the perfect backdrop for enjoying your meal with us.

Founded in 2006, the Arijah Children’s Foundation is the nonprofit, fundraising organization of the Blossom Center, where Anguilla’s children with special needs can receive an education and therapies to help them develop their potential.

Office World Offering you a one-stop shopping opportunity for top quality office supplies, automation equipment, brand-name computers, toners & accessories, as well as an extensive range of office furniture at highly competitive prices.

53 Pondfill Road, P.O. Box 890, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles tel: (721) 542 2765 / 542 4050/58 / (305) 395 3023 fax: (721) 542 2693 email: mail@officesxm.com

directory

Blossom Center/Arijah Children's Foundation

Auckland House, The Quarter Anguilla, BWI tel: (264) 476 3105 or 235 2742

Contact our Advertisers Be sure to mention that you saw their ad in Design Anguilla!

TRUE Communications

Public Relations & Marketing Consulting In today’s market, clear communication is essential.

True Communications provides professional Writing, PR and Marketing services that combine in-depth local knowledge, excellent regional connections and international branding experience.

True Communications can help you launch, market or reposition your business.

Contact Trudy Nixon for an exploratory meeting.

(264) 476 8783 truecommunications@live.com http://twitter.com/trudynixon facebook.com/truecommunicationsanguilla

Andy’s Car Rental Blowing Point. 264-584-7010

Jewels By Love Marigot, St Martin.

590-590-87-25-50

Anguilla Access www.anguillaaccess.com 264-772-9827

Kobbe Design The Valley.

264-497-0814 or 497-3772

Anguilla Aluminum/Anguilla Green Energy The Valley. 264-476-2188

La Vue Boutique Inn Back Street, South Hill.

264-462-6623

B & E Automotive Services Rock Farm. 264-297-7152

Lloyd’s Bed & Breakfast Crocus Hill. 264-497-2351

Benjamine Group of Companies The Valley. 264-497-3470

Lynne Bernbaum Art Studio Sandy Ground. 264-497-5211

Bernsville Penthouse South Hill.

264-497-3067 or 235-7167

Maurice Taxi Services Rey Hill. 264-235-2676 or 5822399

Bird of Paradise Sandy Hill. 414-791-9461

Morlens Architecture Services The Valley.

264-497-0005 or 476-5000

Blossom Center Arijah Children's Foundation Auckland House, The Quarter.

264-235-2742 or 264-476-3105 Caribbean Alliance The Valley. 264-497-3525 Caribbean Energy Control System www.caribbean-energy-controlsystem.com 264-235-2683 or 214-432-2319 Caribbean Soaps and Sundries Little Harbour. 264-729-3678 da’Vida Restaurant & Spa Crocus Bay. 264-498-5433 Digicel The Valley. 264-584-7500 DLG Engineering Rock Farm. 264-497-2985 / 0084

Island Spaces Island Spaces is a unique and knowledgeable real estate company based on Anguilla. We are dedicated to assisting our clients with finding buyers for their property, as well as helping buyers choose the property that best suits them. We hold several listings including some of the most sought after property currently on the island.

Whether you’re looking for that slice of paradise that you’ve dreamed and talked about for years, or an investment property, Island Spaces can guide you through the entire purchasing process. tel: (264) 584 9250 www.islandspaces.com info@islandspaces.com

Jamie’s Villa and Apartments Sea Rocks. 264-497-2934 / 4233

Flavours Restaurant Back Street, South Hill.

264-462-6623 In Spire Naturally @ In Spire Décor & Design North Hill. 264-497-7623 Irie Life Back Street, South Hill.

264-497-6526 or 264-476-6526 Island Dream Properties George Hill.

264-498-3200 or 264-235-6555 Island Spaces www.islandspaces.com 264-584-9250

NedCad Solutions Caul’s Bottom. 264-729-1357 Office World Phillipsburg, St. Maarten.

264-729-1357 On da Rocks Seafood Grill and Bar Island Harbour. 264-772-3017 Paramount Pharmacy South Hill. 264-498-2366 Water Swamp. 264-497-2366 Phoenix Gallery South Hill. 264-235-7036 Pineapple Art Gallery Sandy Ground. 264-497-3609 Signature 7602 Studios 264-476-7602 Sunset Homes Caul's Bottom.

264-497-3666 264-235-7667 / 3666 Sunshine Rainbow Real Estate West End Village. 264-235-6912 True Communications 264-476-8783 Unique Landscapes Cove Road. 264-497-3609 Vanterpool Services Welches.

264-476-7543 or 264-235-7543

www.designanguilla.com/directory

Alfonzo's Caribbean Restaurant Spring Path.

264-497-7684 or 264-729-2348

issue04 | 67

island map

1

6

2

7

Tasty's Restaurant South Hill Phone: 264 497 2737 www.tastysrestaurant.com

Sandy Island Phone: 264 476 6534 www.mysandyisland.com

cé blue Crocus Bay Phone: 264 462 1000 www.ceblueanguilla.com/

E's Oven Bar And Restaurant South Hill Phone: 264 498 8258

3

3

koal keel The Valley Phone: 264 497 6582

LIMESTONE BAY

2

4

LITTLE BA

ani art academy Limestone Bay www.aniartacademies.org/ academies/ani-art-academiesanguilla

da’Vida Restaurant & Spa

CRO BAY BE CROCUS BAY

1

5

Paramount Pharmacy Water Swamp

In Spire Naturally

Pineapple Art Gallery

anguilla native stone Stoney Ground Phone: 264 497 2797 www.anguillanativestone.com

A An

Lynne Bernbaum Art Studio

La Vue Boutique Hotel and Flavours Restaurant

TH

ROAD SALT POND

GE

SANDY GROUND Irie Life

Phoenix Art Gallery Bernsville Penthouse

Paramount Pharmacy

LITTLE HARBOUR

Alfonzo's Caribbean Restaurant MEADS BAY POND

WEST END VILLAGE

www.designanguilla.com

WEST END BAY

68 | DESIGNANGUILLA

SHERRICKS BAY

True Communications

GULL POND

MAUNDAYS BAY

COVE BAY

MERRYING BAY

LOCK

RENDEZVOUS BAY SALT POND

RENDEZVOUS BAY

COVE POND

WEST END POND

SHOAL BAY WEST

Unique Landscapes

BAY

BLOWING POINT BLOWING POINT FERRY TERMINAL

Andy's Car Rental

PELICAN BAY

7

4

SHOAL BAY EAST

On da Rocks Seafood Grill and Bar

ISLAND

HARBOUR Jamie's Villa and Apartments

SAVANNAH BAY

GREY POND

Vanterpool Services THE

VALL EY R O

E

SILE BAY

AD

AY CAULS POND

SANDY

SEAFEATHERS

HILL BAY

THE VALLEY

Lloyd's Bed and Breakfast

Digicel

B&E Automotive DLG Engineering

Kobbe Design

Anguilla Aluminium/ nguilla Green Energy YR

MIMI BAY

Bird of Paradise

NedCad Solutions

Skyline Dry Clean Plus

OCUS EACH

ALLE HE V

Sunset Homes

Morlens Architecture

Maurice Taxi Services

K RT LA ALBE

.

E DR

Blossom Center/ Arijah Children's Foundation

LONG POND

LONG

OAD

POND BAY CLAYTON J. LLOYD INT'L AIRPORT

5

AUNTIE DOT BAY

EORGE HILL

KRUM

Benjamine Group of Companies

FOREST BAY

CORITO BAY ELSIE BAY Caribbean Soaps and Sundries Caribbean Energy Control Systems

6

www.designanguilla.com

R

Island Dream Properties

issue04 | 69

calendar of events

july2013

august2013

Jul 6-7 14th Annual John T. Memorial Cycling Race & Valley Street Festival

Jul 26-Aug11 Anguilla Summer Festival

Annual Race held over a two day period with participation from regional and international cyclists. Valley Street Festival in the area of the People market (10:00 am – 6:00pm).

Sting Band Music and local produce.

Forty six years of celebrating Anguilla’s National Sport, Boatracing, by day, and traditional carnival activities by night: pageants, calypso competitions, Band Clash competitions, and street dancing and revelry (various starting times at LBCC).

Jul 14 Annual Miss “Tiny Tott” Pageant

Aug 3 South Valley Community Street Fair

Part of the Pre Summer Festival events.

This pageant takes place at LBCC for girls ranging from 5 – 8 years old. (5:00 pm – until)

Members of the South Valley Community unite and produce a fair with local food, cooking competitions and music. (8:00 am – 6:00 pm)

november2013 Aug 5 J’ouvert Morning, August Monday Emancipation Day Take to the streets in the Valley at 4:30 am and dance your way down to Sandy Ground to the pulsating rhythms of Anguilla’s superlative Soca Bands. Enjoy A & B Class Boatraces as you experience the #1 Beach Party in the entire Caribbean. (4:30 -11:00 pm)

Aug 8 August Thursday A day for picnics and family reunions and A & B class Boatraces at Meads Bay. (11:00 am. – until)

www.designanguilla.com

Aug 9 Grand Parade of Troupes

70 | DESIGNANGUILLA

Revellers from villages all over the island are joined by visitors from around the Caribbean and beyond for the grand parade through the streets of the Valley. Colourful costumes depicting cultural and fantasy themes abound, and the winner of the Road March Band competition is announced. (1:00 pm -9:00pm)

Nov 30–Dec 6 Tourism Week All uniformed organizations parade at James Ronald Webster Park and cocktails are served in the evening at Government House to invited guests

Nov 30 Anguilla’s Optimists Race against Aids Public awareness campaign to raise funds for AIDS related services. .

IN THE NEXT ISSUE...

THE SEA ISSUE

SHARE YOUR IDEAS

JOIN US FOR ISSUE 05

Send us your story ideas of people, places, properties, or products that you would like to see featured in our magazine

We will explore:

EXPERT RESOURCES

Have some expert information on the upcoming theme to share?

Send us proposals for Informative Expert Articles to share with our readers

Houses on the Water Anguilla’s Boating History Seafood and Beach Restaurants

Reservation deadline: Septermber 2, 2013

SHARE YOUR STORY

Do you have a success story?

Tell us about it and be featured For more information go to: www.designanguilla.com/submit

hotels & villas Airport Guest House The Valley. 264-497-5827

Cuisinart Resort & Spa Rendezvous Bay West. 264-498-2000

Paradise Cove Resort The Cove. 264-497-6603

Alcyon Villa Sea Feathers. 806-233-4008

Elodias Beach Resort Shoal Bay East. 264-497-3363

Poinciana Villas Sandy Ground. 264-497-6593

Allamanda Beach Club Shoal Bay East. 264-497-5217

The Ferryboat Inn Blowing Point. 264-497-6613

Royal Palms Holiday Suites South Hill. 264-497-6484

Altamer Resort Shoal Bay West. 264-498-4000

Fletch’s Cove Little Harbour. 610-420-4753

Sea Grape Beach Club South Hill. 264-497-2495

Anacaona Boutique Hotel Meads Bay. 264-497-6827

Frangipani Beach Resort Meads Bay. 264-497-6442

Serenity Cottages Shoal Bay East. 264-497-3328

Ananke Villa Cul De Sac Blowing Point. 264-498-8600

Indigo Reef West End. 264-497-4866

Sheriton Estates West End. 264-498-9898

Anguilla Definitive Villa South Hill. 264-497-2300

Island Viewpoint Villa Cul de Sac. 264-498-2741

Shoal Bay Beach Hotel Shoal Bay East. 264-497-2016

Anguilla Great House Beach Rendezvous Bay. 264-497-6061

Kokoon Villas South Hill. 264-497-7888

Shoal Bay Villas Shoal Bay East. 264-497-2051

Ani Villas Little Bay Village. 264-497-7888

Ku Hotel Shoal Bay East. 264-497-2011

Spyglass Hill Villa North Hill. 264-497-3666

Arawak Beach Inn Island Harbour. 264-497-4888

La Palma Guest House Sandy Ground. 264-497-3260

Sur La Plage Beach Front Villas Meads Bay. 264-497-6598

BeachCourt Villa Shoal Bay East. 264-497-3666

La Sirena Hotel Meads Bay. 264-497-6827

Sweet Return Villa Isaac’s Cliff. 264-498-2741

Beach Escape Villa Blowing Point. 264-498-2741

La Vue Anguilla Back Street, South Hill. 264-462-6623

Tequila Sunrise Villa Dropsey Bay. 973-994-4449

Bellavista Back Street, South Hill. 264-497-5161

Little Butterfly Little Harbour. 264-497-3666

Three Dolphins Lockrum Bay. 264-476-7927

Bird of Paradise Sandy Hill Bay. 262-241-3183

Little Harbour Estates Little Harbour. 264-497-0357

Topaz Villa Back Street, South Hill. 264-729-2049

Callaloo Club Peninsula Cul De Sac. 264-498-8600

Lloyd’s Bed & Breakfast Crocus Hill. 264-497-2351

Tortue Villa Shoal Bay East. 264-498-3003

Cap Juluca Hotel Maundays Bay. 264-497-6666

Madeariman Beach Club Shoal Bay East. 264-497-1555

Twin Palms Villas Meads Bay. 264-498-2741

Caribbean Sea View Long Path. 264-497-4662

Masara Resort Katouche Bay. 264-497-3200

Ultimacy Villa Retreat Island Harbour. 264-497-4832

Caribella Beach Resort Barnes Bay. 264-497-8929

Meads Bay Beach Villas Meads Bay. 264-497-0271

Viceroy-West End Barns Bay/Meads Bay. 264-498-5555

Caribera Villa Cul De Sac. 264-498-8600

Miles Away Seafeathers Bay. 264-497-4076

Villa Black Pearl Shoal Bay. 264-235-4615

Carimar Beach Club Meads Bay. 264-497-6881

Moonraker Villa Junks Hole Bay. 264-498-3200

Villa Coyaba Lockrum Estates. 264-497-3400

Cerulean Barnes Bay. 264-497-8840

Ocean Breeze Long Path Box 288. 264-729-7376

Villa Gardenia Sandy Hill Bay. 264-497-2544

Country Cottage Anguilla Shoal Bay East at Welches. 264-497-0242

Palm Shores Villa Corito Point. 703-759-3733

Yacht Club Villas Blowing Point. 264-498-8600

www.designanguilla.com

Cove Castles Villa Resort Shoal Bay West. 264-497-6801

72 | DESIGNANGUILLA

restaurants Gorgeous Scilly Cay Island Harbour. 264-497-5123

Pumphouse Sandy Ground. 264-497-5438

Aquarium Bar & Restaurant South Hill. 264-497-2720

Gwen’s Reggae Grill Shoal Bay. 264-497-2120

Pricky Pear Restaurant Prickly Pear Island. 264-497-5864

Barrel Stay Sandy Ground. 264-497-2831

Hibernia Restaurant Island Harbour. 264-497-4290

Ripples Restaurant Sandy Ground. 264-497-3380

Blanchards Restaurant Meads Bay. 264-497-6100

Jacala Restaurant Meads Bay. 264-498-5888

Roy’s BaySide Grill Sandy Ground. 264-497-2470

Blue Restaurant Cap Juluca. 264-497-6666

La Palma Restaurant Sandy Ground. 264-497-3260

SandBar Sandy Ground. 264-498-0171

Covecastles Restaurant Shoal Bay West. 264-498-6801

Lisa’s Restaurant The Valley. 264-498-3057

Sandy Island Restaurant Sandy Island. 264-476-6534

da’ Vida Restaurant & Spa Crocus Bay. 264-498-5433

Lucy’s At Long Bay The Valley. 264-497-8875

Santorini CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa. 264-498-2000

Dolce Vita Italian Restaurant & Bar Sandy Ground. 264-497-8668

Luna Rosa Restaurant Lower South Hill. 264-497-6291

Smokey’s at The Cove Cove Bay. 264-497-6582

Eclipse Restaurant Maundays Bay. 264-497-8007

Mac-Donna’s QFC Restaurant Water Swamp. 264-497-5464

Spice Cap Juluca. 264-497-6666

Elite Beach Restaurant & Bar Island Harbour. 264 498 5178

Café Mediterraneo CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa. 264-498-2000

Straw Hat Restaurant Frangipani Resort. 264-497-8300

Elvis Restaurant & Bar Sandy Ground. 264-498-0101

Mango’s Restaurant Barnes Bay. 264-497-6479

Tasty’s Restaurant South Hill. 264-497-2737

English Rose The Valley. 264-497-5353

Nico’s Restaurant The Valley. 264-497-2844

The Place Rendezvous Bay. 264-584-6501

E’s Oven & Valv’s Catering South Hill. 264-498-8258

Ocean Echo Bar & Restaurant Meads Bay. 264-498-5454

Trattoria Tramonto Shoal Bay West. 264-497-8819

Ferryboat Inn Restaurant Blowing Point. 264-497-6613

Old Caribe Restaraunt Anguilla Great House. 264-497-6061

Tropical Sunset Shoal Bay. 264-497-2076

Fire Fly Restaurant and Bar Anacaona Hotel. 264-497-6827

Oliver’s Seaside Grill Long Bay. 264-497-8780

Un Amore Cafe South Hill. 264-498-5656

Flavours Restaurant Back Street, South Hill. 264-462-6623

On Da Rocks Seafood Grill & Bar Island Harbour. 264-498-0011

Uncle Ernie’s Beach Bar Shoal Bay. 264-497-3907

Geraud’s South Hill. 264-497-5559

Picante Restaurant West End. 264-498-1616

Valley Bistro The Valley. 264-498-5100

Pimms Restaurant Cap Juluca. 264-497-6666

Veya Restaurant Sandy Ground Road. 264-498-8392 (VEYA)

www.designanguilla.com

Andy’s Restaurant & Bar Lower Airport Road. 264-498-2639

issue04 | 73

SEAFOOD GRILL & BAR Perched right “on the rocks” overlooking Island Harbour, a fishing village located on the East side of Anguilla is ‘On Da Rocks’. The owner, Timi, is always found behind the bar greeting all of his guests and be sure to try one of his special shots; Panty Dropper, On Da Rocks, and Knock Me Sideways, just to name a few. The food is delicious and the price is right! Where else can you get a local crayfish for $5 every Saturday and Sunday?

The relaxing but entertaining vibe gives you local live bands every Thursday through Sunday. So join us for lunch, dinner or just to watch the sunset, we look forward to seeing you!

Email: ondarocksaxa@gmail.com Web: www.ondarocks.cbt.cc

Tel. (264) 772 3017

How do you judge the caliber of a jeweler?

by the company he keeps...

7 Rue du General de Gaulle - Marigot - St. Martin F. W. I. - Tel: (590) 590 87 25 50 Frontstreet - Philipsburg - St. Maarten - Tel: 1 721 542 6808 USA Tel: 1 917 546 0902 - info@jewelsbylove.com - www.jewelsbylove.com Not all brands available in both locations