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.
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