St Helena : Finance for One of Saint Helena’s Wonders
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Juanita Brock) 04.02.2009 (Article Archived on 18.02.2009)
The project, to produce a detailed assessment of High Knoll Fort, was recently given funding by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Overseas Territories Programme Fund (OTPF).
Finance for One of Saint Helena’s Wonders
The project, to produce a detailed assessment of High Knoll Fort, was recently given funding by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Overseas Territories Programme Fund (OTPF).
As most people will be aware, parts of High Knoll Fort have fallen down on two occasions over the last couple of years and the monument has been closed to the public since February 2008. The Fort is one of the most visible, historic buildings on the island and was visited regularly by Saints and Tourists alike, before concerns about further collapse caused its closure.
To start the long journey that will reopen the monument, Edmund Simons and Ben Jeffs, UK based archaeology and conservation specialists, will visit the island in February and March to complete the on-site portion of the work. Ed and Ben have both spent time on the island before and work in collaboration with the National Trust, providing specialist support for the proposed Saint Helena Heritage Project and other conservation issues.
The Assessment will gather information on the Fort’s archaeology and history, its condition and the causes of the recent collapse. The team will produce a Conservation and Management Plan. Plans of this type are a standard part of projects involving important historical sites in the UK and allow work on the building without damaging what makes it special. The Plan will include a detailed survey of the building and a series of reports outlining its history, its present condition and providing engineering details and instructions for its future restoration and management.
These reports will be supplemented by a guidebook to the Fort, professionally printed and available on island to guide visitors to High Knoll and provide a souvenir of their visit.
A major part of the work will be gathering local opinion on future uses for the Fort as well as what Saints feel gives the building its character. A public workshop will be advertised, to take place in early March, to show the results of the work and provide an opportunity for people to have their views and ideas included in the project reports.
The project will combine archaeological, historical and engineering expertise, and is an essential first stage in the preservation of High Knoll. The data gathered at this stage, and the subsequent analysis and reporting, will enable structural repairs and interventions to be successfully undertaken in future projects. Funding within the project has been provided for two local people to join the project team. They will be offered archaeological and structural conservation training.
If anyone has any questions or suggestions, they can contact the project by email at ben@blackfreighter.net or talk directly to the team when they arrive on island.
4 February 2009
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