HOPE Drives Apprentices to Rebuild Historic House

The Wattle & Red Earth (WARE) Collective, a Jamaican charity, is preserving iconic and historic structures of Southern St. Elizabeth. Most of these vernacular structures are built using a technique known as ‘Spanish Wall’. The Collective has been building a dream towards a “Living Museum of Built Heritage and Traditional Crafts”. This open air Museum is on track to be a unique Caribbean, heritage focused, community-based, experiential tourism innovation. In January 2021 we “deconstructed” and relocated, in pieces, a Spanish Wall, 3-room dwelling that was set for demolition. We've since recruited a motivated group of 5 apprentices to work under the direction of Guy Parchment, 81 year old master builder, to restore the first structure for the Living Museum. The building is called The Vassel House and is named after the family who built it. These traditional dwellings and shops were built with local labour and materials dating back two centuries and more. These ways of living and building are being lost and undervalued. Since January Maas Guy began to train Marsha, Baldy, O’Neil, Vincent and Blade to reconstruct from the ground up to the ridge. They’ve learned valuable homegrown techniques and applied them to wood selection, building and firing a traditional lime kiln. They also now understand how to select red earth for mortar, lay limestone, thatch and do basic lime rendering. HELP US RESTORE THESE SIMPLE LOOKING, BUT VERY SPECIAL STRUCTURES. At the end of March 2023, with funds depleted the project is at a standstill and 70% done. Your contribution will pay to train and sustain the apprentices for another 5 weeks to complete the project. Your funds will:- -Complete thatching -Build our 3rd limekiln -Complete Spanish Wall infill -Render walls inside and out with lime plaster -Whitewash the interior and exterior walls -Install joists and flooring -Repair and restore the existing doors and windows -Repair interior walls -Install appropriate light and power -Prepare the exterior for water runoff, wheelchair-friendly access Put some support in our WARE basket. You can make all the difference and bring the Vassel House back to life! **Jamaica based donors can make direct deposits using our banking details:-** Bank: JMMB Bank (Haughton Terrace) Account Holder: The Ware Collective Limited JMD Smart Business - SME Chequing Account 006000177833 Photo credit: JOHN McBEAN on Instagram: mcbean_photography1 Music: @LionRiddims--YouTube