Irreplaceable relics of Bermuda’s heritage have been left “dumped” at the mercy of the elements, according to an anonymous complainant who contacted The Royal Gazette.

However, their custodian said the old carriages, formerly housed in a museum, were already damaged beyond repair, while better preserved carriages were being kept safe in storage.

Horse-drawn carriages, once the vehicle of choice on Bermuda’s roads, have largely vanished.

The carriages in question, which are owned by the Wilkinson Estate, were once held at the Carriage House in St George’s, but were dismantled and put into storage in Southside after the building was badly hit during Hurricane Fabian in 2003.

Photographs of the decaying remains of old carriages were sent by a visiting enthusiast from the Carriage Association of America, after they were found lying in the open on the Hamilton Parish estate.

“This blatant disregard for these wonderful old icons of our Bermudian heritage is tantamount to criminal, and should be investigated and exposed in the hope that by shaming the powers-that-be, there will still be time to save the other carriages and find them a home,” the writer told this newspaper.

Not all the carriages in the museum originally belonged to the Wilkinson family, the writer added; some were donated to ensure their preservation.

David Summers, the Crystal Caves proprietor who is in charge of the Wilkinson Trust, did not dispute that about six carriages were falling apart in the open.

“The ones that are out in the rain are not roadworthy,” Mr Summers said.

“They’re riddled with termites.

“They’re part of the estate of Josephine Wilkinson and have been in storage since Fabian.

“They are just not in decent or reasonable shape.”

Some carriages that are in better repair remain in storage inside containers, but restoration is costly work, he added.

A number of historic carriages were repaired decades ago at personal expense by the late William “Cheese” Ray, but Mr Summers said the trust could not continue to pay for their storage.

Nor was he able to foot the bill for them to be sent overseas for full restoration.

“We are in the process of discussing it with an enthusiast who may want to take this on as a benefactor, but during times like these, benefactors are not too common,” Mr Summers said.

Many varieties of carriages were used before the advent of the motor car. The surrey, a two-seater with a fringed cover, was the most popular, and could be drawn by a single horse. Other, more formal, carriages were larger and some were ceremonial or employed as hearses.

The Carriage House Museum, a modest operation, was heavily damaged by Fabian and lost its roof. The premises were since converted for restaurant use and now house the Tempest Restaurant.