Bermuda's Architectural Heritage -- Devonshire -- Volume One -- Bermuda National Trust -- Text by Andrew Trimingham.

*** Long awaited, and well worth the wait, is the National Trust's first volume of its Historic Buildings Book Project.

Spearheaded in 1985 by then President of the Trust, Andrew Trimingham, and Chairman of the Historic Buildings Committee, John Adams, it was decided to make a full inventory of the Island's historic buildings. Led by Margaret Lloyd and Rosemary Clipper, researchers have spent over four years listing, photographing and recording salient facts on all the sites visited.

Realising that this inventory was necessary before any preservation plans could be considered, the team worked from the 1898 map by Lt. R.E. Savage which showed every building (except forts) which then existed on the Island.

This first volume graphically underlines the urgent need for Bermuda to appreciate, and preserve, its architectural treasures which are now attracting international attention.

With so much material gathered, the Trust felt that one book, covering the whole of Bermuda, would be impractical and have therefore decided to publish a series of illustrated books, divided on a regional basis.

The first volume is devoted to the parish of Devonshire.

As Government archivist John Adams points out in his Overview, Bermuda had become a shipping-based economy by the end of the 17th century. Because of its lack of large harbours, Devonshire was unable to fully benefit from the Island's commercial growth, resulting in its remaining one of the most sparsely populated parishes throughout the 19th century. Fortunately, from the architectural point of view, a handful of families retained large areas of land on which some of Bermuda's oldest and most beautiful houses had been built.

The other great event which engulfed the parish, and meticulously recorded in the book, was the draconian appropriation by the British military of large tracts of Devonshire land in the middle of the 19th century: many families were uprooted and, in the process, superb examples of early architecture were summarily destroyed or permanently disfigured.

Author Andrew Trimingham, a leading expert on Bermudian architecture, has written a scholarly, yet thoroughly absorbing text, divided into chapters which take the reader on a fascinating journey. Because the story of these houses is inextricably linked with the families who lived in them, the book also adds immeasurably to our knowledge of the often convoluted social history of the Island.

Mr. Trimingham begins his Devonian odyssey with the parish's oldest public building, that of Devonshire Old Church, the first version of which was destroyed in the hurricane of 1715, its replacement being commenced the following year.

It was in Devonshire that `Twelve Just Men' built the little schoolroom on Jubilee Road which eventually became Elliott School. The land was purchased by these men just six years after Emancipation, all of them black, and all determined to provide education for their children. The other ambitious educational venture was the founding of Devonshire College. Unfortunately, this scheme failed but the original College building still survives as one of the central buildings at St. Brendan's Hospital.

Among the notable houses detailed in the book is Palmetto House, an outstanding example of an early `cruciform' house, built in the early 1700s and Seven Wells, thought to be slightly older, though now in a sadly ruinous state. Many of the other notable houses are the homes of families, such as the Coxes and the Dills, who have done so much to preserve what is left of Devonshire's architectural heritage.

Although the eastern sector of Devonshire has become one of Bermuda's most densely populated areas, the researchers have found some gems there, as well.

The Glebe Road proved to be especially fruitful, with the Gospel Chapel, built around 1896, described by Mr. Trimingham as a simple building, "devoid of decoration, that best demonstrates the beauty of Bermudian architecture and its proportions''. Also on Glebe Road is the Lynch House, and nearby, Opposition Leader Frederick Wade's home, Sunny Villa, with its well preserved Victorian verandah. Perhaps most interesting of all, is Sea View House on the North Shore, also with a surviving verandah and a very rare outside stairway.

The Trust has been able to call on the talents of many people in this project.

Besides the team of researchers, Government archivist John Adams was the research consultant, with Jack Arnell undertaking newspaper research. The beautiful black and white photographs are by Robin Judah, the illustrations for the very useful glossary of architectural terms are by Molly Smith, with sidebar illustrations by Jon Mills. Extensive source notes are printed at the end.

With so much time devoted to this mammoth project (it is estimated that the other books will be published at two-yearly intervals) which is likely to become the definitive source on Bermuda's historical architecture, a hard cover binding would probably have been preferable. Presumably, financial constraints also prohibited the use of any coloured photographs.

In any event, this excellent publication, modestly priced, will become a vital edition to Bermudiana literature, and hopefully, will be extensively used throughout the Island's schools. It is vital that present and future generations understand that Bermuda's buildings -- quite unlike those of any other country in the world -- is its only indigenous art form. With the publication of this first volume, the National Trust has taken a huge step forward in driving this urgent message home.

`Devonshire', published by the Bermuda National Trust, is now on sale at $18.95, and may be purchased from the Trust's headquarters at Waterville, from Trustworthy in the Gibbons building on Church Street, and from stores throughout Bermuda.

PATRICIA CALNAN