The Government has said it is working with a community group to develop a plan for the future of Hamilton’s historic Wantley.

The house on Princess Street, which played a key role in the formation of the Berkeley Institute, is derelict and was scheduled for demolition until various community organisations came together to urge its preservation.

Wantley Matters, a pressure group set up to save Wantley, said they had submitted a proposal last year to rent the property for a peppercorn rent with the option for a full purchase in the future.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works said: “The Bermuda Housing Corporation continues to work closely with the Wantley Matters group to arrive at a solution, along with the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation and the Northeast Hamilton plan.

“The BHC will be happy to make an announcement once a determination has been made.”

A Wantley Matters spokesman said that there had been some engagement, and they were hopeful for the future of the building.

He added that the Memorandum of Understanding proposed for the property last October was intended to give the group time to engage with the public about how the historic building could be used and fundraise.

“We are hopeful that the BHC and Ministry will work towards that end,” he said.

Wantley was built in 1875 by Samuel Robinson.

Mr Robinson organised a meeting at his home four years later with six other men and established the Berkeley Educational Society to raise funds for an integrated school in segregated Bermuda.

The Bermuda Housing Corporation bought Wantley in 2008 and the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation early last year looked at use of the building as its headquarters.

But the house was damaged by a fire in late 2020 and a structural appraisal found that a “complete overhaul” – estimated to cost at least $1.2 million – would be needed.

BHC applied for permission to level the house in April, which was approved in May, but members of the community voiced objections to the proposal and called for the building to be protected.

The Wantley Matters spokesman said: “First, Wantley is one of the finest examples of Victorian residential architecture in the City of Hamilton and stands on its own on architectural merit.

“Secondly, the success and the built legacy of Wantley's first owner, Mr Robinson, during the period soon after the abolition of slavery should be acknowledged and recognised as part of our Bermudian narrative.

“Finally, Mr Robinson and a group of like minded Bermudians, who would go on to form the Berkeley Educational Society, first met at Wantley to work towards forming a school that would be accessible to all Bermudians, male and female, black and white.

“The Berkeley Institute would go on to play a central role in empowering Black Bermudians.”