Dear Sir,

I read with interest the article in today’s The Royal Gazette entitled “Concern over lack of court space”. Surely the obvious answer to get another courtroom available is to reopen the court on 113 Front Street on the corner of Front and Court streets, until recently the Registry of the Supreme Court?

I remember doing jury duty in that room, and it was very adequate. I understand that there has been a mould problem in the building, but to clear that cannot be beyond the capability of man, and it would be good to get the building in use again — perhaps even in due course to make a second courtroom on the ground floor.

As well as being a handsome one very appropriate to the site, the building is exceedingly important to the history of Hamilton, and it would be good to find a continuing use for it.

It was built as the Custom House Warehouse and Town Hall and completed in 1794, so, at 225 years, is now the oldest surviving building in Hamilton. It has had many official uses and many older Bermudians remember it with affection from the days when it housed the fire brigade.

For most of those 225 years, mould was not an issue — it is only since the desire for air-conditioning and hence the lack of fresh air, combined with poor maintenance, that this has become a problem in some of these older buildings. I cannot believe that it cannot be fixed, and quickly.

MARGARET LLOYD

Paget