Governor General Sir Rodney Williams officially unveiled the newly restored Main House and Government House Museum on Friday, closing a chapter of heritage work that began more than a decade ago. According to Antigua.news, the ceremony marked the completion of a restoration project launched in 2014, transforming Government House into a living heritage site and cementing its status as a National Heritage Site.
The launch drew members of the diplomatic corps, donors, directors of the Antigua and Barbuda Heritage Trust, senior public servants, and friends of the estate. Sir Molwyn Joseph received the key to the restored Main House on behalf of Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Cabinet colleagues.
"Today is a day of profound gratitude, national pride, and historic meaning," said Sir Rodney, who also serves as President of the Heritage Trust. He described the occasion as a moment of "presentation, of thanksgiving, and of transition," noting that the Trust — incorporated in 2018 and authorised by Cabinet to oversee the restoration — has now fulfilled its major infrastructural mandate.
Sir Rodney expressed gratitude to several donors who made the project possible, including former Ambassador Walid Issa Taha, the Calvin Ayre Foundation, Sir David Harrison, the Hadeed Group of Companies, and Caribbean Alliance. He also acknowledged the contributions of Director Janey Howell, who conducted monthly in-person site visits since 2023 in a voluntary capacity, and Director Dr Gabriella Howell, who served as Director for Historic Conservation and Museum Development, also voluntarily, alongside daily virtual oversight.
Dr Howell prepared the Board-approved Museum Staff Handbook, Museum Catalogue, and Living Master Plan charting the long-term future of Government House.
The museum, housed within the Main House, traces Antigua and Barbuda's national identity from the onset of British rule in 1632 through emancipation in 1834, independence in 1981, and through to the present day. Dr Howell noted that the museum does not duplicate work already undertaken at existing sites such as the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, Betty's Hope, Nelson's Dockyard, Clarence House, and Shirley Heights, but rather connects those histories specifically to Government House and the role of its governors.
A team of historians — including Dr Susan Lowes, Dr Natasha Lightfoot, Dr Reg Murphy, and Dr Chris Waters — contributed research to the museum's content. Among the notable loans to the collection is the Benedict Queen collection, a private assemblage of artwork depicting Antigua and Barbuda from the late 1600s to the 1800s, loaned by Judge Nancy Underhill. A dedicated exhibition of the full collection is planned for 2027.
Dr Howell also highlighted ongoing efforts to recover the names of servicemen and women from Antigua and Barbuda who served in the First and Second World Wars — work she described as particularly significant given that, unlike Barbados and Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda had not previously preserved its own regimental lists.
Sir Rodney indicated that the restoration project is not yet fully complete. The gardens — the remaining major element — are expected to be finished in time for the country's 45th Independence Anniversary this November.
