--March 10, 2008
Plans for what is being billed as the New British Village, a refurbished and refreshed Gaspesian British Heritage Village, have gained enthusiastic endorsement by two of the major players on the national and international museum scene - Phyllis Lambert, founder and director emeritus of the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, and Francine Lelièvre, founder and director of Musée Pointe-à- Callières, also in Montreal.
Team Britville, Tammy Burton, Brian Carey and Leonard Jordaan, are in the midst of redesigning the Village for its 20th season to focus around 10 of the 22 heritage buildings on the site.
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Old store.
(Photo: Matthew Farfan) |
Once refreshed, cleaned and repaired they will be linked by a new network of boardwalks leading to a British Pub, English Garden, and an exhibition, Everyday Treasures of the Village.
Impressed by the idea of year-round enterprises to the site, both Lambert and Lelievre saw the new initiatives as a way of animating particular buildings, creating a Village brand of products, and reengaging their community. To prosper the Village has to become an integral part of the cultural and economic life of the greater Gaspésie.
Here’s a summary of where the project is at the moment.
Implicitly vernacular - The Village is a collection of 19th and early 20th century houses in the region, that rather than be demolished or changed beyond recognition, were moved to land of significant importance to the original inhabitants.
Their humble everyday architecture, is typical of the colonist’s practical response to new, harsh realities. The site is quite different from various idealized reconstructions such as The Acadian Village in New Brunswick and the Fortress of Louisbourg in Cape Breton. Most of the buildings were well-used and rather tired when they were saved, having already experienced long working lives. Their 20-year stint as a tourist destination has only augmented this patina of age - a sign of their authenticity.
Historical context - The ‘Village’ was conceived during the bicentennial of loyalist immigration to the Gaspé peninsula, and was established between 1984 and 1989, a time in Quebec’s history following the linguistic changing of the guard triggered by Bill 101. A time that witnessed large numbers of Anglophones who left both the region, and the province.
In the midst of this turmoil, the founders decided not only to stay in the region, but also to create a symbol of pride for their community. The vigour of the effort has to be admired but resulted in fundamental distortions.
The tensions and bitterness of that time produced many levels of paranoia in both solitudes; those on the side of the Village reached near siege-mentality, while the other side, and those who controlled the funding, were indifferent at best, resulting in a difficulty to adapt to changing times.
Today’s reality – The animation of more than 20 building on a site the size of almost 70 football fields is a quixotic undertaking, particularly for such a brief summer tourist season. The name itself is a marketing nightmare -Village Gaspésien de l’Héritage Britannique / Gaspesian British Heritage Village!
And a logo that flaunts a symbol which doesn’t resonate with the people of Quebec, the Union Jack, is, quite frankly, a turn-off to large numbers of people who are linked to the British Isles through ancestry (the Irish, Scots, and Welsh).
Add to this an under-utilized site. The Village itself only occupies a small section of the overall acreage. One of too few effective uses is the annual Bluegrass Festival that uses the old airstrip. Duthie’s Point with its wonderful views, beach and significant industrial past, is essentially ignored.
Despite a plethora of unimplemented studies, reports and plans and recently changing managers , the Village still enjoys great support by those living in New Richmond and, increasingly, the broader cultural and tourist sectors.
Solutions – Crucial to its redevelopment, at the heart of the Village is its mission to act as a bridge between the various regional communities.
A way to overcome the issues of name and logo would be to resurrect a symbol that depicts the area’s historical origins of ship building. Situating the Village in this broader context recreates it as a major commercial centre rich with multicultural exchanges.
Common sense precludes the total reliance on tourism as a source of income in a region with a season as short as that of the Gaspe, but allows it to fit in with other areas of interest such as the Forest Trails, the Airstrip/Festival zone, and Duthie’s Point itself, thus a total destination point.
Recognizing the limited tourist base, plans are in the works for the creation of a cultural exchange where the people of the region gather, share and cooperate in an institution central to their socio-economic needs.
The Village will once again become a cohesive place based on shared genetic and traditional heritage. A place to explore similarities, bridge differences and create community models of the future. Chronically under-employed worker-volunteers will be helped to create multiple small enterprises or cottage industries in selected buildings with the products marketed as the Village Brand.
Another untold story to date is the progression of the region from a sail-based economy to one that has become one increasingly reliant on wind power, an opportunity for the Village to parlay its unique position, physically and historically, into not only a unique attraction for tourists but a symbol for the whole peninsula, and of the vitality of the Gaspesian spirit.
Preserving traditions
The revitalized site would thus incorporate year-round commercial activity based on traditional craft skills and techniques adapted to the changing economic base, emphasizing bilingual training, and encouraging the preservation and restoration of the architectural heritage of the peninsula - all in the context of the 21st century technologies.
The members of Team Britville are proud of its building momentum that suggests the upcoming 20th season will be a roaring success.
**Leonard Jordaan, who develops promotional materials for print and website publications, is currently working with Team Britville to help implement their vision of a successful, revitalized New British Village on the Gaspé coast. He also serves on QAHN's board of directors.