Barbadians remember with sadness when the Cunard Group sold the Paradise property on Black Rock to Jamaican businessman and owner of Sandals Resort Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart. The transfer of ownership occurred in 1992 and it would be thirteen long years before a group led by hotel magnate Michael Pemberton and partner Robin Paterson of Cinnamon 88 fame would be able to wrestle the Paradise property away from Stewart. Barbadians would have been fed the story by Stewart of high taxes and inordinate government red tape which deterred him from developing the property. Affecting his decision as well would have been a law suit brought by American businessman William Everett Locke Jr who claimed Stewart reneged on an agreement to sell him the property for US19 million.
The once beautiful Paradise property without the required maintenance quickly became derelict and an embarrassment to an island which has tourism still as its key productive sector. History will judge the players who frustrated the Paradise deal very harshly.
How could a premium beach-front property have been allowed to run to ruin in one of the leading tourist destinations in the world?
A few years later and refusing to learn from history Barbados finds itself in a similar position with the Sam Lord’s Castle property. Grant Hotels Inc a local concern purchased the property from Marriott’s around 2001 and quickly racked up several millions dollars in debt. At the time a cash rich CLICO made the bid to purchase the property and after several court battles appeared to have been successful over other suitors.
Stories have been written which blame CLICO for the derelict state Sam Lord’s Castle has become but BU understands there are mitigating factors at play. The latest information we have indicates Doyle, the owner of the beautiful Crane property has hired Mottley to represent him in the legal battle to gain ownership of the Sam Lord’s Castle property. While it is Doyle’s right to exercise all legal avenues to win title of the St. Philip properly, the effort would tie the transfer of title up in court for years.
The intended action by Doyle and the expected consequence may have influenced the government of Barbados to begin proceedings to compulsory acquire the property to make for an easier sale. It appears there are many interested buyers based on word on the ground.
BU supports any effort to resuscitate the Sam Lord’s property sooner rather than later. Barbados depends heavily on tourism and to have a major property like Sam Lord’s remain idle translates to less foreign exchange to the government’s coffer.
While CLICO is party to the transaction there are lose ends which would have barred CLICO from claiming clear title to the Sam Lord’s Castle property.
Barbados Underground 
Something needs to be done to Sam Lord’s Hotel soonest as thatr place must not be allowed to deteriorate anymore. I visited the sight a few weeks ago and almost cried when I saw the state of that property now. It reminded me of the devastation that Barbados allowed Paradise to come to. I remembered the good days of Paradise, the Wednesday night show and the best pasting fruit punches in the island.
For my part, I would demolish Sam Lords Castle. Sam Lord was nothing more than a thief. Why shou;d we want to remember him? Just because he was white?
Dear BU,
Thanks for coming to the defense of Clico without mentioning the sorry state of civil court cases in Barbados that sometimes last 15 or 20 years.
Thanks for not mentioning that Clico made a decision to not petition the court for a maintenance order and costs against the court’s final decision that would have prevented the deterioration of the structure.
Thanks for not mentioning that the Government of Barbados failed to seek the same maintenance order or apply for intervenor status to save a national heritage site.
You see, it satisfied both Clico and the government of Barbados to have Sam Lord’s deteriorate to the point where it became unsalvageable.
Thanks for not mentioning that !
Yours truly,
L. Parris (and if you believe that I have some Clico-owned Florida swampland to sell you) ha ha ha
why highlight Paradise Beach Hotel only to introduce the Sam Lords Castle fiasco. Both are terrible atrocities and Paradise Beach Hotel is the one that needs a greater looking into. Nothing has been resolved. Cinnamon 88 are still ‘hemahawing’ yet we all know that they have taken their heavy equipment etc. and have left for good. just because Sam Lord’s is in Clico’s hands does not mean it is anymore important than Paradise Beach Hotel.
Sam Lords Castle was built was built with ill gotten funds.I say tear it down.
Here is what I found while surfing the net:
“Why is the David Thompson Administration rushing to compulsorily acquire Sam Lord’s Castle from Clico?
This is the question Barbadians want answered today.
After all the promises of open Government, how is that Barbadians first learnt of the acquisition through a Section 3 notice published only in the Advocate Newspaper?
Why – despite his promises of transparency – has the Prime Minister not kept the country up to date on the state of Clico’s affairs in Barbados?
Why has he neglected for months, the genuine concerns of Barbadian investors and policyholders who are unable to get their money and who do not know what is going on?
How is it that the OECS regulators are moving to place the CL Financial subsidiary, British American, under judicial management in the Eastern Caribbean, but here in Barbados despite repeated calls from the Leader of the Opposition, Mia Mottley, that is not an appropriate remedy for our own people?
Why is it that the Memorandum of Understanding with Clico – still has not been made public, as it was in Trinidad & Tobago?
What are the Terms of Reference of the Oversight Committee?
Why has the Oversight Committee not invited offers for the Sam Lord’s property from the private sector, when interest has been expressed in that quarter?
And – why after criticizing the Owen Arthur Administration for investing in Gems – is the David Thompson Administration now seeking to compulsorily acquire a dilapidated Castle, without any plan for its development?
The cart before the horse syndrome has risen to new heights on this “deal,” even by Democratic Labour Party standards.
Why, when direct foreign investment has fallen by $1 billion in the last year, would the Government want to use your money to bail out Clico Holdings instead of advertising the property locally and abroad?
Why when our foreign reserves are a problem and the Central Bank has instructed four other insurance entities to repatriate 50% of their second tier foreign reserves by March 2010 – is the Government spending your money on a derelict castle and 54 acres of land?
How is this crazy scheme of benefit to anyone except Clico?
No wonder Clico’s Terrence Thornhill does not anticipate any difficulties with the acquisition.
Like us, you will be forgiven if you think that a deal has already been struck. Like the ad says: “the price is right darling, the price is right.”
Why would the Government choose to use prime tourism development land for housing?
How do you value prime cliff-front land for housing?
What does the Minister of Housing mean by protecting beach access?
The good people of St. Philip, Bajans from all over the island and visitors have been swimming and fishing at Long Bay, Harrismith and Bottom Bay for centuries without any problems.
Furthermore, access to the cliffs is already assured, as part of the conservation area designated in the 1980’s.
So who is he fooling with this emotional touchstone?
What is the urgency at a time when Government is cash strapped and having difficulty paying its bills to acquire Sam Lord’s Castle?
How can this be a priority when Government has cut its budget across all Ministries by 10%? How is it that they could not find money to ease you by supporting the Barbados Water Authority for eighteen months but they can find the money to bailout Clico?
Something is very wrong with this picture!
The question we must all ask now is – how much is the Government going to pay Clico for the property?
This is surely going to be the most expensive Government housing project in the 328 years since our settlement?
The people are watching and waiting for answers.
http://blp.org.bb/weekly/777
Anon, to tear down Sam Lords because of the activities of its original owner is ridiculous. Regardless of the methods under which he obtained his wealth, he’s been dead for more than 150 years. Good grief, it’s party of Barbados’ history. And lose the racist slant; it’s unnecessary and shows your ignorance.
@Clico Apologist
Are you saying CLICO is solely responsible for the Sam Lord’s matter being tied up in the courts?
Why waste good money on old junk.
Knock down Sam Lords castle and start fresh. The same way the Barbados Labour Party knocked down the old Hilton Hotel and rebuilt the whole thing.
Get rid of the Castle of the old criminal Sam Lord.
The hotel did not go to ruin overnight. Clico and the government could have sought an order from the court to protect and maintain the facility while the civil action proceeded. For strategic reasons both the (BLP) government and Clico were happy to see Sam Lord’s deteriorate so they did not apply for the order.
I seem to remember that when the Clico collapse started, they said that Sam Lord’s was one of their major assets. We now hear that they may not actually have had proper title to it – in other words they didn’t own it. What else do they claim to own but don’t?
To last post: Wrong conclusion.
Remember Grants was in insolvency proceedings and Clico purchased the property subject to the debt which the parties would have released on payment.
Crane Owner steps in and buys the debt and delays the process because Grant double-crossed him and he – a Canadian wants to own the Gems of St. Philip – and hire Guyanese to work on his hotels, by the way.
The matter would never have ended – High Court, Court of Appeal, Caribbean Court of Appeal. Imagine it.
Why don’t you ask about Doyle?
It is strange that immigration has not yet caught up with what is happening at the Crane project. There is approx 90% non-nationals working on that project, of that amount 90% are illegals and 90% guyanese. I understand that on a few occasions the immigration turned up and the site was cleared in a matter of minutes if not seconds. I once saw a Transport Board bus offloaded at the entrance and there was only 2 bajans on board. With unemployment in Barbados rising, a stop MUST be put to preference being given to non-nationals over locals and to compound the problem, this is done by a non-national. I would encourage the Barbados Government to compulsory acquire Sam Lord’s Castle and renovate it by employing only bajans and use this as a stimulus package project to keepo bajan artisans and others employed.
That last lost is completely wrong. I work in construction at The Crane, and the majority of workers are BAJAN. The crane hires outside contractors as well as their own staff. Every time immigration came in, the illegal immigrants that were found were all working for the contractors..NOT The Crane. Get your facts right.
2nd, The government wants to come in and set up PUBLIC HOUSING. Now I see that as a great thing for our community… to help out those in need of homes. But please, have some business sense and do not make Sam Lord’s property (arguably one of the most prime locations for a resort in the Caribbean) into public housing. Public housing should not be built in a prime location where massive amounts of potential foreign investment can come from.
Even if the government wants to purchase the property for a resort development…lets face it, every government resort on the island is doing horrible. (Savannah for example). We should leave the property to someone who knows how to build a world-class resort and has experience in the hotel industry (Doyle would be a perfect candidate). Doyle is Canadian, yea..so what? I am 100% Bajan and I see nothing wrong in the fact that he was not born in Barbados. Look at what he was turned The Crane into in the last 10years and ask yourself in the government would be able to do the same thing at Sam Lords..
With all that being said..it does not look like anyone will have that property in years because of the ridiculously slow civil court system we have.
@St.philipbajan
Pray tell me why cant bonafide born and bred Bajans live in public housing on the land at Sam Lords? Why does every piece of beautiful land have to be reserved for the enjoyment of foreigners? Why cant we place our own on beautiful sites. You are thinking just like the slave masters of old. Chuck the blacks in the gullies and keep the prime land for the white folks.
Barbdos has to look for value added products to export and earn foreign currency.
Land is not a renewable asset. Once it is sold, it is gone, never to return to the locals. Tourism is whoreism.
Your mindset is putting the island back to the dirty 30s.
For what it’s worth, I’d like to mention that my wife and I enjoyed our honeymoon at Sam Lord’s Castle in 1990. We have such fond memories of our time in Barbados. Almost twenty years later, I still remember with great clarity all the places we visited and the wonderful people we met. And the food! Flying fish was such a delight.
please help we got married at sam lords on sept 2001 and it was the most enjoyable holiday we have had although the resort was a bit tired the staff /food/beach etc made up for that and great value for money what a shame to see this great bit of barbados to end like this??? are the rumours true with reference to the relaunch for 2011 as i would love to be able to renew our wedding vows there and i am getting mixed reports????please help.merry xmas to all and happy new year..chris uk
@chris
Good to read of the good memories you have of Barbados. Regrettably Sam Lords Castle has become encumbered in litigation in recent years. The latest word suggests the government of Barbados plans to purchase the derelict property to develop for local housing and some other things. Perhaps you can consider returning to visit the Crane Hotel which is local in the vicinity.
I refer to the comments left by St.philipbajan on Nov 26 09 “Tourism is whoreism” and remind him that without tourism Barbados would be back in the 30’s. Sam Lords was the only large resort on that side of the Island and the locals did benefit from it being there. Why do you feel that social housing should be built on that particular site when there is plenty of undeveloped land on the east coast. I chose to stay at Sam Lords because of its location and as a foreign tourist no Bajan ever refused my money. Your right, land is not a renewable asset, so you should make the most of what you have, shake the hand of the tourist that bothers to visit your country because without him Barbados will end up in poverty.
The Barbados government is pushing tourism like never before..giving tax benefits for hotels, and even re-reimbursements for profit losses during the 2008 recession. The government is aware of the massive potential that resorts provide for our economy.
The Sam Lord’s property is arguably the most valuable set of land for a Caribbean resort. Economically speaking, what would you rather have: 1) Public housing on the area to provide shelter for a couple hundred bajans..OR 2) Public housing in another area that is not in a prime resort location AND have a world class resort which will provide 500+ jobs for bajans.
Public housing is not a solution for our low-income class. Providing jobs IS a solution, and a resort on the east coast is exactly what St. Philip needs to raise employment in the area. Would you rather provide a house for a bajan who has no job, or provide a house inland and give them a job in which they can work and potentially make it out of the government housing that we provided them in the first place.
Think about it.
If this property ever comes up for sale, someone please let me know right away.
Wer hat das Anwesen Sam lord s Castle nach dem Ableben des Eigentümers verwaltet? Es gehörte doch jemandem von 1924-1954. Es war ein bekannter Millionär dieser Zeit aus den USA. Sein Ursprungsland ist Deutschland. Mich interessiert das alles sehr. Bin über jede Information dankbar.
we got married at sam lords in june 2001. we returned to barbados in 2005 and were heart broken to see that the site of our happiest moment had deteriorated so badly. will someone please sort out the mess that is going on there. i can’t believe any country could let such a national treasure go to ruin like this.
The Nation has a picture up.
BU believes the Sam Lords matter is still wrapped up in the Courts.
This is not what Barbados needs at this time. We haven’t been very appreciative of our historic buildings. Bit by bit our heritage is being eroded.
@islandgal
You my cry for the Sam Lords property because it is gone!
The government had placed a compulsory acquisition resolution of Sam Lords on the Order paper earlier this year and there was a first reading, not sure if the resolution went to committee and was finalised.
A major fire at Sam Lords and CBC radio 94.7 playing rock music.
Wunna en got nuh trucks to broadcast live yet?
David,
my heart is very heavy, I have had many happy memories there while doing island tours as a tour rep years ago. It was with love and pride I showed off Sam Lords to our visitors. We do not know the value of what we have in Barbados.
A friend just wrote, ” EVERY SINGLE day, visitors come to the office asking how to get to Sam Lord’s. They can’t believe when we tell them it has been a ruin for the last 7 years. A wonderful heritage site that was left to decay. Lost forever.”
The folly of man will continue to create amazement.
If we cannot protect and treasure what we have, who will?
Sam Lord’s burn, wuh loss it burn
Down to de ground, down to de ground
I wonda wha cause it, wha cause it so.
Maybe electic or paro smoke?
Sam Lord burn it burn to de groun
Only de frame leff only de frame
I wonda wha cause it, I wonda fuh so
Maybe electic or paro smoke?
Sam Lord’s gone, to his-tory
It gone, gone fuh we
Sam Lord’s burn, wuh loss it burn
It gone, gone, gone!
De owners musse as gutted as de frame.
Politicians have no shame. We have seen this truism acted out within the last few days by certain elements in the BLP. Some elements high in the DLP showed a similar lack of shame in the Sam Lord’s drama some months ago when the DLP government decided to acquire the direlict property, presumably as part of the friendly bailout of CLICO. It would be interesting to see what price they will pay for it now, with the gemstone of the property gone.
@ Checkit-out
Right now I am so disgusted I am ready now for a TOTALLY NEW CROP of politicians.
IslandGal246; A new crop of politicians will do exactly the same type of things that the current crop is doing after just a term or so in office. I think the answer might lie perhaps in getting rules adopted that would severely circumscribe the way that a politician can act.
Some elements of rules or laws that might arguably assist in improving our politicians might be such things as; Freedom of Information; Term Limits for parties and MP’s; A strong anti-corruption act; clear guidelines for recall of MP’s for cause at anytime during a term of office; impeachment regulations; an independant bipartisan public-private sector ethics commission; etc.
However, how one could get such rules adopted is something that is quite difficult to envisage as the politicians are very unlikely to set rules or laws that would go against their own self interest.
Of course, the above is just wishful, unimplementable thinking.
@Anon | September 9, 2009 at 7:39 AM | Your ignorance is almost breathtaking. You see, Sam Lord was NOT white. He was “coloured”. In the early 1820s, for a man of clearly mixed blood to acquire four (not one, but four) plantations in Barbados, plus marry into the British landed gentry, plus have a West End home on London’s Jermyn Street (one of the most fashionable addresses) was quite something. It was a position that you, Anon, will clearly never achieve.
Amused;
Grateful for the source of the information above on Sam Lord.
Government has no right to acquiring this property! They have a very poor maintenance record and only pay lip service to the preservation of historic buildings. Villa Nova will be the next tragedy, ……mark my words. WHAT HAVE WE COME TO AS A PEOPLE AND A NATION?
@Anon | September 9, 2009 at 7:39 AM
Good grief! I only thought people like you existed in the movies. To actually read your post tells me that the education you were exposed to, did very little or was very dangerous for you. I hope that you and other persons like you are never put into positions to make decisions about Barbados.
Many Bajans are under the misconception that Tourist have to come here. We are only as good as our last impression to our last visitor. Keep destroying our past ans see where it will get us in the future. Our only resource is our people, let our arrogance and ignorance continue, it will bring us to our knees.
” let our arrogance and ignorance continue, it will bring us to our knees.”
islandgal246, you have hit the nail on the head.
One day coming soon, the people (bajans) will wake up. Right now they are in a arrogant slumber.
The destruction of the derelict though historic site should raise the issue of why government took the decision to compulsory the property. BU believes the first reading of the resolution was read and that is where the matter rest currently. The CLICO matter continues to haunt this government.
Isn’t Mr Grant still the owner?
Isn’t Mr Grant still the owner?
Grant sold to CLICO awhile back.
It might be instructive to have a look at the following BLP article of July 2009 which provides some partisan background of great relevance to the Sam Lord’s fire.
BLP column: That Sam Lord’s conundrum; 7/27/2009
Why is the David Thompson Administration rushing to compulsorily acquire Sam Lord’s Castle from Clico? This is the question Barbadians want answered today. After all the promises of open Government, how is it that Barbadians first learnt of the acquisition through a Section 3 notice published only in the Barbados Advocate?
Why, despite his promises of transparency, has the Prime Minister not kept the country up to date on the state of Clico’s affairs in Barbados? Why has he neglected for months the concerns of Barbadian investors and policyholders, who are unable to get their money and who do not know what is going on?
How is it that the OECS regulators are moving to place the CL Financial subsidiary – British American – under judicial management in the Eastern Caribbean, but here in Barbados, despite repeated calls from the Leader of the Opposition, Mia Mottley, that is not an appropriate remedy for our own people?
Why is it that the Memorandum of Understanding with Clico still has not been made public as it was in Trinidad & Tobago? What are the terms of reference of the Oversight Committee? Why has the Oversight Committee not invited offers for the Sam Lord’s property from the private sector, when interest has been expressed in that quarter? And why, after criticising the Owen Arthur Administration for investing in Gems, is the David Thompson Administration now seeking to compulsorily acquire a dilapidated castle without any plan for its development? The cart before the horse syndrome has risen to new heights on this deal, even by Democratic Labour Party standards.
Why when direct foreign investment has fallen by $1 billion in the last year, would the Government want to use your money to bail out Clico Holdings instead of advertising the property locally and abroad? Why when our foreign reserves are a problem and the Central Bank has instructed four other insurance entities to repatriate 50 per cent of their second tier foreign reserves by March 2010, is the Government spending your money on a derelict castle and 54 acres of land?
How is this move of benefit to anyone except Clico? No wonder Clico’s Terrence Thornhill does not anticipate any difficulties with the acquisition. Like us, you will be forgiven if you think that a deal has already been struck. Like the ad says: “The price is right darling, the price is right.”
Why would the Government choose to use prime tourism development land for housing? How do you value prime, cliff-front land for housing? What does the Minister of Housing mean by protecting beach access? The good people of St. Philip, Bajans from all over the island and visitors have been swimming and fishing at Long Bay, Harrismith and Bottom Bay for centuries without any problems. Furthermore, access to the cliffs is already assured as part of the conservation area designated in the 1980s. So who is he fooling with this emotional touchstone?
What is the urgency at a time when Government is cash-strapped and having difficulty paying its bills to acquire Sam Lord’s Castle? How can this be a priority when Government has cut its budget across all Ministries by ten per cent? How is it that they could not find money to ease you by supporting the Barbados Water Authority for 18 months, but they can find the money to bailout Clico?
Something is very wrong with this picture. The question we must all ask now is how much is the Government going to pay Clico for the property? This is surely going to be the most expensive Government housing project in the 328 years since our settlement? The people are watching and waiting for answers. Over to you, PM Thompson.
@Checkit-out
I totally agree with you and I want answers as well.
“What is the urgency at a time when Government is cash-strapped and having difficulty paying its bills to acquire Sam Lord’s Castle? How can this be a priority when Government has cut its budget across all Ministries by ten per cent? How is it that they could not find money to ease you by supporting the Barbados Water Authority for 18 months, but they can find the money to bailout Clico?”
The plot sickens.
Amused | October 21, 2010 at 5:03 AM |
@Anon | September 9, 2009 at 7:39 AM | Your ignorance is almost breathtaking. You see, Sam Lord was NOT white. He was “coloured”. In the early 1820s, for a man of clearly mixed blood to acquire four (not one, but four) plantations in Barbados, plus marry into the British landed gentry, plus have a West End home on London’s Jermyn Street (one of the most fashionable addresses) was quite something. It was a position that you, Anon, will clearly never achieve.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You may be right about Sam Lord’s colour.
His mother was Bathsheba Sargeant and his father John Lord.
The Sargeant family name mixed from pretty early and Bathsheba Sargeant may well have been coloured.
The earliest I have is a 29th August 1765 marriage of two free negroes recorded in St. Philip, David Sargeant and Sarah Cuffley.
The Cuffley surname comes from a slave who was freed in the 1720’s by a Thomas Cuffley if my memory serves me right, I reckon the last of the English Cuffley’s.
Samuel Hall Lord’s baptism on 23rd Nov 1778 to a John and Bathsheba Lord in St. Philip does not have a colour mentioned.
It could be that it was a mixed marriage, with John Lord being white and Bathsheba Sargeant being a free mulatto or free negro.
There was at least one Free Negro with the surname Sargeant around that time, David Sargeant.
Could be her brother.
John Lord’s marriage to Bathsheba Sargeant on 23rd April 1767 however does not specify the colour of either party so on the face of it both should be white.
However when a baptism for Bathsheba Sarjeant is searched, none can be found suggesting she may well have been born a slave.
What you say about his colour may be distinctly possible.
I haven’t done enough digging to say for sure.
One of these days.
Halölo zusammen!
Ich habe alle Beitäge, die mir geschickt wurden gelesen. Wer hat Sam Lord s Castle 1924 gekauft und war dann bis 1954 Eigentümer? Ich hatte mal gelesen, daß es ein Unternemer aus den U.S.A. war? Stimmt das? War er vielleicht auch ein Auswanderer aus Deutschland?Soviel ich weis, hat mein Verwandter das Anwesen Sam Lord s Castle damals gekauft und im Winter über auch bewohnt. Damals gab es sogar dort eine kleine Gärtnerei. Wer kann mir den Namen des Mannes schreiben, damit ich weis, ob es stimmt! Vorerst viele Grüsse aus Deutschland.
BU ran this German through the translator and came up with the following:
Wie hies der Eigentümer von Sam Lord s Castle um 1930?
Er soll Amerikaner gewesen sein.
Ich brauche den Namen ! Wer kann mir das schreiben?
Ich warte auf Antwort.
Viele Dank!
I went and looked around the derelict grounds of the castle today to see how much damage has been caused by the fire on top of the already present damage caused by neglect.
Imagine my surprise when I found where the conference centre used to be was a line of bricks only two bricks high. In front of these bricks was a pile of burnt floppy discs, files, papers and a partly burnt cheque book. I perused through some of the papers and the very legible cheque book. The name on the cheque book and the paperwork – Colonial Life Insurance Company – CLICO.
Someone’s up to no good. Again.
My Partner and I stayed here with a cracking couple in 2001.
this was the best time ever’ the place is gorgeous and the staff were so nice.
the place has such a good feel to it an forms a large part of history for the region’ sadly profit rules and I think there is a different adgenda for this place.
it appears the venue has been deliberatly run down for mass gain.
shame.
Wie hies der Eigentümer von Sam Lord s Castle um 1930?
Er soll Amerikaner gewesen sein.
Ich brauche den Namen ! Wer kann mir das schreiben?
David …kindly translate for us.
This is a topic that is close to my heart..
. Thank you! Exactly where are your contact details though?
I found the details of my ancestors, interesting! It fits in with what I was told as a child. Ruby Lord ruby.hamilton@rogers.com