History

The Folk Research Centre (FRC) is a non-governmental organization established in 1973 to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of St. Lucia.  The Centre was registered as a non-profit company in 1985.  FRC has sought to promote the role of folk arts as a vehicle for change and to illustrate the development potential of cultural heritage particularly in the field of education and in economic development.

OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of the Folk Research Centre are:
  1. To promote research into St. Lucia culture;
  2. To explore and clarify the role of culture in the development of our people;
  3. To contribute to the cultural development of our people.

HISTORIC AND CULTURAL INFORMATION ON THE PROPERTY

Located off Calvary Road with a panoramic view of Castries city and harbour, the premises of the Folk Research is a splendid property, set on the crest of a hill.  Built in the mid 1800s, it is one of the few preserved 19th Century structures left on the island.  Some of its historic features include red bricks made of stone quarried 400 yards away, and a flight of spiral stairs attached to the northern side of the building, leading to a concrete yard separating the servants quarters from the main structure.

The property is said to be one of the few to have Georgian aspects on the island and is a prime example of the European/Caribbean Architecture hybrid.  The main building consists of two floors with an attached patio and surrounding veranda.

The stately approach to the property provides an instant historic experience as the natural ambience is enhanced by grounds surrounded with grass lawns, flowered plants and majestic trees including, the focus, white cedar, and a variety of mango and palm.

A canon found on the grounds indicates its position as a defensive military point, and remains of a windmill identified not far from the site points to the possibility that it was once a plantation house.

The first owner of the house was the son of a Scottish immigrant, P.J.K Ferguson.  Mr. Ferguson had the house built on this particular site because he wanted to escape the malaria-infested city of Castries.  After P.J Ferguson's death, his son, Duncan, occupied the house.  In his later years, Duncan Ferguson sold his property to the Hon. George Williams, a member of the Legislative Council in the early 1900s, who not long afterwards sold it to Mr. Devaux began major renovations, adding a top storey.  The great Castries fire interrupted the work in that same year.  It was not until 1951 that renovations to the building were completed transforming that was an original bungalow into a structure that would later stand out as architecture influenced by Georgian and Victorian times.

On August 8, 1993, that very same building was officially opened as the permanent home of the Folk Research Centre (FRC).  The building is presently used as a resource centre providing research facilities and information on the cultural heritage of St. Lucia.  Equipped with an audio-visual studio and library, all data collected is documented and preserved.  Dissemination and access are facilitated through lecture sessions, multi-media presentations, community and school outreach programmes and permanent exhibitions mounted at the Centre.  The Centre is one of a kind on the island.