Premier Brantley announces near-completion of Bath Hot Springs Project in Nevis

St. Kitts and Nevis: Premier of Nevis, Mark Brantley, shared insights on the Bath Hot Springs Project, saying that major upgrades have been done at this significant site and that it is now nearing completion. He shared the updates during his monthly conference held in late May.

Premier Brantley noted that the site will include a small welcome center for visitors and will feature bathroom and change room facilities.

The project, being carried out in partnership with the Nevis Island Administration – NIA/ Ministry of Tourism Nevis, will include engineering works that include repairs to electrical wiring and plumbing, sealing of the roof, repairs to any windows and doors by skilled carpenters as well as the repointing of the stonework where necessary by a master mason.

While outlining the overall look of the development, he said, “We actually got some old chattel houses and brought on site to create that sort of rustic village feel, if you will. We’re doing some walls, some stone walls, we’re doing some picket fencing, and I’m very happy with what I see there.”

He further commended Pierce John Hanley who leads the team and more specifically Sylvester Meade as this has been a passion of his for a very long time and he has really been there pushing on this project.

The Premier noted that upon completion the project should include a gazebo and some flagstone pathways and three buildings on the site are almost complete with just minor finishes, electrical and data connections to be made.

Meanwhile, a new entryway and illuminated parking lots will shortly be constructed and as a result, traffic into the Bath Stream yard will be restricted over the next few weeks.

It is to be noted that this imposing cut-stone structure is located just south of Charlestown, Nevis’ capital. It was built around 1800, with enslaved Africans most certainly having done most, if not all, of the work, and the monument today stands as a testimony to their skill.

In its heyday, it was an elegant hotel that served as a playground for the wealthy planters of Nevis and the entire Caribbean, who flocked to its therapeutic hot spring waters.

The Bath Hotel is among the few non-military, non-estate, and non-government structures in the Caribbean, noted for its remarkable scale, design, and setting. The hotel was constructed over the site of the island’s largest volcanic hot springs, which contain minerals of medicinal value.

The thermal springs are unique in that they have been continuously used from Amerindian times to the present, and even more so in that they are a place of memory associated with the adaption and survival of enslaved Africans.

The urgent conservation and eventual rehabilitation of the site will expand the use of the Bath Hotel and hot springs so that they may continue to be used and enjoyed by the community and visitors alike.