ST Saviour politicians have joined the voices calling for Howard Davis Hall to be reopened to the public after it was shuttered in 2022.
The JEP reached out to all representatives of the parish after the last surviving direct descendant of TB Davis, Aylwen Lyddell, told this newspaper that her great-grandfather would be “turning in his grave” over the closure of the hall following a £750,000 restoration project.
St Saviour Constable Kevin Lewis and parish Deputy Raluca Kovacs said they supported the hall being put back into public hands and would be raising it with the government.
The JEP has also revealed that the hall has been open to the public on just 11 occasions since 2022 and that in 2023 its management was handed to a private company, Ghost Kitchen, to run it as an event space. This newspaper has made repeated efforts to uncover the details of the deal using freedom of information legislation but all have been refused on commercial grounds.
Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan confirmed for the first time that the hall would be transferred to Property Holdings in January and not his department, as previously claimed by the government.
Constable Jehan said: “We recognise that the hall is an important and valued island asset and are committed to improving public access to the hall.
“I support the memorabilia being on display to the public at every opportunity. There are portraits of TB Davis, Howard Davis, and Mrs Davis. The large portrait of TB Davis, which originally hung in the hall, requires substantial restoration. The portrait is under the ownership of Jersey Heritage and, until the restoration can be arranged, the portrait will be safely stored in the Island.
“I recently spoke to a descendant of Howard Davis who is currently living in South Africa. We will be keeping in touch about use of the hall and the memorabilia.”
Ms Lyddell told the JEP last week that she was devastated by news that the hall had been closed and a portrait of TB Davis’s son, Howard, removed and stored in the vaults at Jersey Heritage.
She has demanded that the hall be reopened to the public and the portrait – and other memorabilia – returned to it for Islanders to enjoy, as her great-grandfather intended.
“It must go back to the Islanders of Jersey. It belongs to them, and no one else,” she said.
Mr Lewis said: “I would like to see public access reinstated along with the portrait of Howard Davis.”
He also promised to raise the issue with fellow Constable Jehan.
Deputy Kovacs said: “I agree that we should honour Mr Davis’s legacy, bring the memorabilia back, and ensure the hall remains accessible to the public, as he wished, considering his significant contributions.”
Ms Lyddell, who lives in South Africa, where TB Davis made his fortune, has written to Mr Jehan with her concerns but is yet to receive a detailed reply.
“My great-grandfather gave the park to the Island to provide a facility which was open to – and used by – all the people of the Island. The same would of course have applied to the Howard Davis Memorial Hall,” Ms Lyddell wrote in her letter, seen by the JEP.
“I have been very disappointed to hear from friends in the Island that the hall has been closed to the general pubic for the last few years and I have seen the recent publicity in the Jersey Evening Post on the subject.”
Ms Lyddell said she was “surprised and disappointed” that the decision to close the hall in 2022 was taken without any reference to either her or any other members of the Davis family.
In a statement to the JEP in November, the OSR said: “Prior to the renovations, the building was falling into significant disrepair. The front doors to the building were opened each day, all day, this unfortunately led to significant damp issues and extensive damage from inappropriate public behaviour and wildlife.
“The original paintings and medals case also suffered prolonged damage.
“The renovation of the building aimed to reverse the damage, save the building and its original features – and provide it with a more certain future as a memorial to TB Davis’s fallen son. These were all achieved within the budget, provided by the Fiscal Stimulus Fund.
“To avoid suffering the same damage, and to maintain the temperatures required to preserve the original portraits, the doors are no longer opened each day. Instead, public access outside of the open days or events can be arranged on request.”
