CHAPTER 5 OLVESTON, MONTSERRAT
A few people have asked me, please, David, write something about Olveston and Elberton. Unfortunately, the road to Elberton is still unpassable because of the Volcano but here is a little bit more about Olveston.
The Heart of Montserrat
The village of Olveston is situated on the west coast of Montserrat, within the Parish of Saint Peter. It is recognised as a safe and welcoming area, particularly for those who resettled there after evacuating the southern part of the island following the volcanic eruptions that began in 1995. Today, Olveston is renowned for its lush tropical environment and stands at the centre of Montserrat’s safe zone, where the majority of the island’s current population now resides.
A Centre of Culture and Music
Olveston, Montserrat, has a rich history. At its heart lies Olveston House, which now operates as a guest house. Sir George Martin, the legendary producer of The Beatles, once owned this property.
Olveston was in the 70s and 80s a beacon of cultural vibrancy, attracting artists and musicians from all over the world. Today, following the volcano’s eruption, Olveston remains a popular destination for tourists, with guesthouses, restaurants, and serves as a convenient base for exploring the island’s attractions, from hiking trails to beaches. It boasts one of the most diverse communities on the island, blending local residents, long-term expatriates, and visiting artists.
Joseph Sturge and the Village named Olveston
Joseph Sturge VI was born in the village of Elberton, South Gloucestershire, in 1793. He is celebrated as a local hero, a dedicated Quaker, and an emancipator. Renowned for his activism and philanthropy, Sturge played a significant role in the fight against slavery. He founded the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, which is known today as Anti-Slavery International. As part of broader efforts unfolding across the globe, such as the emancipation movements in the United States and the British Empire’s evolving policy towards its colonies, Sturge engaged deeply in the mission to abolish slavery.
As a committed abolitionist, he purchased two plantations on the Island of Montserrat after the abolition of slavery in 1834. His intention was to demonstrate that slavery was not necessary for the success of such enterprises. He named these plantations Olveston and Elberton after his birthplace and decided to plant lime trees instead of sugar cane. By the early 1900s, the Sturges-Montserrat Company was world famous. Lime juice was exported to the UK, where it was refined and rebottled by Schweppes Ltd. Over time, the Company became Montserrat’s largest landowner.
As good Quakers, the Sturges built a company school in Olveston and a public open space, known as Sturge Park, just outside Plymouth. Everywhere we went, people spoke enthusiastically about the education they received from Olveston School, and the sports activities were held at Sturge Park before the Volcano erupted. The Church Warden at St. Peter’s church shared, ‘that his father’s attendance at Olveston School changed his life.’ The Sturges lived on the island and were influential in establishing the Montserrat National Trust.
From a historical perspective, the Sturge’s were not alone; they were born at a time when Quakers had few avenues apart from commerce. The Quakers were people who put the ideals of their faith into practice, and today, the Sturges, along with Frys (of Bristol), and the Cadbury family stand in our memories as people who had a more humane way of doing business, building schools and affordable homes for their workers.
There is also another story. Some believe that the Quaker founders of the Montserrat Company aimed to create this colony as an experiment in Quaker ideals. Although the Montserrat Company successfully established a philanthropic business, the benefits to the island and its inhabitants were limited. The Sturge family, a wealthy white family, gained the most from their enterprises. Local critics argue that, while the company’s intentions were noble, the execution did not meet expectations, especially regarding the outcomes for many black people on the island. This perspective adds complexity to the story of the Montserrat Company’s influence. When examining history, we must consider both the company’s achievements and its shortcomings, as well as the context of the time.
CHAPTER 4 FLYING INTO MONTSERRAT– Rev David Moss
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1.9
Montserrat boasts a lush, green landscape and is affectionately known due to its heritage as “The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean.” Nestled in the Leeward Islands in the northern Lesser Antilles, the island’s journey has been shaped by eruptions of the Soufrière Hills Volcano. These eruptions led to the abandonment of the former capital, Plymouth, and displaced two-thirds of residents overseas. Today, approximately one-third of Montserrat is habitable, while the rest is an exclusion zone due to ongoing volcanic activity. The old Plymouth port and runway are now buried under lava flows. Arriving from Antigua by a short, 27-mile flight on a small aircraft introduces you to Montserrat’s story of resilience.
At Gate 12 in Antigua airport, the seven of us—one pilot and six passengers—waited to board: a teenager returning with his mother after surgery, his leg in a cast; Nat, Sue, and me; and Tarnika, a young black woman from Guyana visiting Montserrat for the first time. Soon, a minibus took us to a remote part of the airport, where the pilot set out a stool to help us climb aboard. Arranging seats for the mother and her son was complicated by the plane’s size. Every bag and each of us had been weighed before boarding, but once loaded, I wondered if we would be able to take off.
Flying into Montserrat evoked scenes from the opening of the film Jurassic Park: peaks, lush greenery, and volcanic remains. John A. Osborne Airport sits perched in the hills, its tiny runway hinting at the island’s challenges. As we landed, seeing the short runway heightened our nerves. Tarnika, the woman we’d met just moments earlier, reached for Sue’s hand, and the shared sense of adventure bonded us. These unfamiliar and tense moments create a sense of connection and community. When we met Tarnika again at Attika Café, we were greeted like old friends.
Our hosts picked us up from the airport in an old minibus. On the way to our accommodation at Gingerbread Hill, we stopped at the island’s only air-conditioned supermarket to pick up food from its sparse shelves. As we drove through the island, we passed Linda and Paul McCartney’s holiday home and glimpsed the distant ruins of Air Studio, where George Martin had recorded Dire Straits, The Police, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Duran Duran, Ultravox, Lou Reed, Black Sabbath, and Eric Clapton, among others. Hurricane Hugo destroyed the studios in 1989, a few years before the volcanic eruption in 1995. I quickly realized countless stories bound this community.
Slavery’s legacy is central to Montserrat’s community and must be told, but so is the story of those who chose to stay and rebuild after disasters like Hurricane Hugo and the volcanic eruption. A story that is shared by other Caribbean islands.
CHAPTER 3 “WALK IN THE LIGHT’ – THE IRONY OF CONTRADICTIONS – 1 JOHN 1:6-7
Flying directly to Montserrat from the UK requires a stop in Antigua. Due to the volcanic eruption, only small aircraft carrying six passengers are currently allowed to land regularly. As a result, we decided to spend a few days in Antigua and hired a local guide, Barry, to share insights about the country and its history of slavery.
Barry was well-versed in the history of the Colston statue. Colston was once regarded as one of Bristol’s greatest benefactors until it became widely known that he had played an active role in the enslavement of 84,000 Africans—12,000 of them children—of whom more than 19,000 died en route to the Caribbean. I asked Barry whether monuments commemorating those who profited from the slave trade should be removed from our churches. He suggested that removal may not be necessary but stressed the importance of fully explaining the history behind such monuments.
“When I was in school in the Caribbean,” he said, “our history lessons ended with Christopher Columbus’s ‘discovery’ of the islands. It was only when I trained to become a guide that I began to understand the complete history.”
We spent a wonderful day exploring the island. Our journey began at Redcliffe Quay in St. John’s, the capital city, where cruise liners dock. From there, we visited Nelson’s Dockyard, an atmospheric UNESCO World Heritage Site named after the admiral stationed there in the 18th century. We continued to Devil’s Bridge, a natural limestone arch carved over millennia by the relentless pounding of the Atlantic surf. Finally, we stopped at Shirley Heights, a former colonial military post that offers breathtaking views across the island.
One location served as a stark reminder of Antigua’s dark past: the sugar mills at Betty’s Hope. Named after the daughter of the plantation owner, Betty’s Hope is one of the best-preserved examples of how vital the sugar trade was to British colonizers. At its height, the estate was home to around 400 enslaved Africans. Inside the museum, I was struck by a personal connection: the mill had been owned by the Codrington family, who are commemorated in Bristol Cathedral on the east wall of the North Quire Aisle. The family lived in Doddington House, Chipping Sodbury, and Betty’s Hope was just one of many estates they possessed.
The Codringtons were significant benefactors to the church, both in Britain and abroad. In 1710, Sir Christopher Codrington bequeathed two estates in Barbados to the Church of England’s missionary society, United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) the Codrington Project). The society employed local managers to run these estates, with the proceeds funding its work.
The USPG has since issued this statement:
“We acknowledge that it is not enough to offer an unreserved apology. It must be more than mere words. As an organization committed to championing justice, we seek to honor the command in 1 John 1:6–7 and move towards honest reparative justice: ‘If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.'”
The USPG has pledged 18 million Barbadian dollars—approximately £7 million—to support work focused on reparations.
When I eventually arrived in Montserrat, I asked Joel, our linked vicar, where he had trained. He replied, “Codrington Theological College” in Barbados. The Caribbean is full of such contradictions.
