Historic doors are opening once again as the Saint Lucia National Trust prepares to welcome the public back to the Walcott House for limited viewing days during the 2026 Nobel Laureate Festival, offering a rare opportunity to engage with the legacy of the Walcott family.
The reopening forms part of broader efforts to align the site with national cultural celebrations and to highlight the Walcotts’ enduring contribution to Saint Lucia’s literary and performing arts heritage.
Deputy Director of the Saint Lucia National Trust, Finola Jennings-Clarke, said discussions are ongoing with the Cultural Development Foundation to ensure the Walcott House experience complements the wider festival programme.
“We are in discussions with the Cultural Development Foundation on how we can collaborate with them to ensure that it reflects a wider program of activities, especially relating to the arts, as the entire Walcott family was very much a literary and performing arts family,” Jennings-Clarke explained.
She noted that the Trust has also been engaging community stakeholders and partner agencies as part of long-term planning for the site.
“We also have had several meetings with members representing the community and other agencies who have been interested in assisting with the wider development,” she said.
Jennings-Clarke acknowledged that earlier plans for the Walcott House had envisioned a much larger development.
“I think most people will recall that originally it was slated to be a very large multi-building and multi-purpose complex. And while that is unlikely to happen, at least in the immediate future, the intention has always been to engage the community of Grass Street so that the community benefits from the Walcott House being in their midst,” she added.
The limited reopening during the Nobel Laureate Festival is expected to draw local and international interest, particularly as Saint Lucia celebrates the intellectual and artistic legacy of its Nobel laureates and the cultural foundations that shaped their work.