The former Quidi Vidi Village Plantation, a two-story wooden structure in the picturesque fishing community, will welcome Prince Charles and Camilla on their May 17 city tour.
Until they arrive, all hints of his former name – and his links to slavery and colonialism – will be erased.
“There was a lot of confusion around the name because it doesn’t really refer to what’s going on in the building,” Mayor Danny Breen said Wednesday.
The former city-owned Plantation is now called Quidi Vidi Village Artisan Studios, a nod to its tenants: a bunch of craftsmen and vendors who manage through the Anna Templeton Center. There Charles and Camilla will learn about the carpet hook during their visit.
However, the new name was not officially announced.
The old name of the Plantation has been removed from the front of the building as the city prepares to renew the business name before the royal visit. (Malone Mullin / CBC)
Breen says the city had already planned to rename the building, but the royal visit accelerated the process. The building’s social media accounts have been cleared and a new site domain reflecting the name change was purchased last week.
The “plantation” part of the building sign has also now been removed.
The visit takes place amid turmoil in the former colonies
Charles and Camilla tour St. John as part of a three-day celebration of the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s enthronement. The visit comes just months after the Barbados ousted the British monarch as head of state and weeks after the Jamaican prime minister told visitors to the royal family that the country intended to become a democracy. This visit in March was marked by protests and demands for compensation for slavery from the royal family. Breen says no royal scouts were involved in pushing the city to rename the Quidi Vidi plantation, a name that refers to the building’s history as a fish plant, according to a spokeswoman for the Anna Templeton Center. Breen pointed to ongoing talks in recent years over choosing a name that best reflects the building’s current use, but said he suspects city staff also considered the colonial implications of the term when discussing how to change the sign. “I think we all recognize and evaluate the names of certain plants as we consider our colonial history, and that is one of them,” he said. “I think that name really reflects what we present here.” Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
title: “The St John S Quietly Changes The Name Of The Quidi Vidi Plantation Before The Royal Visit Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-10” author: “Ruth Gustafson”
The former Quidi Vidi Village Plantation, a two-story wooden structure in the picturesque fishing community, will welcome Prince Charles and Camilla on their May 17 city tour.
Until they arrive, all hints of his former name – and his links to slavery and colonialism – will be erased.
“There was a lot of confusion around the name because it doesn’t really refer to what’s going on in the building,” Mayor Danny Breen said Wednesday.
The former city-owned Plantation is now called Quidi Vidi Village Artisan Studios, a nod to its tenants: a bunch of craftsmen and vendors who manage through the Anna Templeton Center. There Charles and Camilla will learn about the carpet hook during their visit.
However, the new name was not officially announced.
The old name of the Plantation has been removed from the front of the building as the city prepares to renew the business name before the royal visit. (Malone Mullin / CBC)
Breen says the city had already planned to rename the building, but the royal visit accelerated the process. The building’s social media accounts have been cleared and a new site domain reflecting the name change was purchased last week.
The “plantation” part of the building sign has also now been removed.
The visit takes place amid turmoil in the former colonies
Charles and Camilla tour St. John as part of a three-day celebration of the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s enthronement. The visit comes just months after the Barbados ousted the British monarch as head of state and weeks after the Jamaican prime minister told visitors to the royal family that the country intended to become a democracy. This visit in March was marked by protests and demands for compensation for slavery from the royal family. Breen says no royal scouts were involved in pushing the city to rename the Quidi Vidi plantation, a name that refers to the building’s history as a fish plant, according to a spokeswoman for the Anna Templeton Center. Breen pointed to ongoing talks in recent years over choosing a name that best reflects the building’s current use, but said he suspects city staff also considered the colonial implications of the term when discussing how to change the sign. “I think we all recognize and evaluate the names of certain plants as we consider our colonial history, and that is one of them,” he said. “I think that name really reflects what we present here.” Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
