St Barthélemy / Special Interests / Museums

Visitors wanting to pull back the curtain on St Barths’ unique past will find the best clues at the island’s municipal museum in Gustavia which has a collection of items charting the island’s history from its earliest inhabitants to its discovery by Columbus and later.

Wall House Museum, Gustavia - If you have a moment to tear yourself away from the beach to discover a little bit of St Barths culture, then the main museum is on the western arm of the harbour in Gustavia, set in a restored Swedish warehouse next to the Town Hall. There are mildly interesting displays of old-time life in St Barths including carved Amerindian stones, maquettes of ships and mock-ups of old St Barths “cases” – traditional houses with thick rendered walls and tin or straw roofs – and, of course, the objects of everyday life used inside them, including demi-johns for water collection, and chinaware. Opening hours, Mon-Thurs 8.30am-12.30pm and 2.30-6pm, except Monday mornings and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.

Contributors: Sara Macefield (foreword)