A Real Garden of Eden in the City's Centre

There are flowers everywhere-an immense oasis with a variety of flowers, trees, and bushes adorns the Winston's home located at 35 Great Marlborough Street, Roseau.

It's probably one of the oldest homes still standing in Roseau, but what makes it stand out are the picturesque flowers, which embellish the walls of this charming abode. The cascading flowers create a surreal and picturesque impression of a rainbow over the thick greenery and gives a splash of life to the garden.

The home which survived Hurricane David, Tropical Storm Erica, and the most recent Hurricane Maria has been slightly renovated while staying true to the architectural elements of the 1950's when the house was built. It is now owned by Reginald Winston, the former Registrar of the high court, an Attorney-at-law, the president of the Red Cross, country representative of the queen's diamond jubilee trust and chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh award programme.

Winston said inside the walls of this home, where he and his siblings were raised, are many fond memories.

"The only sadness this house has known was when my mother who owned this suddenly got a stroke and passed away early April at the age of 99," Winston said.

When asked about the upkeep of the home, Winston credits his deceased mother for starting the garden on the outside. He further noted that as she got older, he took over the maintenance along with two other gentlemen who prune and water the plants under his supervision.

The fragrance from the garden gently drifts through the open doors and windows creating an array of heady, floral scents. In addition, inside the home there is stored several invaluable antics, many of which, Winston said, belonged to his great-grand and grand-parents.

Overall, Winston believes that the beauty of any home depends on its occupants.

"It's how you feel about yourself and how you feel about your house. I've heard people remark that they wouldn't put plants on the street because it's Government street. But it all depends on how you look at it, it is your house, your surroundings, and I wish people here would get away from that feeling that it is Government own and they wouldn't take care of it, because ultimately it goes to show how you feel about yourself and your surroundings," he said.

Were it not for the constant hum of vehicles being driven by or the cacophony of voices on the street, one could easily forget that the Winston's house is right in the middle of the city.

Although several surrounding buildings have been converted into commercial spaces, Winston said he will not sell the house on 25 Great Marlborough Street. It contains too many memories.

Because, as the poet John Keats wrote:

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness…"