A US citizen who spent holidays at the Queen of the East has given a unique insight into what it was like to live in one of Bermuda’s oldest homes.

David Wood spent several summers in the historic old merchant home between 1959 and 1961 as a teenager while his grandparents Dr Norman Taylor and his wife, Helen, leased the property.

Mr Wood told The Royal Gazette it was very sad that the building had been allowed to deteriorate to its current condition.

And he lamented the recent decision by Home Affairs Michael Fahy to give permission for the premises to be demolished and replaced by a six-storey residential block.

The retired attorney, who lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, added: “It is very sad to see a lovely, historic home being allowed to deteriorate in this manner to the point where a decision to destroy it can be supported by the authorities.

“Why was it abandoned for the last 20 years?

“Perhaps the land is more valuable than a historic home, in terms of money, but it would seem to me that Bermuda history is valuable also.”

Proposals by developers CTX Ltd were given the go-ahead earlier this summer after the firm appealed the original decision refusing permission by the Development Applications Board.

In its day the Queen of the East was a large merchant house and a major feature of Hamilton’s 18th century port.

Over the decades the property has served as a bakery, a laundry and even a brothel. Its name is a reference to scandalous activities which took place to the east of Hamilton.

Bayfield Clark, a well known architect, rented and restored the house in the 1940s and during his tenure the property was a Bermudian showplace.

Mr Wood was just 13 when he first visited the Queen of the East in 1959.

He said: “My time at the Queen of the East was a very wonderful way to spend three summers when I was in my early teen years.

“There was a minor inconvenience regarding the lack of parking.

“East Broadway was always very busy and my grandparents were in their 70s, so they had to scamper across to the gas station on the other side of the street when opportunity arose.

“There was no air conditioning in the home either, but that was common in the 1950s and 60s.

“Other than that, it was a lovely, inviting home with a charming garden.”

Mr Wood added: “From the street level you would enter the gate and step down two or three steps to the front door which led into the upstairs living room.

“To the left, down the hall, was my grandparent’s bedroom, and further down the hall the single bathroom with shower.

“To the right was the living room with its fireplace, and a staircase leading down to the lower level. On the first floor, at the bottom of the steps, was a small bedroom, occupied by me when I visited and a single window.

“Next was the dining room, which had two sets of French doors opening out on the garden. Further along was the kitchen and laundry. The back portion of the home, entered by another street level gate, led to the offices of Bayfield Clark, who was a respected landscape architect.

“Outside staircases led up from the garden on both sides of the home back to the street level entry.

“Grandfather Taylor lovingly tended the garden and plants to enhance their appearance and health.

“The gazebo was built over the water with a conical roof and offered a cool spot on a hot day if the shade on the patio was not sufficient.”