Because Mr. Chappell has been coming to Bermuda for many years to advise the Bermuda National Trust during its research and preparation for the new Smith?s Parish book and its predecessors in the parishes series, he has become very familiar with many of Bermuda?s buildings, be they private dwellings, churches, or commercial premises, thanks to his career as an architectural historian.

Far from casting a tourist?s eye over these structures, he has been able to advance a learned perspective of how they evolved, pinpointing many of the influences that have gone into their design, such as size, additions, and even the effects of trade from overseas.

It is not surprising, therefore, that he understands, and is solidly behind, the Bermuda National Trust?s ongoing mission to record for posterity, parish by parish, what he calls ?precious pieces of Bermuda?s architecture and landscape heritage?.

In terms of ?Smith?s Parish? he says: ?That certainly does not mean that everything included in this book will be preserved, but it does mean that it will help Bermudians and visitors alike to recognise some of the things that are important.?

Overall, of course, the parish books also become significant learning tools for laymen and scholars alike.

?The practical, political and visual preservation initiative is to recognise what is significant architecturally, to help people understand which things may be quite valuable although previously unappreciated,? he says.

?They are also sympathetic to what is a slightly intellectual scholarship element ? and that is not simply to say what is a pretty building, and therefore valuable, but how we look carefully and thoughtfully at Bermuda?s buildings of all eras. What do they tell us about the changing nature of Bermuda?s population in terms or wealth, or the absence of it, and social relationships??

Among the fascinating things the architectural historian has discovered in his work here are the early houses with enclosed masonry projecting porches, sometimes known as cruciform houses.

?There are a few famous examples of these in Virginia, but there are far more of them in Bermuda than survive in all of North America,? he says. ?One thing this illustrates is the extensiveness of wealth in Bermuda in the late 1600s and early 1700s.?

Also interesting has been the discovery of what Mr. Chappell calls ?the development of a kind of Bermuda revival that really gets going in the 1920s and 1930s?.

Tracing Bermuda?s architectural evolution, he says that, whereas the early buildings used wood, shingle and palmetto thatch in their construction, by the late 1600s the use of Bermuda stone created more durable and appropriate structures ? a practice which continued until, in the 18th century, Bermuda buildings developed the form we think of as ?traditional? ? that is, built with Bermuda stone. The 19th century brought dramatic change in the form and choices of materials, so in a way Bermuda was rediscovering its own character which was parallel to, but not dominated by, the rise in tourism.

?There was a broad sense that Bermuda was a visitable place ? a distinctive society; a British colony which was not a transplanted bit of British landscape, but one profoundly influenced by British architecture and landscape, as well as trade with Spain, the Caribbean and the Chesapeake, and this distinctive culture became very important in the 1920s and 1930s as tourism rose,? the architectural historian says.

Thus, another purpose of the National Trust?s ?parish series? is to help readers to understand that Bermuda?s historical, architectural and social evolution are intrinsically bound together.

In terms of preserving what we have, Mr. Chappell, in his foreword to ?Smith?s Parish?, notes that the National Trust?s evolution into Bermuda?s largest landowner reflects the change in international perspective on preservation. That is to say, entire landscapes and communities, rather than solely the oldest or finest individual buildings, are worth protecting in the face of wholesale development ? something which is particularly apt in Bermuda, an island of only 13,350 acres.

?Architect Frederick Law Olmstead Jr., who is highly regarded as the most famous Gothic revival architect in the US, talks about how great and important architecture is to preserve,? Mr. Chappell says.

?He visited Bermuda and loved what he saw, and in his concluding remarks in ?Residence in Bermuda? he wrote that the Island must maintain the intimate scale of the landscape to remain a refuge from the modern world.?

Indeed, while Bermuda, with its traffic jams and high-rise corporate headquarters, is now thoroughly modern in one sense, the matter of scale still remains central to the character of life here.

?Its roads, yards and gardens have a delicacy that links them to parts of England most often designated as conservation areas, not to the mass-produced wastelands of America,? Mr. Chappell writes.

When it comes to the size and scale of new developments across Bermuda, the art historian remains diplomatically aloof. While pointing out that there is a ?dramatic distinction? between the countryside and the City of Hamilton in terms of development, when it comes to the scale and character of new buildings he feels it is important for the local community to make its own decisions.

?I know Bermudians are struggling with this right now ? ?How do we have a successful retail, office and commercial area, but retain the character that makes it look different from every other business distict?? ? but it really is up to them to decide,? he says.

Regarding the listing of historical buildings, this is a concept which Mr. Chappell fully supports because ?it is a very useful and healthy way for the community, as well as outside developers, to recognise what is important?.

This is especially true of buildings in the City of Hamilton, incredibly only one of which is currently listed ? the Anglican Cathedral ? and that because its owners requested it.

?Many buildings deserve to be listed, and they range from things as obvious as Will Onions? City Hall, which is recognised as an internationally-important monument,? Mr. Chappell says. ?What makes that structure so important is that Onions tried to balance contemporary, modernist design with local tradition very successfully, even though he died in the process.?

The art historian urges that other buildings to be listed should include Victoria Terrace on Princess Street (?If that were in London, it would be listed?), the Caribbean Market, St. Paul?s AME church, and the former General Post Office, now the Magistrates? Court?.

?St. Paul?s is an elegant and beautiful Gothic revival building with a splendid tower, while the old Post Office building is also a very elegant ornament to the City,? he says. ?In fact, it is the concentration of countless buildings that makes Hamilton. Despite the high rises, the City is still a magical place, so I think that is worth recognising officially before the buildings are replaced with glass boxes.?

The ?Smith?s Parish? book takes a broader view of Bermuda?s buildings. Many of those featured in its pages will never merit an official listing but are included simply because they are deemed interesting and important.

Of the parish books in general, each one endeavours to look at buildings in complementary but slightly different ways, and this includes the incorporation of inventories and detailed drawings. When property owners died in the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries, two to four people ? maybe neighbours ? would come in and list everything the deceased owned room by room, on which they would then put a value.

Such information has become an invaluable resource to Mr. Chappell into determining how people lived, their social and financial status, and more.