The Bermuda National Trust has highlighted the history of its headquarters in a new book.

Waterville, The Story of a House, Its People & Its Contents was released as the trust marks the building’s 50th anniversary as its nerve centre.

The Grade 1 listed Waterville, near the junction of The Lane and Pomander Road in Paget, was built in the mid 18th century when John Trimingham, a judge, married 17-year-old Elizabeth Jones.

The Triminghams and their seven children lived upstairs.

The kitchen – staffed by enslaved people – was at cellar level.

A spokeswoman for the trust said: “This was once a strategic position at the end of the shipping lane that led into the sheltered mangrove fringed harbour.

“The area has since silted up but it was once a bustling port where enslaved Bermudians toiled on the fitting and repair of ships and cargo was loaded and unloaded and stored in the cellars under the house.”

The original building was expanded several times and John and Elizabeth’s grandson, James Harvey Trimingham, built the distinctive wooden front porch early in the 19th century.

The house passed through the Trimingham family until 1962, when it was bought by the Bermuda Historical Monuments Trust, the forerunner of the BNT.

The BNT turned the building into its headquarters in 1970.

The book, written by Diana Chudleigh, includes photographs by Rohan Shastri and architectural drawings by Steven Conway.

It is the third in the charity’s historical house series.

Waterville, The Story of a House, Its People & Its Contents, is available now for $12 at the Bermuda Bookstore and the Bookmart at Brown and Co in Hamilton as well as at Waterville.