MAY, 2021

PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION

MAINTENANCE PLAN FOR OLD RESIDENCY MUSEUM, CALABAR.

AKAH, UTIBE EMMANUEL

19/PG/EV/AR/PH.D/007
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF UYO
 TITLE PAGE

PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION OF OLD RESIDENCY MUSEUM CALABAR

A SEMESTER PAPER IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE COURSE

RENOVATION OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT (ARC 812)

BY

AKAH, UTIBE EMMANUEL

19/PG/EV/AR/PH.D/007

COURSE LECTURER: DR. UDOH, U. P.

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE,

UNIVERSITY OF UYO, UYO

MAY, 2021
 CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ............................................................................................................................. 2

CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................... 3

LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... 4

1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 5

1.1 Background of Study ............................................................................................................... 5

1.2 The Old Residency Building ................................................................................................... 5
2 TOWARDS RESTORATION OF THE OLD RESIDENCY BUILDING ........................ 6

2.1 The Landscape......................................................................................................................... 8

2.2 Recorded Building History...................................................................................................... 8
3 RENOVATION STRATEGY AND HISTORICAL MANAGEMENT POLICY .......... 11

4 THE RESTORATION POLICY PLAN ........................................................................... 11

REFERENCES......................................................................................................................... 13
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Entrance view of National Museum at old residency museum Calabar ................................ 5

Figure 2: Exterior view National Museum at the Old Residency, Calabar, Nigeria. ........................... 6

Figure 3: Operation and Maintenance Manual Development Process ................................................. 7

Figure 4: Ground Floor Level of Old Residency Museum .................................................................... 8

Figure 5: Ground Floor Level of Old Residency Museum .................................................................... 9

Figure 6: First Floor Level of Old Residency Museum ....................................................................... 10

 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of Study

The British colonial masters who were the administrators of Nigeria, lived in a building built in 1884

and which was the seat of power at that time in Calabar. The building is known today as the Old

Residency Museum. Even though it was built over 130 years ago, it is still structurally stable today in

2021. The building is situated on top of consular hill in Calabar, Cross River state.

Figure 1: Entrance view of National Museum at old residency museum Calabar

Photo credit: Nigeria Galleria

1.2 The Old Residency Building

The Old Residency Museum was designed and built in Glasgow then shaped in parts in Britain and

coupled in situ in Calabar, making it a prefabricated structure. It was made from red pine wood of

Scandinavian origin and still retains its material originality after 1960 when the colonial masters left

Nigeria. The Scandinavian red pine wood has withstood the raining seasons in Calabar even though

deterioration has set in due to attendant factors arising from climatic changes and human activities.
Despite impacts of Nigeria’s military rule, this building was preserved due to the protest of Nigerians

who love culture and museum in the 1960 and 1970s when the Federal Government had earmarked it

for demolition, alongside other structures.

Today, this building which served as both the residence and administrative headquarters of the colonial

government is one of the few remaining historical museums in Nigeria. The Museum has a research

library, kitchen, shop, craft village, and exhibition hall with display of various artefacts, and documents

from pre-colonial times.

Figure 2: Exterior view National Museum at the Old Residency, Calabar, Nigeria.

Source: Godlewski (2020)

2 TOWARDS RESTORATION OF THE OLD RESIDENCY BUILDING

To restore the historic old residency museum Calabar to use, new and modern materials are proposed

to be used. A site analysis will be done, with a documented inventory of all objects, fixtures and wares
in the building. The planned restoration will state the need for it in a collection management policy,

with all renovation materials preserved. Parts of the building that has deteriorated beyond utility,

stability and beauty will be repaired and/or replaced, and all new materials in the building will be

documented systematically. Figure 4 below encapsulates the process.

Figure 3: Operation and Maintenance Manual Development Process

Source: (Hunt, 2016)

2.1 The Landscape

The Old Residency museum building site is a flat land area surrounded by green vegetation and lush

fields. The topography is designed with cape stones made of sandcrete blocks that define drive-ways,

well-groomed lawns with boundary hedges, and has well-constructed drainages.

2.2 Recorded Building History

This old residency museum that has walls and floors made of pitch coloured Scandinavian red pine

woods is one of the finest examples of early colonial architecture in Nigeria. Originally, the structural

elements of the building comprised of wood, encased wooden columns, angle-iron beams, and roof

made of slate with thatch coating for thermal comfort. The roof was later shielded on top with thick-

gauge corrugated Zinc sheets.

The ventilation in this building was achieved with sashed windows and wall spaces that were shuttered

built into it, which helped to reduce solar thermal gain while giving the building an iconic character.

The verandas and ground floor are made to be on a concrete slab that removes the structure from

moisture and insects.

This Old residency museum which is considered a huge part of nineteenth century development of iron

architecture prefabrication and mass production, in the Management policy, is also seen as part of the

British colonial policies of establishing European reservations as a part of a larger network of structures

which experimented with environmental technologies in the tropics. It has been mentioned in particular

how that despite the renovation, this building has been stylishly consistent in being true to its original

form, which is shown below with the floor plans.

Figure 5: Ground Floor Level of Old Residency Museum

Source: Godlewski (2020)

Figure 6: First Floor Level of Old Residency Museum

Source: Godlewski (2020)

In the ground floor plan, it can be seen that mostly offices, and servant spaces in close proximity to

room, a dining hall and a proposed billiard is cited. The colonnaded veranda surrounds the ground

floor. These facilities are preserved today through the original spiral staircase right in the middle. The

kiosk facility has since been replaced with a straight-on-the-side run stairs.

It is noteworthy that these colonial building has inadequate spacing of native and European settlement

and there is the need for proper ventilation in buildings sited in places like Calabar (tropics). The

British colonials must have been experimenting with housing typologies in the tropics at that time, and

this building offers insight into the contested and uncertain nature of the imperial project (Godlewski,

2020). The restoration policy would therefore focus on preserving the old colonial concept while

adapting it to a contemporary museum.

3 RENOVATION STRATEGY AND HISTORICAL MANAGEMENT POLICY

In analysing this building, it was noted that Sir Walter Egerton in 1907 described it as “a very good

type of wood and iron house sent out of England for the high commissioner. All of the fittings are of

the very best and most expensive description that must have cost a great deal of money”. He went on

to mention that the building is not comfortable to live in because of the many defects. They include:

A closed-in veranda, with none of the windows getting to the ground. Therefore making it a house

with little or no ventilation, with dark interior rooms that people only use when dressing up or eating.

The bedrooms have no opening into the dining room.

The badly designed

4 THE RESTORATION POLICY PLAN

This policy is focused on 5 major aspects of the Old residency museum building.

1. The building will maintain its clear picture of having the original components of red pine wood,

steel frames, and other materials which continues with its construction, architectural and decorative
 details as an archeological building. The building will thus be completed with its mission parts

done to finish.

2. In this building, every objects, fixture, or furniture that still exists but has completely become

useless and can no longer perform its function will be replaced. Fenestration pattern for instance

would be maintained but the window casing will be changed. Stability will be ensured as

consolidation of the damaged red pine Scandinavian woods will be done as well as re-stitching of

the wooden beams.

3. To retain aesthetic value, and to restore damaged and decomposed elements in the building, the

cast iron columns could be casted to cover the structural elements like the ones of the ground floor

verandah.

4. Removing and cleaning stains is key, and not just as cleaning but as a preservation pract9ice.

Elements must be treated to prevent decomposition, and the causes of decay of wood components

of the building. That way, the permanence and stability of the impact materials will be ensured to

function fully as a museum.

5. Hidden decorations must be shown in the final part of the restoration policy plan. Decoration

materials will be recoated to enhance the looks and feel as originally designed. Decoration and

elements which has been distorted in anyway or which cannot show the beauty of the original

building will be eliminated or hidden.

 REFERENCES

Godlewski, J. (2020). Drawing from the archives: notes on the Old Residency in Calabar, Nigeria.

Arts & Humanities Open Access Journal, 4(3), 93-99. doi:DOI:

10.15406/ahoaj.2020.04.00160

Hunt, G. (2016, December 09). Comprehensive Facility Operation & Maintenance Manual.

Retrieved May 29, 2021, from Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) Web site:

https://www.wbdg.org/facilities-operations-maintenance/comprehensive-facility-operation-

maintenance-manual