Saving Sierra Leone's Architectural Heritage
Discover the efforts to protect Freetown's fading unique board houses
Two story dilapidated board house with a garret (2018)Original Source: Isatu Smith, West Africa Heritage Consultants Ltd
The Old Bode Ose Today
Board houses in Freetown are more than a century old, with such longevity borne out of heritage conservation efforts; however, much undoing has seen its progressive collapse.
Two storey board house (2018)Original Source: Isatu Smith, West Africa Heritage Consultants Ltd
Board Houses at Risk
Environmental damage and human impact threaten Freetown's historic board houses. Preservation is crucial to prevent their complete loss.
Just a Relic Left
The original structure of many board houses have been altered due to poor conservation. Some of the boards have been removed and replaced with concrete.
A Vanishing Legacy
The rise of concrete buildings is squeezing out historic board houses, making them harder to see and leading to their slow demise. One example shows a board house overwhelmed by a concrete neighbor.
An Abandoned Board House
One of the reasons for the poor state of conservation of these houses is that they are abandoned by their owners. Most Krio families end up staying abroad. They leave these houses to care takers who lack the financial wherewithal to maintain them.
Board House Turned Shop
As evident from this one with broken window panes, worn out boards and patched roofs, some of these board house have had a concrete basement, deliberately made as shops for retail trading.
Multi-purpose Use of the Board Houses
A few conscious efforts, however, have been made at conserving them. Some are used for residential purposes, some used for commercial purposes like beauty salons, barber shops, restaurants, and retail shops. A few others are used for both educational and cultural purposes.
A nicely painted board house (2018)Original Source: Isatu Smith, West Africa Heritage Consultants Ltd
Board House and the Future
These unique dwellings are the physical sign of the Krio culture--a shuttle carrying the next generation back into the chequered history of not only the Krios but Sierra Leone as a whole.
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