When Fiona Jackson visited Cayman two years ago, she could not help but be charmed by the sight of three tiny Cayman cottages that dot a stretch of roadside in West Bay.

The little houses, each about three feet high, were built by David Smith for Alice Mae Coe in the mid-to-late 2000s.

The once-pristine and pretty structures have fallen into disrepair over the years, with storms, flooding and the relentless sun taking their toll. The paint is peeling, the wood is rotting and the roofs are collapsing, and the miniature structures have become inundated with sand, earth and other debris.

Now, Jackson has galvanised renewed interest in the little houses and has marshalled a team of volunteers to restore them.

“I came to the island about two years ago when my grandson was born… I spent five and a half weeks here, and I would drive past the little houses when I was going to Vivo [restaurant in West Bay]. I thought they were so cute and typically Caymanian,” she said.

After moving to Cayman later in 2020, Jackson said she would stop and take a look at the blue and white wooden structures, and was extremely curious about them.

“I put a note on the Women in Cayman Facebook group saying I loved the houses and asked if anyone know anything about them, and that I’d love them to be made beautiful again. And I had such an incredible response – 25 people expressed interest in helping to restore them,” she said.

A few days later, eight people showed up to help clean up the houses, which were “covered in soil”, she said.

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