Jill Walker (nee Crockford) was born in Axminster, Devon, England. She was the first in a family of medics to pursue a career in art, enrolling as an art student at London’s Regent Street Polytechnic during World War II at the age of 17. Despite the blackout and the bombing, and determined to learn to paint, she attended classes every weekday, stayed on for Life classes each evening and set up still life compositions in her lodgings at weekends. In late 1948 she successfully applied for entry to the Royal Academy School of Drawing and Painting and after a year there applied to the Old Vic Theatre School which had just opened. Here she studied set design, mask and costume making as well as undertaking scene painting for actual performances.

In 1952, she and a friend opened their own theatrical supply business specializing in costumes, masks, hats and jewellery. Their clients included the main London theatres, the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford - upon - Avon and the BBC. During this period Jill also illustrated a number of books including the Worzel Gummidge series by Barbara Euphan Todd and received commissions to paint several important portraits one of which was exhibited at the Royal Portrait Society in 1953.

When her business partner got married Jill decided on a major change of direction. Borrowing the money from her father, she bought a one - way ticket on a freighter to South America to visit an art school friend who was living in what is now Guyana. Armed with an atlas to help her decide where to go next, her plan was to continue to America to seek her fortune as an artist there. On the very first night of her arrival, however, she met Jimmy Walker then on secondment to the Government as an architect. Little did she think on that first night that he was later to become her husband!

Both of them had a common interest in drawing and painting and spent much of their spare time together. Then, in late September 1955, Hurricane Janet hit Barbados and Jimmy was seconded to Barbados to assist the Government there with reconstruction. Jill joined him and, while Jimmy was working, around Barbados sketching and drawing. It was an idyllic time for a young artist. They were married in the St. James Parish Church in Holetown, Barbados in July 1956.

Eleven days after their wedding Jill held her first exhibition which was very well received. In November 1956 Jimmy was recalled to the UK. First, however,  they spent three months traveling through the Caribbean islands mainly as deck passengers on inter island schooners and from there flying to New York, crossing the Atlantic on the liner Queen Mary. In Antigua they made friends with an American architect, Robertson “Happy” Ward who greatly admired Jill’s work and gave her several commissions. This led to another major change in direction, this time for both of them.

Some months later, on a bleak, post war winter’s day in the UK, Jimmy received an offer from Happy to join him in partnership. After some thought, he decided to accept it much to Jill’s delight. They spent three happy years in Antigua, Jill oil painting and recording Antigua’s traditional buildings until the opportunity arose to return to Barbados. Robertson Ward Associates were awarded the contract for the design of the original Sandy Lane Hotel and Development on Barbados’ West Coast. The project brought more work to the practice resulting in the establishment of a permanent office there.

Jimmy and Jill built one of the first houses on Sandy Lane and when they sold it moved to Byde Mill Plantation House in the parish of St. George which they restored. In 1966 they bought Welches Plantation House and outbuildings in St. Thomas, which they also restored, establishing the growing architectural practice in the Sugar Boiling House and Stanchion House. In 1968, with their three young daughters, Jimmy and Jill moved from Byde Mill to the plantation house at Welches where they still live.

In 1974 Jimmy decided to leave the architectural practice which by this time had become an international one. He felt that, while Jill had continued to paint and record many of the traditional buildings of Barbados and the other Caribbean islands, her artistic talents were under utilised and they both felt that they would greatly enjoy working together in a family business – and so it has proved! Best of Barbados Ltd was formed the following year and was the focus of their joint efforts until 1997 when they ceased being involved in the day to day running of the company, handing over to their youngest daughter Susan and her husband Chris Trew.

For the story of Best of Barbados Ltd.

Jill has entered and won several local art competitions: in 1965 she won a competition for designs for a definitive issue of 14 stamps for the Government of Barbados, in 1989 she designed the winning logo for the 350^th Anniversary celebrations of the Barbados Parliament and in 2001 she won a poster competition for the Government of Barbados on the subject "Love and Respect our Gullies", aimed at increasing the public’s awareness of these important natural features.

In 1997 she was asked by the Barbados National Trust to do a painting of Bush Hill House as it would have been when George Washington lived there during his sojourne in Barbados in 1751, his only visit outside the United States of America. Her watercolour was to be used to promote the restoration of the property. Her painting was presented to Mrs. Hillary Clinton when she and President Clinton visited Barbados in May 1997.

To mark the end of the last millennium, the Government of Barbados decided to present a unique honour, "The Barbados Centennial Honour" to one hundred persons who had made a significant contribution to the development of Barbados over the last century. Among the hundred who were invested with the honour by the Governor General at Government House on the evening of January 1^st 2002 was Jill Walker who received the honour for "Services to Business and Art".

Jill Walker has led a fascinating life and in 2002 she published her autobiography, "Jill Walker’s BARBADOS". This is a fabulous coffee table book lavishly filled with over 400 illustrations, and publishing for the first time many of her drawings and paintings recording life in Barbados over the past fifty years.

"I consider this book to be one of the very finest books ever produced in or about Barbados……… "   Professor Henry Fraser, Surgeon & Historian.