St Kitts / Special Interests / Historical Sites

There are more than 250 documented heritage sites on St Kitts, and there are known to be others offshore and on-island that remain undocumented. The best preserved and most prominent site is the Brimstone Hill Fortress, but across the island there are reminders of St Kitts’ colonial sugar plantation past with old mills, Great Houses and factory buildings, some of which have fallen into disrepair and others that have been restored and, in some cases, converted to hotels. St Kitts’ capital Basseterre has a number of historic sites and interesting buildings typical of colonial times.

Basseterre - The capital of St Kitts and Nevis is Basseterre, which takes its name from the French word for “leeward”, and so, as you would expect, it is on the protected side of the island. The town was settled originally by the French, who laid out the grid-iron plan of the streets, but the British moved their capital here from Old Road in 1727. The town’s heyday was in the following century or so, when huge fortunes were made from sugar, and so many of the smarter buildings date from this time.

Nowadays, Basseterre is a fairly typical small Caribbean town. It has a couple of streets of functional stone warehouses and shops laid along the waterfront, studded in places by monumental buildings and elegant townhouses, and by a couple of formal centrepieces such as Independence Square, the Circus and the churches. The town is built mainly in stone and many of the buildings are topped with wooden upper floors, in traditional “skirt and shirt” design (though the increasing number of modern buildings tend to be built in concrete). It is a pretty and pleasant place to spend a couple of hours.

It is also lively. The Kittitians are a demonstrative people and so there is always something going on and you will be willingly accepted as a part of it. Life has a traditional aspect of “when the boat comes in” and so there is always activity around the dock area. Recently the waterfront was built out to include a cruise ship dock, bus park and shopping area called Port Zante, marooning the distinctive entry arch, the Treasury Building, inland.

The Circus, Basseterre - The old heart of Basseterre is the Circus. It is surrounded by attractive stone buildings in traditional West Indian style, with lattice work verandas, arcades and jalousie windows. So-called because it is a roundabout (said to be modelled after London’s Piccadilly Circus), it is a lively place and has a couple of bars and restaurants overlooking the street activity. You will also find the main taxi stand here.

Berkeley Memorial Clock Tower - At the centre of the Circus is the Berkeley Memorial Clock Tower, a handsome, green-painted, Victorian four-faced clock tower, which was erected as a memorial to Thomas Berkeley, a planter and president of the St Kitts General Legislative Council.

Independence Square, Basseterre - Set slightly back from the waterfront is Independence Square, which in colonial times was the social, commercial and administrative centre of town. Then it was known as Pall Mall Square, but it was renamed in 1983 when St Kitts & Nevis became independent. It is a pleasant park, surrounded by low fencing and bordered by grand late Georgian townhouses which are thought to date back to the 1790s. At one end is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which has twin towers and an impressive rose window. The present building was dedicated in 1928 after the former church of 1856 was demolished in 1927. Independence Square may be quiet and unassuming now, but once it was also the site of the slave market. The slaves were reputedly held in the cellars of the surrounding houses before being sent off to work on the plantations.
 
St George’s Anglican Church, Cayon Street, Basseterre - The current building, dating back to 1856, is built on the site of a French Jesuit church erected around 1670. This was burnt down by English soldiers in 1706, rebuilt four years later and in the 1720s it was renamed St George’s when it was taken over for Anglican worship. The church suffered fire damage again in 1763, was restored before being hit by an earthquake in 1842, then reduced to ruins a year later by a hurricane. In 1844 foundations for a new building were laid, and it was not until 1856 that the present church went up, only to suffer damage by fire in 1867. Restoration work following hurricane damage over the years continues.

Bloody Point, Stone Fort, Palmetto Bay - Site of an unusual combined attack in 1626 by both French and English settlers upon the Carib Indian community, which saw the massacre of more than 2,000 Carib Indians. Apparently Carib Indians from neighbouring islands had arrived in support of local Chief Tegreman, who intended to attack the European interlopers to prevent further expansion of their settlements in the island. Unfortunately their planned attack was leaked, and Tegreman’s fears became a reality sooner than he anticipated.

Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park - Constructed by the British using slave labour over a 100 year period starting in the 1690s, Brimstone Hill fortress was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 for its cultural, historical and architectural significance. World Heritage considers it “an outstanding, well-preserved example of 17th and 18th Century military architecture in a Caribbean context. Designed by the British and built by African slave labour, the fortress is testimony to European colonial expansion, the African slave trade and the emergence of new societies in the Caribbean”.

The fortress covers 38 acres, at the centre of which is a prominent Citadel whose walls are constructed predominantly from local volcanic rock from the surrounding hillside and cemented by mortar made from limestone dug from the lower slopes. It is a fine example of a then new style of fortification known as the “polygonal system”, and you will see a network of ramparts, barrack buildings, powder magazines and a huge amphitheatrical cistern. Brimstone Hill sits at a height of 800ft, so it offers dramatic vistas all along the island and of other islands nearby. As the name suggests, it has a hellish aspect (there is a sulphurous vent nearby, so it sometime smells diabolic) and it certainly must have been for the soldiers who were besieged for a whole year in 1782. When they eventually surrendered, with not a building left standing, they were permitted to march out with full colours in respect for their bravery.
 
St. Kitts (Basseterre) Sugar Factory - St Kitts’ main sugar factory, close to the airport, was opened in 1912 as a central facility with modern equipment to replace the many individual mills and boiling houses dotted around the island. Capable of processing the island’s entire sugar harvest, it saved St Kitts’ sugar industry from extinction, following years of decline after the emancipation of slaves and the introduction of a cheaper substitute in Europe in the form of sugar beet. Canes were transported to the factory on a narrow gauge railway that runs around the north of the island (this is still in use today, as a tour, see below). Following the nationalisation of all sugar estates in 1974, the government acquired the factory, and unfortunately after years of financial loss, struggling to keep the industry going, the last canes were delivered to the factory in July 2005. The closure of the factory heralded the demise of the sugar industry in St Kitts, which like Barbados started in the mid 17th Century. The railway used for transporting canes is now used by the St Kitts Scenic Railway as a tourist attraction. “The Sugar Train” transports visitors on a 3½ hour trip around the extremely pretty north of the island.

Charles Fort, Cleverly Hill nr Sandy Point Town - Built by the English in 1672 on the hillside just under Brimstone Hill and abandoned in 1854. In 1890 it became a leper asylum, which closed in 1996.

Lodge Great House & Gardens, Lodge Village - An early 18th Century plantation Great House set within 2½ acres of landscaped, tropical gardens on a former sugar estate to the north of Ottley’s. Footpaths wind through fruit trees and tropical flowers including orchids, which attract hummingbirds. You will no doubt come across the inquisitive monkeys who seem to enjoy being photographed. Views across the Atlantic take in the islands of St Barths and St Maarten.
 
Fairview Great House & Botanical Garden, Boyds - Explore and enjoy the 3½ acres of Fairview Great House and the old world charm of this lovingly and meticulously restored 18th Century French plantation house along with the tropical botanical garden oasis surrounding it. Opened in October 2010, the facilities at this historical site include a museum, period set rooms, artefact areas, swimming pool and sundeck, the Nirvana restaurant, a small chapel, meeting room and a gift shop. The 300-year-old Great House is 85% wheelchair accessible and is run by Kantours Vacation & Tours Consultants who also have ATV/Quad Bike Tours based there.

Learn more about Fairview Great Houses restoration in our Island Chat article.

Romney Manor Gardens, Wingfield nr Old Road - A former sugar estate dating back to the early 17th Century (as was the adjoining Wingfield Estate, which it is said was once the home of the Jefferson family, relations of Thomas Jefferson who became the third American President). Caribelle Batik was set up here in 1974 in the remains of the plantation Great House and the 10-acre site has a botanical garden which boasts a centuries-old Saman Tree. This is a popular spot for weddings.

Non-profit organisations and Government links:

Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, PO Box 588, Taylor's Range, Basseterre, t 465 2609 | info@brimstonehillfortress.org | www.brimstonehillfortress.org

Contributors: Sara Macefield (foreword)