Bill and I give a thumbs-up to the Brimstone Hill Fortress as a “must see” when visiting the Caribbean island of St. Kitts.
A brief history of St. Kitts’ Brimstone Hill Fortress is given in this first YouTube video. The second YouTube video in this post shows the hairpin turns of the narrow road leading toward/away from Brimstone Hill Fortress. You’ll learn more facts in the somewhat stilted first video, but I think the second video is more fun!
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Lonely Planet* says Brimstone Hill Fortress “is an exceptionally well-preserved example of 17th- and 18th-century military architecture. Far larger than you’d think, this vast old military stronghold was built by the British with slave labor and offers insight into the violent and tumultuous past of the former Caribbean colonies.”
Lonely Planet* continues by saying, “Nicknamed the ‘Gibraltar of the West Indies,’ Brimstone Hill perches atop an 800ft volcanic cone and is one of the largest forts in the Caribbean. As a major British garrison, it played a key role in the battles with the French, who seized the fort in 1782 after the 1000 British soldiers inside were besieged for 30 days by 8000 French troops. The British regained it through the Treaty of Paris the following year. By the 1850s the fort was abandoned.” “In the 1960s major restoration was undertaken, and much of the fortress has been returned to its earlier grandeur.”
In the same building as the Fortress’s gift shop, visitors may view a 9-minute video documenting the history of the Fortress. I recommend taking the time to watch the video before ascending to the top of the hill. Allowing an hour at the Fortress is plenty, or allow two if you want to do a lot of exploring.
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Click on one of the thumbnails to view them all in a slide show. To view the photos even larger, within the slide show mode click on the “permalink” button. At this point, some of the photos (when the hovering mouse cursor shows as a “+” sign) can be enlarged even further by clicking on the photo one more time.
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- Looking east-southeast. Obscured by this bell arch is the Caribbean and also the island of Nevis.
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- Looking west
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- Bill and me with what we think is the island of Saba in the background to the west.
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- Looking southeast. The island barely distinguishable in the distance is Nevis. At the lower left under the person’s arm, notice the thickness of the wall.
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- The main hilltop compound is lined with 24 canons and provides many views, including of the island of Saba and Sandy Point Town.
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- This photo was also taken from inside the Citadel’s courtyard. Notice the massive thickness of the wall and the arch construction.
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- This photo was taken from inside the courtyard of the main hilltop compound called the Citadel. Inside these old barracks of the Citadel are displays that document colonial history. The original fortress was built, beginning in the 1690s, by the British with slave labor.
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- This is one view from the Fortress’s main hilltop compound called (according to Lonely Planet) the Citadel. This winding road leading to the hilltop includes at least one hairpin turn and narrow arch structures (one arch seen at the bottom of this photo) that are not easily traversed except by very small vehicles, such as the one in this photo. Taxi vans barely fit through the arches.
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*Caribbean Islands, Lonely Planet, 2011, p. 683
For “St. Kitts — Part I” click here.
For “St. Kitts — Part II: Vervet Monkeys” click here.
For “St. Kitts — Part III: Lobster” click here.
For “St. Kitts — Part IV: Caribelle Batik at Romney Manor” click here.
For “St. Kitts — Part V: Mr X’s Shiggidy Shack” click here.
For “St. Kitts — Part VI: Brimstone Hill Fortress” click here.
For “St. Kitts — Part VII: The Beach(es)” click here.
For “St. Kitts — Part VIII: Plant Life” click here.
For “St. Kitts — Part IX: Miscellaneous” click here.
(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)
Marion Gunderson Art (and the Farmer's Daughter) 
March 10, 2012 at 7:10 am |
I marvel at the engineering without the benefit of modern buildling equipment. Breathtaking views. You and Bill look terrific.
March 17, 2012 at 3:44 pm |
Marti, yes, the engineering is pretty amazing.