St. Kitts Destination Guide

Although most people come to St. Kitts for it's natural splendour, you shouldn't miss the opportunity to experience some of the other things of interest. With such a storied history, its no surprise that St. Kitts offers a chance to relive some of it's past by wandering through its buildings and memorials. Below is a list of some of the places of interest to visitors of St. Kitts.

Feel the history of St. Kitts come alive!

[read more]

This structure remains one of the more outstanding examples of 18th Century urban architecture on St. Kitts. It is located on South Square Street, South of Independence Square, and along with other buildings surrounding the Square is thought to have at one time stored slaves in its cellars, purchased at the nearby slave market for transfer to the Plantations.

Lady Haynes-Smith laid the foundation stone for the Treasury Building in 1894. The building, “a two-story stone structure … is stylistically Georgian Architecture, adapted to the Caribbean, and axially related to Fort Street and the former Treasury Pier, which was the historic gateway to the island by way of the central arch.” (St. Christopher Heritage Society, 2000 p.2).

Until the Cholera Epidemic in 1854, all burials would take place in churchyard cemeteries. It was estimated that one sixth of the population died from the disease. To solve the 'dangerous' health problem posed by the cholera epidemic, the Government purchased land at Springfield for use as a Cemetery for the Parish of St. George. In 1858, legislation was passed prohibiting burials anywhere else in Basseterre than at the Springfield Cemetery. In 1862, the Mortuary Chapel in Springfield Cemetery was erected at public expense for use by all religious denominations to conduct services for those persons who had died at the nearby Cunningham Hospital.

In the early stages of the French occupation of Basseterre, a Roman Catholic Church was erected in the town by the Jesuits and dedicated to Our Lady. Notre Dame was burnt to the ground in 1706 during the Anglo-French War by English soldiers who were billeted there. The Church was re-built by 1710 and re-named St. George’s. From the 1720s, it became a place of worship for the Anglicans.

In Basseterre by 1670 the Jesuits had built a Church dedicated to Our Lady; but in 1706 Notre Dame was burned to the ground by English soldiers billeted there. It was re-built and officially renamed in 1710 St. Georges’s, in the incumbency of the Rev. Alexander Cockburn. It stood on the site of the French Church. St. George’s was taken over for Anglican worship in the 1720’s. It was damaged again in the fire of 1763, but once again restored. The earthquake of 1842, followed by the hurricane of 1843, reduced it to so ruinous a condition that an entirely new building was planned.

Originally called Pall Mall Square. It was renamed on the occasion of St. Kitts & Nevis achieving political independence on September 19th, 1983. The Government first acquired Pall Mall Square in 1750 and it rapidly became the administrative, commercial and social center of Basseterre. The Square was the site of the slave market. Slaves arriving from Africa were temporarily quartered in the basement of a building on the south side of the Square.

This memorial to the former president of the General Legislative Council, Thomas Berkeley, stands at the center of the Circus.

La Guerite Reservoir serves the town of Basseterre and its environs. There is an interesting piece of architecture at its entrance, a retaining wall supporting the large undercover reservoir. It is believed to be a 19th century structure built around 1869 when the water supply to Basseterre was upgraded.

This 17th century Great House and Plantation is surrounded by 5 acres of beautiful garden filled with exotic flowers, an old bell tower and a majestic 350 year old Saman tree. It also houses Caribelle Batik, where local artist use the ancient Indonesian art of batik to create the most beautiful fabrics and fashion item.

Built in the English Style of London's famous Picadilly circus, it is the town center and also where all the hustle and bustle goes on. This monument is called the Berkeley memorial in honor of Sir Thomas Berkeley, former president of the General Legislative Council.

In the Cemetery surrounding this ancient church, you may see the tomb of Thomas Warner, who died in 1648.

This is the local rum that you can get at St. Kitts. It is said that Baron Rothschild sent his wine makers from Bordeaux to create a new spirit. They went to the island of St. Kitts where they carefully chose the best sugar cane to press and distill into this unique taste sensation. You are invited to take a tour of this famous rummery.

The Catholic Church is centuries old. The architecture is Gothic and the interior has a beautiful display of the stations of the cross as well as some fine sculptures of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. The church is open most of the day and into the early evening. All are welcomed to attend daily mass held at 7 am and Sunday Mass at 9 am and 11 am.

The calm fortress area which is now a national park was once the scene of one of the biggest battles ever witnessed in the Caribbean. With stone walls 7 to 12 feet thick, it is certainly an impressive fort, built by slave labour over a period of 106 years. After the war, having changed from British to French and back again to British hands, the fort was finally abandoned in 1851. It remained neglected and suffered deterioration until 1965, when it was declared a national park. 

The war story

Under Marquis de Bouille's command, eight thousand French troops mounted an attack on less than 1,000 British troops guarding the fortress. The British were forced to surrender after a month, but not before their brave resistance impressed their French opponents. As a mark of respect for this determination, the French allowed the defeated British army to leave with their flag flying and in uniform. The island was returned to the British under the Treaty of Versailles just after a year, when the French were offered the same privilege.

Visit this brewery to watch the entire process of making beer and bottling it too. More than 750,000 cases of Carib, Giant Malt, Guiness, Royal Extra Stout, Vita Malt and SKOL are brewed and distributed every year from this brewery. This one is a fun trip no one should miss!

Admission: Free
Opening Hours: 10 am to 2 pm, Monday to Friday.

The two oldest English Forts of Sandy Point and Old Road were in a terrible condition and they were moved to Cleverly's Hill, which lies under Brimstone Hill. Even ships were stuck below when Sandy Point Road was made. This fort was named after King Charles II; he had generously donated 500 pounds towards this effort.

Charles Fort remained a military station from 1670 until 1854 when it was abandoned. In 1890, it was used as a Hansen home. The home closed as recently as 1996.

For more information please visit the site: St. Christopher Heritage Society or contact them at 869 465 5584.

Built around 1834, today Springfield House is the official home of the Governor General of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. In the 1800s, the Blake family sold the house to Thomas Harper who was a planter and a merchant. Harper named this property "Springfield".

The newly established Archdeaconry of St. Kitts felt that the Rector of St. George should live in a style that befitted his position. The first Archdeacon, Francis Robert Braithwaite, set about this task by purchasing Springfield around the year 1848.

In 1855, Springfield House was assigned to general public use by the Assembly, Council and Governor. In 1856, the Rector Archdeacon Jermyn used it as his residence. From then it was used by all Rectors until 1874.

Around the Island Rail Track and Way Station - The railway system here commenced in 1910 and narrow gauge trains still ply around major parts of the island. The first part of the system was laid so that materials for construction of the factory and also for equipping it with machinery could be transported between the port and the factory site. Now the ancient railway locomotive with its 40 carts transports the harvested sugarcane from loading sites called ‘sidings' to the central sugar factory just outside Basseterre. 24 railway bridges cross the ravines that start from St. Kitts' central mountain range. You can see photographs of the railway construction at the Basseterre Public Library.

St. Kitts Sugar Factory and Compound - The St. Kitts Sugar Factory is a national treasure and a major heritage site for the St. Kitts island.  Sugar production dropped dramatically in the 19^th century, after the boom in the late 18^th century. The sugar industry was revived in 1912 when the central sugar factory opened on the island, replacing individual boiling houses and mills on different estates, thus enabling the entire crop to be used for making sugar.

The St. Kitts Sugar Factory Ltd. was initiated on 15^th December 1910. An order was confirmed on 24^th March 1911 to the Mirrlees Watson Company. The factory finally started on 20^th February 1912, and sugar production began on 9^th March. The Government took over the sugar factory in 1974, 3 years after nationalization of all sugar estates.

Drop in sugar production

Various social and political pressures led to a drop of sugar production in the 1900s. Europe started growing beet sugar, slavery slowly started getting abolished leading to shortage of resources, and general competition offered by other countries producing sugar.

Spooner's Ginnery - Located to the east of Cayon, Spooner's Estate offers charming country views, and has witnessed the agricultural and industrial history of the island related to both sugar and cotton. The sole surviving cotton ginnery also stands here.

A 1753 map shows that originally the sugar mill here was animal driven. It was in the 1870s that Benjamin Buck Greene switched to steam-powered milling. The ginnery was changed from sugar to cotton in the 1900s by Sendall and Wade who now owned the place. This was a first in the history of the Caribbean. Established in 1901, this ginnery functioned till the late 1970s, when it was taken over by the Government of Nevis and St. Kitts. You can still see ruins of structures built in the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th century.

Originally known as Pall Mall Square, it was renamed to Independence Square when St. Kitts and Nevis achieved independence on 19^th September, 1983. A basement in the building to the south of this square was once used as a temporary residence of slaves who arrived from Africa. The government took over this square in 1750, after which it became the commercial, social and administrative hub of Basseterre.

The drawing at the entrance of the Wingfield Manor Estate depicts two original carvings by the Caribs, the original residents of the islands. They probably show images of their gods or Zemi.

By 1626 the Carib community that used to occupy the islands began to realize that there was a real threat to its existence from the British and French who were settling on these islands. Chief Tegremare, along with armies of Caribs from surrounding islands, planned to attack the European settlements. But before he could do anything, the British and French came together and launched an attack on the Caribs. Bloody Point was the location where they massacred over 2000 Carib Indians.

La Guerite Reservoir is supposed to have been built around 1869, when the general water supply system to Basseterre was upgraded. A retaining wall supports the huge undercover reservoir, and makes for an interesting piece of architecture. The reservoir supplies water to Basseterre and surrounding areas.

The capital of St. Kitts, Basseterre, has experienced many natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes and fires.  However, it is still one of the most historical cities in the entire Caribbean today, and offers a number of opportunities to witness its unique history. This city is located on the South Eastern Mountain range. 

The beautiful lush green mountains of St. Kitts can be seen from any angle. Mount Liamuiga, as it is known, rises to 3,792 feet above sea level. This dormant volcano, with its sulphur vents and a fairly large fresh water lake, is almost always covered with clouds. The rim of the crater is a mile wide across and is covered with beautiful tress, palms, orchids and wild raspberries.

St. Kitts is remarkable for the large number of cisterns found in its villages, each one uniquely designed and sized according to the number of people in the community. While the large ones are grand and are buttressed, there are several small ones, too, which are free standing. The cisterns have one or more pipes through which the villagers could collect water for their daily and other uses. Another interesting fact is that most cisterns have a post box attached to one of their walls, which are used by the Post Office.

The Half Way Tree cistern is particularly beautiful and, structurally, is typical of most cisterns found on this island.

The early British were settled between the Wingfield and East Rivers at Old Road, while the Caribs were settled in the fertile areas around Wingfield River. After the Caribs got evicted in 1629, the English occupied these lands and planted cotton, indigo, ginger and tobacco. In the 1640s sugar production was introduced, and Wingfield became a major sugar plantation and even used water-based electricity for its factory, a rarity in those times. The aqueduct is a unique feature used on the island and found only in the Wingfield Estate Yard.

The river and forested watershed helped provide for all the water needs of the plantation. Right from 19^th century it became part of the water supply system of the island, supplying water to its remotest parts.

The Wingfield River has 4 dams built across itself: 3 of them are not used except to control the flow of water down the river. The fourth collects the water at its highest point of the river and also serves as the main storage from where the water is distributed though pipes to households. This entire system used to serve the Wingfield Estate at some point in history.

Shadwell Great House - This house was built by Gilbert Fleming, who was one of the British commissioners in the second quarter of the eighteenth century. This great house has a long history and has been occupied by many prominent figures of the island. This house is one of the most prominent Great Houses of the island.

A history of succession

Gilbert Fleming was one of three commissioners the British Government had appointed for distributing the lands acquired from the French through the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

Fleming was appointed to the double post of Lieutenant General of Leeward Caribbean as well as Lieutenant Governor of St. Christopher in 1833. He acquired a large estate for himself, making good use of his official position and passed most of it to Gilbert Fane Fleming, his son. Shadwell was passed as a gift when Carolina, Gilbert Fane Fleming's daughter, married John Brisco. Lady Brisco in her turn passed this property to her first son.

By 1873 it was Thomas Berkeley Hardtman Berkeley who was the proud owner of Shadwell. He was a politician and a leading planter in his own right, (he even became president of Leewards Islands Federal Council just a few days before he died) and on his death in 1881 he passed this property to his son John. John Berkley's sister somehow got hold of Shadwell, and by the early part of the 20^th century her descendents were controlling the place.

Finally, in 1962, a prominent pharmacist called Eric Skerritt bought the house, and he and his wife Agnes, along with 3 other family members, still live there.

Lodge Great House - This 18^th century Great House was built by Samuel Crooke who was a planter-politician in the estate he received from his Crooke inheritance. It saw its first steps towards modernization in the early 20^th century when a Phillip M. Todd fitted it with cold and hot running water, flush toilets and a grand kitchen. A group of English investors have now bought it for restoration and converted it into a Heritage Tourism Attraction.

Some more interesting history

Samuel Crooke, who built the house, was the great-grandson of Major Henry Crooke. Major Henry Crooke was Council member in 1672 and also the Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1676. He is even said to have been a frequent guest of Sir Thomas Warner. He probably resided on the island before Warner's death in 1648.

Crooke willed the plantation to his son Samuel Crooke also known as ‘the Little'. He too served on the Council just before the turn of the 18^th century. There is even a ‘Crooke's Garden' in the cane field close to the Great House, as a reminder of the Crooke family's presence on the island.

By 1828, Charles Adamson, who was a leading attorney and a planter, controlled the property. It remained with his family till the early 20^th century when it was bought by a relative, Phillip M. Todd. He is the person responsible for modernizing the Great House.

After Todd left the place in the 1940s, a business group got hold of the lodge in 1950. Mr. Christopher Walwyn, the appointed manager, stayed here for the next 50 years or so. In that period he added a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom to the house. In the 1970s, Walwyn purchased the Great House and the surrounding area of 2.83 acres. It was exempted from nationalization at the time when the sugar industry was being nationalized. Recently, some British investors have converted the house into a heritage tourism spot. 

Belmont Estate Yard - The plantation was just 100 acres when it was bought by Peter Brotherson from the French in the early 18^th century. In 1726, additional land surrounding this plot was granted to Brotherson. In those days sugar extraction was done on this estate using an animal mill.

By 1828 the land had grown to 286 acres and even had a windmill. It was owned by George Galway Mills, the great-grandson of Matthew Mills, who was a Speaker for the Assembly and also Chief Justice before he died in 1744.

G.G. Mills was quite active politically and was a councillor in 1800. He later migrated to England where he became MP for Winchelsea and Wallingford. G.G. Mills had his share of tragedy, too, along with this prosperity - his father was murdered by a lawyer called John Barbot in 1752 at Frigate Bay.

By the end of the 19^th century Stuart Davis owned the plantation and it had spread to over 300 acres. Steam technology was introduced at around this time. Stuart's descendent Basil Davis became the general manager of the Basseterre Central Factory in 1923. During his time an incident occurred that led to the ‘Bull Story', which has become part of the island's folklore. The enactment of this story is a must for any performing group on the island.

Today the estate house and yard are occupied by an area manager who manages the sugar industry from this base. It is under the control of the Sugar Manufacturing Corporation, which is owned by the Government. There are plans to develop a Sugar Museum here.

St. Kitts is full of sugarcane fields and the sugarcane industry here has played a major role in the growth of its history and traditions. Visit a sugar factory to connect to this aspect of St. Kitts' history. You can see a train circuiting the island during the harvest season, picking up the sugarcane and carrying it to the factory. Here the raw sugarcane is processed into the final products - that's brown sugar and granulated white sugar.

Phone: 869 465 8157
Address: Wellington Road, Basseterre, St. Kitts

The tomb of Sir Thomas Warner is one of the many historical sites of St. Kitts. Sir Thomas was the first British Governor of the West Indies. He had first visited this island in the year 1623. He is buried in the grounds of St. Thomas Church in Middle Island.

Address: Old Road, Basseterre, St. Kitts.

Hike up to the top of Mount Liamuiga and watch the hot springs bubbling away in the crater below. The trek to these mountains takes you through some part of the rainforest and is quite an exciting trip to make. Be sure you take your camera, a sweater, walking shoes, and trousers, and a knowledgeable tour guide along.

This site is spectacularly beautiful, with coastal cliffs dramatically rising above the turbulent sea. These cliffs were formed millions of years ago by molten lava flowing from Mount Liamuiga.

Dieppe Bay
Grange Bay
Hermitage Bay
Half Moon Bay
North Frigate Bay
North Friars Bay
Turtle Bay
Canoe Bay
Sand Bank Bay
Cockleshell Bay
Banana Bay
Major's Bay
Whitehouse Bay
Potatoe Bay
South Friar Bay
Frigate Bay

Experience St. Kitts on a funfilled 3 hour train tour.

Take this 3 hour tour around the beautiful island of St. Kitts on the "Last Railway", built between 1912 and 1926, to transport sugar cane from the plantations to the capital city of Basseterre.

Please visit www.stkittsscenicrailway.com for complete details and a short video of the tour.