Fort George
French-built bastion fort above St George's harbour, still in part a police headquarters.
Fort George occupies the headland between the Carenage and the open sea at the entrance to St George's harbour. The French began it in about 1706 as Fort Royal, completing the main works by 1710, and the British renamed it after George III when they took the island in 1763. It is laid out on the bastion system, with a parade, barracks, guardroom, powder magazine, water cistern, sally port and tiers of firing galleries arranged so that each level covers the one below.
The fort remained a garrison through the colonial period and later became the headquarters of the police. On 19 October 1983 Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and several colleagues and supporters were killed in the inner courtyard during the collapse of the People's Revolutionary Government, an event that led to the invasion of the island days later. Parts of the fort are open to visitors, who can walk the ramparts and see the cannon and views over the town.
Highlights
- Begun by the French in about 1706 as Fort Royal, renamed by the British in 1763
- Bastion layout with parade, magazine, cistern, sally port and firing galleries
- Inner courtyard where Maurice Bishop and others were killed in October 1983
- Ramparts overlooking the Carenage and the harbour entrance
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