The tiny islands of St. Kitts and Nevis have a remarkable history out of all proportion to their size. And the most iconic symbol of that turbulent past, St. Kitts’ Brimstone Hill Fortress, is undoubtedly the most important historic building in the entire English-speaking Caribbean.

The magnificent fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is living testimony to the strength and skill of the African slaves who built it for the British military and to the important international role St. Kitts and Nevis played in the 17th and 18th centuries, when Britain, France and Spain were fighting for control of the West Indies and the enormous wealth generated by the region’s sugar industry.

St. Kitts was a pioneer and major producer in that huge industry, and sugar money was instrumental in the financing of Britain’s Industrial Revolution and the expansion of its global empire. Simply put, this was an island worth fighting for, and Brimstone Hill was built to help Britain prevent St. Kitts’ sugar riches from falling into the hands of  their bitter colonial rivals.

They didn’t always succeed, mind you – the seemingly impregnable fortress was seized by the French in the Battle of Brimstone Hill in 1782 and held by them until St. Kitts was handed over to Britain at the Treaty of Paris the following year. The towering fortress took about 100 years to build, using huge stones skilfully carved by slaves out of the hard volcanic rock that makes up much of the upper reaches of the almost 800-foot hill.

The stones were then hauled up the steep slopes to the top and cemented into place using mortar made from the limestone found lower down the hill. The fortress fell into disrepair after the British military pulled out of St. Kitts in the mid-1800s and was neglected and vandalised until a restoration campaign launched in the mid 1960s by the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Society. Today, it is a must see for visitors and residents to enjoy the meticulously restored fortress, with its commanding views of St. Kitts.