ANTIGUAST. JOHNS

Antigua is the larger of two main islands

which make up the Caribbean nation known as Antigua and Barbuda. Together they are located in the middle of what is often referred to as the Leeward Islands of the Lesser An-tilles. Antigua has a well developed tourism and pleasure boating infrastructure and a sophisticated international offshore banking system.

The capital of the country is St. John’s. Estab-lished by the British in a protected bay in the 1600s, the city has been and remains the po-litical and commercial center of Antigua. Dur-ing the colonial period of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, St. John’s was an important center of English trade in the Caribbean.

English Harbour served as Britain’s most im-portant naval base in the Caribbean during the colonial era. It was to and from English Harbour the Royal Navy sailed during the years when she, along with France, Spain, other European nations, and eventually the newly independent United States all vied for power and control of the Caribbean.

Today sailors and their pleasure boats from around the Caribbean continue to call on An-tigua as it remains one of the best and most popular yachting destinations in the world.

HIsTory

Archeologists believe that as far back as 2500 BC Amerindians known as the Archaic People made their way to the island now called Antigua. Very little is known about them, when they came or why they left. They were eventually replaced by Saladoid Indians from the region around Venezuela.

As was the case with most of the islands throughout the Caribbean, by 1100 AD Antigua had been settled by another peaceful Indian tribe commonly known as the Arawak. Over the centuries these gentle people had slowly made their way north, island hopping from the coast of Venezuela. A few centuries later the warlike Carib Indians followed the same path up the archi-pelago from South America. They pushed out the Arawak and occupied most of the islands of the Antilles.

In early November, 1493, on his second voyage to the New World, Christo-pher Columbus and his men were the first Europeans to see the island the Indians called Wadadli. The Admiral named it Santa Maria la Antigua. There was nothing on Antigua to generate any long term interest on the part of the Spanish; they were on the hunt for silver and gold.

It was over a century before the first European settlement took hold on An-tigua. Englishmen arrived from the neighboring island of St. Kitts in 1632 and began planting a variety of crops. By the 1680s sugarcane was clearly the most profitable. Large plantations and their sugar processing factories spread throughout the island. With the plantations came the importation of African slaves.

By the mid 1700s Antigua was one of the most important jewels in England’s colonial Caribbean crown. In 1784 Captain Horatio Nelson (age 27) and the Royal Navy began to expand Antigua’s English Harbour and dockyard. Many of the buildings can still be visited today. Nelson did not think highly of Anti-gua. “I should almost hang myself at this infernal hole.” He chose to spend most of his time aboard his 28-gun frigate HMS Boreas. As disgusting as Nelson found Antigua, the British merchants and traders of the island to-gether with those throughout England’s Caribbean colonies found the young

P o r t E x p l o r e r©

2010 maps.com

captain equally abhorrent. By following official orders Nelson was cutting into their profits. Those orders were for Nelson to enforce Parliament’s Act of Navigation. This law stated Eng-land’s Caribbean ports could only trade with English ships. But American merchant ships dominated Caribbean trade and America was no longer an English colony. Captain Nel-son may have done a great deal for the maritime and military infrastructure of Antigua but British merchants throughout the Caribbean wanted him arrested and thrown in the brig and sued for their loss of profits in American trade.

In 1834 African slaves in the British islands of the Caribbean

were freed. On Antigua, rather than instituting a workable transition, emancipation took place virtually over night. In re-ality little changed. Most of the former slaves had little eco-nomic choice but to continue to work for their former masters under many of the same deplorable conditions. As the price of sugar rose or fell over the centuries, the economy of the island, as well as the merchants, planters and freed slaves alike, experienced numerous difficulties.

On November 1, 1981 Antigua and Barbuda gained full inde-pendence from The United Kingdom.

sT. JoHNs PLACEs of INTErEsT

1 st John’s is the capital of Antigua. It has numerous shops and restaurants. The Museum of Antigua & Bar-

buda is located in the city. Fortifications in the surrounding area include: Fort James, Fort Barrington, Fort George, Fort Shirley and Fort Charles.

2 English Harbour was homeport for Britain’s Squadron of the Leeward Islands during the 18th and 19th centu-

ries. Great ships of the Royal Navy called here for refitting and repair as they battled with the French and Spanish for domi-nance in the Caribbean. Many of the highly skilled craftsmen were African slaves. Their British counterparts; the caulkers, blacksmiths, shipwrights and sail makers were, like most of

the young sailors themselves, also pressed into service for the Royal Navy. For the British sailors and officers, assign-ment to this base was extremely demanding. Disease and death at an early age was common.

When the Royal Navy eventually pulled out of English Harbour in the late 1800s the entire facility slowly deteriorated due to storms, quakes, neglect and the ravages of time. This is an amazing site of British naval history. It is amazing not only for the brick and mortar, but as much for the centuries old graffiti. Names carved in wood or scratched in stone representing a fleeting moment in the lives of so many young sailors are still visible to this day.

During its day it was known as “His Majesty’s Antigua Na-

1

2

34

8910

11

12

13

© 2010 m

aps.com

val Yard”. Since restoration began in the 1950s it has been called “Nelson’s Dockyard” in honor of the Brit-ish sailor most famously associated with English Har-bour, the empire’s greatest naval hero; Admiral Lord Viscount Horatio Nelson. Today, while accommodat-ing the interests of visitors (inns, cafes and shops) and needs of pleasure boats (repairs and respite), the site has been respectfully restored. Some of the pri-mary buildings include:

The Naval officers House (1855) is the location of the dockyard’s museum. The museum tells the his-tory of English Harbour and includes a number of items once belonging to Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson; a Captain during his time here in Antigua.

The Pillars (1797) are all which remain of the Boat House & Joiners Loft. This is where England’s giant ships-of-the-line had their massive sails repaired or replaced.

The Copper & Lumber store (1789) was the work-shop for the craftsmen who applied the copper to the hulls of the ships and the storage facility and work-shop for carpenters responsible for the large import-ed timber beams and planks.

The Cordage and Canvas store housed the work areas, ropes and raw materials used by the ships’ enormous propulsion systems - canvas sails.

The Pitch and Tar store (1788) was the location for preparation and boiling the sealant for the ships’ hulls. It seems the base engineer’s office may have been on the second floor of the building. If this is ac-curate it adds credence to the fact that British sailors regarded their time stationed in English Harbour as “punishment”.

The seaman’s Gallery was where the sailors were fed while on shore. The men most likely ate a stun-ningly monotonous diet of salt-beef (corned beef), cheese (likely hard as a rock) and bread. Locally grown fruit may have supplemented their otherwise bland diet.

fort Berkeley and shirley Heights are two fortifica-tions built to guard the harbor from French or Spanish attack.

3 Betty’s Hope Plantation was the first large scale operation on the island. A stone windmill

has been fully restored. The small museum in the for-mer cotton storehouse relates the story of plantation life during the British colonial period.

sHorE ExCUrsIoNs

To make the most of your visit to St. Johns and the surrounding area we suggest you take one of our organized Shore Excursions. For in-formation concerning tour content and pricing, consult your Shore Excursion Brochure or contact the Shore Excursion Desk. When go-ing ashore, be advised to take only necessary items and secure any valuables onboard.

LoCAL CUsToms

Bargaining: Prices are generally fixed.

Tipping: Some restaurants may add a 10-15% service charge. The same percentage is appropriate for taxis.

LoCAL CUIsINE ANd drINk sPECIALTIEs

As is common throughout the many islands of the Caribbean the tra-ditional cuisine of Antigua is a combination of West Indian, French and West African. International cuisine can be found in the Antigua’s many restaurants and cafes. Dukuna is a dumpling made from a mixture of flour, sweet potatoes and spices then steamed. Chicken Stew is often marinated with chilies, lemon juice, garlic and vinegar then added to sautéed garlic, thyme, coriander and onions. Vegeta-bles, spicy Créole hot sauce and water are added then covered and simmered. It is usually served on a bed of white rice. Papayas Pie combines crushed fruit, egg whites, flour and sugar, lime zest and juice and cinnamon. Conch Fritters are a mixture of chopped conch meat, celery, cloves, garlic, eggs, onion, green pepper, milk and flour rolled into bite size balls, deep fried then splashed with your favorite hot sauce.

Rum has been produced in Antigua since the early 1800s. Distillers say the rum now served is much different (this means better) from the rum produced two centuries ago. Today English Harbour 5 Year Old Antigua Rum is reputed to be one of the best in the Caribbean. It is produced by The Antigua Rum Distillery, the only remaining distillery on the island.

sHoPPING

The main centers for shopping in St. Johns are the duty free shopping areas of Heritage Quay and Redcliffe Quay.

LoCAL CUrrENCy

The official currency on Antigua is the East Caribbean dollar. U.S. dollars and major credit cards are widely accepted.

PosT offICE ANd TELEPHoNE fACILITIEs

There is a Post Office in Nelson’s Dockyard.

Dial the following access numbers to use a personal calling card from a public phone:

AT&T: 1.800.225.5288MCI: 1.800.888.8000

ToUrIsT INformATIoN

There is a Tourist Office and Bank in Nelson’s Dockyard.

TrANsPorTATIoN

Rental cars are available and taxis are plentiful. Determine a fare prior to departure.

LANGUAGE

English is the official language of Antigua.

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

This information has been compiled for the convenience of our guests and is intended solely for that purpose. While we work to ensure that the information contained herein is correct, we cannot accept responsibility for any changes that may have taken place since printing.

© RCCL 2010 - All rights reserved.