Fort King George

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Fort King George is representative of the British presence in the Caribbean. In the 1700s, Lord George Macartney, British Governor General of Grenada and Tobago, authorized the erection on "Scarborough Hill" of two barracks and double kitchen to house two companies of soldiers, together with capping the hill for a parade ground. By 1779 work was near completion.
In June 1781 Tobago fell to the French. By 1784 the French under General Blanchelande began construction of a fort on the hill. The Fort was named "Fort Castries" in 1787. In 1789 it was renamed "Fort Republique" and "Fort Liberte" in 1790 when the garrison revolted. The British recaptured the fort in 1793 from the French and it was re-named “Fort Scarborough”. Tobago was returned to France in 1801 but by 1803 was again a British Colony. The fort was then referred to as "Fort King George" after King George III, in 1804.

The Fort was built for the purpose of security control of the colonial territory from foreign invasions as well as local internal revolts from the enslaved. The upgrade of the Fort, from timber to brick, began in 1818, and underwent many changes and additions since. The last withdrawal of the Garrison was in January 1854 as the British government withdrew from Tobago. Fort King George consists now of many ruins, abandoned fortifications, cannons, and several structures which have survived, and it also houses the Tobago Museum.

Address: Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago

Region: Tobago

Website Link: http://nationaltrust.tt/location/fort...

Ownership: Public

Site Features: Fort

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