Fort Charlotte sits on Berkshire Hill, a ridge rising about 190 metres (636 ft) above sea level on the western edge of Kingstown. The British completed it in 1806 and named it after Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. Unusually, many of its guns point inland: the threat the garrison feared was as much the Garifuna and the French from the interior as an attack from the sea.
Today the fort houses a coastguard signal station and a few historic buildings, including a room with paintings by the artist Lindsay Prescott depicting the history of the Garifuna (Black Carib) people, who were deported from the island in 1797.
Top things to do: Fort Charlotte
The panorama
From the ramparts you see Kingstown harbour, the south coast, Bequia and the chain of the Grenadines on a clear day, and north up the leeward coast.
The Garifuna paintings
Lindsay Prescott’s paintings tell the story of Chief Joseph Chatoyer, the Garifuna leader killed in 1795 and now the country’s first National Hero, and the deportation that followed.
How to get to Fort Charlotte
- From Kingstown: 10 minutes by taxi; walking is possible but steep and hot.
- On a tour: included on most island tours, or book the dedicated Fort Charlotte tour.
Insider tips
- Come in the late afternoon for softer light over the harbour.
- Bring water and a hat — there is little shade on the ridge.
Tours that include Fort Charlotte
These bookable experiences are the easiest way to see Fort Charlotte:
History tour from €39 Fort Charlotte Tour
A short, cheap history fix: two hours at the fort that guards Kingstown from 190 metres up. Views run from the harbour to Bequia and the Grenadines on a clear day, and the guide fills in the story of the Garifuna wars that the fort was built for.
- The 1806 British fort on Berkshire Hill
- Panoramic views of Kingstown and the Grenadines
- The Garifuna story told in the fort’s murals
Island tour from €68 Dark View Falls Tour with Trubb Taxi Tours SVG
The best-rated way to tick off the island’s big four in five hours: the capital, the fort above it, the Pirates film location and Dark View Falls, with a beach at the end. Run by a small local taxi-tour outfit with consistently warm reviews.
- Kingstown city drive and Fort Charlotte
- Dark View Falls in the northern rainforest
- Pirates of the Caribbean location and Buccament beach
Island tour from €45 Kingstown: St Vincent Pirates of the Caribbean Tour
The island’s most-booked tour and the easy choice for a cruise-ship day. A local driver-guide takes you up to Fort Charlotte, along the leeward coast to the surviving Pirates of the Caribbean set at Wallilabou and a small waterfall there, and finishes with beach time at Buccament.
- The Port Royal film set at Wallilabou Bay
- Harbour views from Fort Charlotte
- A swim at Buccament Bay beach
