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Gun Hill Signal Station, 
After the decline of the signal stations, the Gun Hill buildings fell into complete disrepair. They include the station with its prominent tower, a kitchen, magazine, sentry box and ruined barracks. On the hillside below is a well-known sculpture of a lion. In 1981, the
Barbados.org
Saint George, Barbados Military of Barbados Military installations of the United Kingdom History of the Colony of Barbados 1697 establishments in the British Empire Buildings and structures in Barbados {{Barbados-stub
Gun Hill Signal Station, St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
is the largest and most important of the military outposts in Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
, with military associations from at least 1697. In the Militia Act of that year, when it was known as Briggs Hill, it was named as one of the four points where guns were to be placed to give alarm in the event of an invasion, so it is likely that the name Gun Hill goes back nearly 300 years.
When the signal stations were established in 1818–1819, it became the key link in the chain, passing signals from Highgate east to Moncrieffe on the cliffs of the St. John/ St. Philip border, and north to the Cotton Tower, Grenade Hall and Dover Fort (and vice versa). But Gun Hill was also the typical 'Hill Station' of the tropics, used as a convalescent station for the troops, and for evacuation of the Garrison
A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...
in times of epidemics of yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
and once (in 1854) of cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
. There was only a small barrack, and a mass evacuations went under canvas.
After the decline of the signal stations, the Gun Hill buildings fell into complete disrepair. They include the station with its prominent tower, a kitchen, magazine, sentry box and ruined barracks. On the hillside below is a well-known sculpture of a lion. In 1981, the Barbados National Trust
The 'Barbados National Trust'', founded in 1960, is an organisation which works to preserve and protect the natural and artistic heritage of Barbados and to increase public awareness of the country's historic and architectural treasures. These in ...
leased the station from the government and restored it with the help of a government grant.
External links
Barbados.org
Saint George, Barbados Military of Barbados Military installations of the United Kingdom History of the Colony of Barbados 1697 establishments in the British Empire Buildings and structures in Barbados {{Barbados-stub