St. Paul's is one of eight

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

of the island of

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

, part of the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the second-most heavily populated district on the island and is located on its northwestern coast.

Description

Terrain in the district is quite varied with steep ridges and a limited amount of flat ground, as befits the island's volcanic origin. It is mainly rural and lacks any main settlement as there are many small villages dispersed throughout. Its population has fluctuated from 795 in 1998 to 908 in 2008 and 843 in 2016. It trails only Half Tree Hollow District in size. The district is named after the Anglican

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, which is located there, and also within the district is Plantation House, the Governor's official residence. The island's only

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

is situated in St Paul's — the Prince Andrew School.

History

When the Dutch East India Company occupied St Helena in December 1672, they made their first landing attempt at Lemon Valley Bay, but were beaten off with boulders and rocks thrown by the defenders from the heights on the sides of the valley. After the English recaptured it in May 1673, the mouth of the Lemon Valley was quickly fortified to better deter any future attempts. By 1717 the fort there was ruinous and a quarantine station was built further up the valley to house the slaves recently received from Madagascar that had smallpox. The fortification in Lemon Valley were allowed to continue to deteriorate until they were replaced by entirely new buildings 50-odd years later.Denholm, p. 29–32 Francis Plain (16261769307).jpg, Francis Plain Prince Andrew School (16264718467).jpg, Prince Andrew School Plantation_House_(16431883766).jpg, Plantation House View of the sea from Plantation House.jpg, view from Plantation House St Paul's Anglican Cathedral (16468521732).jpg, Saint Paul's Cathedral Boer Prisoner of War Cemetery in Knollcombes Saint Helena.jpg, Boer Prisoner of War Cemetery in Knollcombes from below Farm near Rosemary Plain, Saint Paul's.jpg, near Rosemary Plain View of the old guardhouse at Lemon Valley Bay.jpg, guardhouse at Lemon Valley Bay Lemon Valley from the sea.jpg, Lemon Valley from the sea Old quarantine building in Lemon Valley back view.jpg, ruins of the old quarantine station

Notes

Bibliography

* {{Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Districts of Saint Helena Populated places in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha