Dow's Hill Interpretation Centre is a museum on

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

. The hill was part of the estate of Archibald Dow, a civilian Royal Navy official, before it was acquired for the construction of fortifications. Dow's House became a residence for senior garrison officers and then the Governor of the Leeward Islands before it was destroyed by an 1834 earthquake. The museum was established in 1989 with funding from the

Canadian International Development Agency The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA; in French: ''Agence canadienne de développement international''; ''ACDI'') was a federal Canadian organization that administered foreign aid programs in developing countries. The agency was me ...

and provides a presentation of Antiguan history and tours of nearby ruins.

History

The hill overlooks

English Harbour English Harbour is a natural harbour and settlement on the island of Antigua in the Caribbean, in the extreme south of the island. The settlement takes its name from the nearby harbour in which the Royal Navy established its base of operations fo ...

and offers views of the first European settlements on Antigua, established in the early 17th century, and of the fortifications surrounding

Nelson's Dockyard Nelson's Dockyard is a cultural heritage site and marina in English Harbour, located in Saint Paul Parish on the Caribbean island of Antigua, in Antigua and Barbuda. It is the only continuously working Georgian era dockyard in the world. It was ...

. The hill formed part of the estate of Archibald Dow, the civilian storekeeper at the dockyard, who constructed a house there in 1732. The land was compulsorily acquired from Dow in 1789 at a cost of £8,354 0s 8d to allow fortifications to be constructed to protect the ridgeline from attack from the landward side. The fortifications were built by the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

and included stone walls intended to make the fortifications appear more imposing to potential attackers than they actually were. Dow's house was used by senior officers of the garrison before being converted to a residence for the Governor of the Leeward Islands. This was destroyed in an earthquake of 1834, which also ended the permanent presence of a garrison on the site.

Museum

A grant of $11million was provided by the

in 1989 to establish a museum on Dow's Hill, to cater for tourists. The museum was sited close to the ruins of the governor's residence. The museum is operated by the Antigua and Barbuda National Parks Authority and is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00. It contains a gift shop and café-cum-bar. The museum shows a multimedia presentation of Antiguan history from the first

Amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

settlers through to the European agricultural settlements, the island's role as a British military base and the campaign for independence. The museum offers walking tours to nearby historic sites and a weekly "Rum in the Ruins" tour where visitors receive a guided visit to the ruins whilst enjoying rum cocktails.

References

{{reflist History of British Antigua and Barbuda Buildings and structures in Antigua and Barbuda Saint Paul, Antigua and Barbuda Museums in Antigua and Barbuda Tourist attractions in Antigua and Barbuda Museums established in 1989 1989 establishments in North America