Fort Shirley was the headquarters and main defence post of the British army garrison at the Cabrits on the north-west coast of Dominica. Construction began under the direction of Sir Thomas Shirley, Governor of Dominica (1774-1778) after whom it was named. It has a polygon layout marked by two batteries for guns, the lower and upper battery, overlooking the entrance to Prince Rupert Bay. Other buildings are troops barracks, officer’s quarters, kitchens and mess, guardroom, powder magazines, three cisterns, artillery and ordnance stores and the remains of earthworks. The main action there was the revolt of the 8th West India Regiment in 1802 and an attempted attack by the French in 1805. It was closed down like the rest of the Cabrits in 1854 but was used briefly in the 1870s and the 1920s as a quarantine station and hospital and later as an agricultural centre. Restoration of the fort began in 1982.

The main entrance portico of the Officer’s Quarters at Fort Shirley before restoration work began and in January 2007.

    

A major restoration project on Fort Shirley at the Cabrits Garrison in northern Dominica is being funded by the European Union Eco-Tourism Development Project. It will offer new visitor attractions for the next tourist season. The contractor for the project is Island Heritage Initiatives Ltd. a small locally based company that provides services to Heritage sites in the Caribbean. It is led by historian and anthropologist Dr. Lennox Honychurch who also holds a master’s degree in Museum Studies.

   

The project, which began in February 2006, includes a number of different aspects. The centerpiece of the restoration is the complete rehabilitation of the Officer’s Quarters. This is a classic Georgian building that was constructed in 1774 but has lain in ruins for the last 150 years. Using original plans that are stored in the National Archives at Kew in England, the two-story building measuring 25 x 65 feet, is being completely restored to its former glory.

Another feature of the project is the complete restoration of the Upper and Lower Batteries of the fort and the placing of 14 cannons along the ramparts pointing out across Prince Rupert Bay. The guns include different sizes and types of mortars, carronades,12 pounder cannon and larger 32 pounder cannon. The display has become an outdoor museum of guns, matched only by a collection at the Garrison Savannah in St.Michael, Barbados.

   

Equally important is the new ‘Loop Trail’ that is being developed to lead visitors along a circular route to some of the main buildings and sites within the historic garrison. It has been designed to pass military barracks, the parade ground, a viewpoint of the Battle of The Saints of 1782, the Douglas Bay Battery, the Commandants House, the ruins of an unusual Octagon House and back to the Main Gate.

The Commandants Quarters and the Octagon House are important because they were designed by Peter Harrison who is regarded as “the first American Architect” of the United States. Other buildings designed by him still stand in Rhode Island and Massachusetts where they are national landmarks. The Cabrits designs are his only buildings outside of the US.

The Parade Ground, once used for drill by the 700 soldiers stationed at the Cabrits, is the size of the Newtown Savannah near Roseau. Undergrowth has been removed to show its full extent. The entire site is to be cleared so as to restore the grounds and provide a playing field for exercise and recreation within the park.

Another attraction is the ‘Battle Viewpoint’, where visitors can look over the site of The Battle of The Saints, the most important sea battle fought in Caribbean waters. The view covers the north coast of Dominica looking towards the islands of the Saints and Guadeloupe. Panels have been designed to show visitors the progress of the battle during the day of 12th April, 1782, from 8.00am to the time of the French surrender at 6.00pm as if they were on this viewpoint at that time. The entire project is employing some seventeen masons, carpenters, welders and general workers from the Portsmouth area and from Coulibistrie to Pennville.