ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA

St. John's is the capital and largest city of Antigua and Barbuda, located in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea and with a population of 22,193, St. John's is the commercial center of the nation and the chief port of the island of Antigua. The settlement of St. John's has been the administrative center of Antigua and Barbuda since the islands were first colonized in 1632, and it became the seat of government when the nation achieved independence in 1981.

St. John's is one of the most developed and cosmopolitan municipalities in the Lesser Antilles. The investment banking industry has a strong presence in the city. Major world financial institutions have offices in St. John's. The Antigua Rum Distillery is located at the Citadel and is the only rum distillery on the island. Annual production yields more than 180,000 gallons bottled.

Amazing Antigua We uncovered Antigua’s British-flavored past and lush landscapes as we traveled to the heart of the island. We rode with our guide into the tropical countryside, passing picturesque everyday villages and gently rolling hills. At English Harbor, used by the British fleet in the 18th century, we took in fantastic coastal views from Shirley Heights Lookout, 446 feet above the sea on a sheer cliff. This was the principal British fortification. Back at the harbor’s edge, we explored Nelson’s Dockyard, one of the Caribbean’s most celebrated sites. The yard was named for Admiral Horatio Nelson, who commanded the navy here for three years. It is the last remaining Georgian dockyard still in use today. We explored the Admiral’s Inn, the excellent museum and the art gallery. We admired the sleek yachts tied to the old stone quay.

St. John's Cathedral also known as the St. John the Divine, the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba, is an Anglican church perched on a hilltop in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda. It is the seat of the Diocese of the North East Caribbean and Aruba in the Church in the Province of the West Indies.

The present cathedral with its imposing white twin towers was built on a fossilized reef, in 1845, and is now in its third incarnation, as earthquakes in 1683 and in 1745 destroyed the previous structures. The iron gates on the south face of the church are flanked by pillars displaying lead Biblical figures of St John the Divine and St John the Baptist. They were taken by HMS Temple in 1756, from a French ship destined for Martinique.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John's_Cathedral_(Antigua_and_Barbuda)

Pedestrian street between our docked cruise ship and our tour bus pickup.

On our way to opposite side of island.

Betty's Hope was a sugarcane plantation in Antigua. It was established in 1650, shortly after the island had become an English colony, and flourished as a successful agricultural industrial enterprise during the centuries of slavery. It was the first large-scale sugar plantation to operate in Antigua and belonged to the Codrington family from 1674 until 1944. Christopher Codrington, later Captain General of the Leeward Islands, acquired the property in 1674 and named it Betty’s Hope, after his daughter.

High above English Harbor in Nelson's Dockyard National Park sits the Block- house, a brick ruin. On a perch overlooking the southeastern coast of Antigua, the circa-1787 site encompasses an officer's quarters and those of servants, as well as stables.

https://www.afar.com/places/the-blockhouse-saint-paul

Overlook at the blockhouse. A canon used to be where the bench seat is now.

Looking nearly straight down from the 490-foot lookout!

Nelson's Dockyard (more later).

Our very personable and fun 21-year old tour guide with his fiance.

Shirley Heights is a restored military lookout and gun battery. The Lookout. This high point (about 490 ft.) affords a superb view of English and Falmouth Harbours, the best view in Antigua. The view is spectacular, especially at sunset and early evening when all of English Harbour is all lit up.

https://visitantiguabarbuda.com/destinations/shirley-heights-lookout/