Old Road Town Sights and Heritage
Old Road Town is where English settlers under Thomas Warner made their first permanent home on Saint Kitts, in January 1624. Basseterre became the capital in 1727, and Old Road settled into life as a fishing and farming village. Its sights are close together: a historic shore, two old estates on Wingfield Road, rock carvings, a parish church just west of town and, a short drive away, a fortress.
Old Road Bay
The shore where the first settlers came ashore is now a working fishing beach of dark volcanic sand and stones, with boats pulled up or moored offshore and a fisheries complex in town. It is a place to look rather than swim: there are no lifeguards.
Romney Manor and the saman tree
Romney Manor sits on about 8 acres of terraced garden just above the village. Its saman tree, estimated at over 400 years old, measures 24 ft around the trunk and spreads its canopy over half an acre. The estate’s name comes from the Earls of Romney, who inherited the plantation in the 18th century. The old great house burned down in 1995, and the Caribelle Batik studio now works from the site.
- Entry US$5 per adult; children 0 to 11 free.
- Open Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 3:00 pm; Saturdays November to April; closed Sundays.
Read the estate’s own history page for old photographs.
Kalinago petroglyphs
On two large boulders at the approach to Wingfield Estate, beside Romney Manor, are carvings made by the island’s Kalinago people long before 1624. The figures have been painted white so they stand out. Viewing is free from the roadside; please do not climb on the rocks.
Wingfield Estate ruins
Wingfield was the site of the first permanent English plantation settlement on the island. The Jeafferson family held it; Christopher Jeafferson’s new sugar works here were flattened by a hurricane on 27 August 1681. The stone chimney, aqueduct and sugar works were built and run by enslaved Africans, whose forced labour created this landscape. Ask at the estate about access to the ruins.
St Thomas Anglican Church, Middle Island
About 1 km west along the main road, this church stands on the site of the first Anglican church in the West Indies. The present building dates from 1860; the 8 October 1974 earthquake brought down its tower, and the church was repaired and reconsecrated in 2000. Thomas Warner, who died in 1649, is buried in the churchyard.
Bloody Point
About 3 km south-east, west of Challengers Village, the Stone Fort River meets the sea at Bloody Point. In 1626 English and French settlers massacred the Kalinago people here; the usual estimate is about 2,000 dead. Visit quietly, as you would any memorial.
Brimstone Hill Fortress
Ten minutes north-west by road, the UNESCO-listed fortress opens daily from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Entry is US$15. See the park’s site .
Read more: Walking Old Road Town and Guided tours around Old Road Town .
For guided options, search GetYourGuide for St Kitts sightseeing .