St Kitts is a stunning Caribbean island with immense natural beauty, but it's also quite different from other Caribbean islands in that it has a rich and long history. Although it might be difficult to drag yourself away from the glorious beaches, it's well worth while setting aside a few days to explore this fascinating island.
The town of Old Road was originally established in 1623 and was the very first British town in the whole of the Caribbean, beginning with just 15 settlers. Before this it was home to Carib Indians who had villages and ritual grounds in the area. Today is still possible to see the stone petroglyphs on the road leading to Romney Manor.
Romney Manor was originally named the Wingfield Estate and was unique for being the first to use a water wheel for power. Later on the estate was leased by the Romney family and is now home to the Botanical Gardens and Caribelle Batik. This is well worth a visit as the gardens around the 17th-century sugar plantation are beautifully restored, and it's pretty interesting to see practical demonstrations of the art of batik.
Sandy Point is the second largest town on the island and has two beautiful churches which are St Anne's Anglican Church and the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic church. Dieppe Bay town was the Protestant French commercial capital during the late 16th century. At one point the northern part of the town was ruled by the French while the southern part was ruled by the British. Although once a busy port, nowadays it's a very small town but remains historically significant.
