Blast from the past !!

Fort Granby was the first British fortification on the island of Tobago and is the island’s second oldest fort. It was built around 1765 to protect the first capital, Georgetown (which was short-lived). It was named after a British hero of the Seven Year War, and the British held a sizable Post of Arms there. The gravestone of a British soldier, James Clark, who died in 1772 lies on the grounds. A French map of the fort dating from 1784 (Nardin, 1969, plate v) identifies three buildings and show that the fort had three canons at the time, however they have reportedly been moved to another location.

 On Sunday 13th April, 1766, a church service was performed for the first time at Fort Granby; officiated by a subaltern officer, it involved the reading of a sermon of Tolloston. The French took over the fort from 1781 to 1787, during their occupation of Tobago, after which it was abandoned. The fort lies on a headland with covered gazebos that look over either side into the Barbados and Pinfold Bays. 

The grounds have become a labyrinth of interwoven trees creating a natural canopy and is furnished with modern facilities including a play park. A walk through the grounds is punctuated by an eerie silence, broken only by the whistling of a bird. On your trip up the South-East Coast of Tobago along the Windward Road, stop at the picturesque Fort Granby for a picnic or photo-op! The well-kept grounds and winding trees make for a fun adventure.