History with a view – Brimstone Hill Travel Video Duration – 3.22 minutes Brimstone Hill Fortress St. Kitts Travel Video 72 hours – Good Life An extraordinary view! Ah it is an extraordinary site. Tell me about Brimstone Hill! Construction began in 1690 and continued intermittently for the next hundred years or so and it became the most extensive military fortification in the Americas. Occupied in different levels, crowned by the citadel, which is one of the finest examples of a very innovative type of fortification of the eighteenth century. The British arrived here in 1623 and established the first permanent settle in the islands in St. Kitts. And from St. Kitts, other islands were settled by the English and very interestingly, St. Kitts is also the first place that the French established a permanent official settlement as well. And, there was this uneasy relationship with England for some time. The island became very profitable by the eighteenth century. In fact, in common with many of the British colonies in the Caribbean, generated immense wealth for Britain and therefore, they were well worth defending. And defending, however, from each other, you know. That is to say, that there was colonial rivalry between the various European powers in this part. So because there was so much wealth here, I suppose, the place needed to be defended. Yes but, remember that when Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492, the very first structure that was established was La Navidad, the fort. And thereafter, yes, there were lots of other forts, but then, as the islands became more and more profitable and the rivalry became more intense, forts were the main feature of construction in all these islands. And then, in the eighteenth century at the peak of the prosperity of these islands, forts like Brimstone Hill were built.