Nelson's Dockyard

After the English colonized Antigua in 1632,{{Cite news |date=2012-06-20 |title=Timeline: Antigua and Barbuda |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1202625.stm |access-date=2024-06-30 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} the Royal Navy began using English Harbour as a safe haven. The harbour's position on the south side of Antigua island facilitated the monitoring of neighbouring islands, and the harbour was naturally well-suited to protect ships and cargo from hurricanes. Fortification of the harbor began in the 18th century.

The first reference to the defense of English Harbour occurs in 1704, when Fort Berkeley was listed as one of the island's forts established around the coast of Antigua.Colonial Office Papers, 9/1 (September 1704). Session Papers of Antigua. National Archives (Kew, UK).{{Cite journal |last=Waters |first=Christopher Kurt |date=2018 |title=Putting Forts in Their Place: The Politics of Defense in Antigua, 1670-1785 |url=https://surface.syr.edu/etd/980/ |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=Syracuse University Libraries |publisher=Syracuse University |language=en |type=Doctoral Dissertation}}{{Cite web |title=Fort Berkeley |url=https://www.nationalparksantigua.com/tours/fort-berkeley/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=Nelson's Dockyard National Park |language=en-US}} Fort Berkeley was built on a peninsula at the entrance to English Harbour.{{Cite web |title=Forts {{!}} Nelson's Dockyard National Park |url=https://www.nationalparksantigua.com/forts/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.nationalparksantigua.com |archive-date=31 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131023139/https://www.nationalparksantigua.com/forts/ |url-status=dead }} By 1707 naval ships used English Harbour as a station, but no facilities had yet been built for ship maintenance or repair. {{Citation needed|date=July 2024 }}

By 1723 English Harbour was in regular use by British naval ships {{Cite conference |last=Murphy |first=Reginald |date=July 2003 |title=The Seawall Archeology Project, Neslson Dockyard, Antigua |url=https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/19/61/00870/20-81.pdf |conference=Proceedings of the XX International Congress for Caribbean Archaeology |pages=711–716}} and in September of that year the harbour gained a reputation as a safe natural harbour when a hurricane swept ashore 35 ships lying in other ports in Antigua, while {{HMS|Hector|1703|6}} and {{HMS|Winchelsea|1708|6}}, both moored in English Harbour, suffered no damage.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024 }} Soon British naval officers petitioned for the building of repair and maintenance facilities in English Harbour.

In 1725, the English Harbour became a focal point for the establishment of a naval base.{{Cite web |title=World Heritage – Nelson's Dockyard National Park |url=https://www.nationalparksantigua.com/heritage/world-heritage/ |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=www.nationalparksantigua.com |publisher=Antigua & Barbuda National Parks Authority |language=en-US}} The first dockyard, St. Helena, was built on the eastern side of the harbour.{{Cite book |last=Aspinall |first=Algernon Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NB5lAAAAMAAJ |title=The Pocket Guide to the West Indies and British Guyana: British Honduras, Bermuda, the Spanish Main, Surinam, the Panama Canal |date=1954 |publisher=Methuen |edition=10th |location=London |pages=215 |language=en}} It consisted of a capstan house for careening ships, a stone storehouse, and three wooden sheds for the storage of careening gear. There were no quarters for dockyard staff or visiting sailors and the seamen themselves conducted all work and repairs on the ships. Naval operations in English Harbour soon outgrew the small original dockyard, and plans were begun in 1743 to develop the western side of the harbour with more facilities.D.V. Nicholson, "English Harbour and Shirley Heights", in Antigua and Barbuda Independence (R. Sanders, ed.), St. Johns, Antigua, 1981, 43.

File:Admirals Inn (5915536327).jpg

Construction of the modern Naval Dockyard began in the mid-1740s, on the western side of English Harbour.{{Cite book |last=Dyde |first=Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6PwpAQAAMAAJ&q=middle%20ground |title=Antigua and Barbuda: The Heart of the Caribbean |date=1999 |publisher=MacMillan education |isbn=978-0-333-74988-3 |language=en}} Enslaved Africans from plantations in the vicinity were sent to work on the dockyard.{{Cite book |last=UNESCO |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9W0PBgAAQBAJ |title=Safeguarding precious resources for island communities |date=2014-08-25 |publisher=UNESCO |isbn=978-92-3-100041-6 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Corbett |first=Theodore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=khv0EAAAQBAJ&dq=enslaved+africans+antigua+dockyard+English+harbour&pg=PA70 |title=The Promise of Freedom for Slaves Escaping in British Ships: The Emancipation Revolution, 1740-1807 |date=2024-03-31 |publisher=Pen and Sword Maritime |isbn=978-1-3990-4824-8 |language=en}}

By 1745 a line of wooden storehouses had been constructed (on the site of the present-day Copper & Lumber Store Hotel).{{Cite book |last=Harbour (Antigua) |first=Friends of English |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jz1sAAAAMAAJ&q=antigua+reclamation+of+land+to+provide+adequate+wharves+was+started |title=The Romance of English Harbour |date=1959 |language=en}} During this time, land was reclaimed for the construction of wharves. Between 1755 and 1765, many additional buildings were added: quarters were built for the Commander-in-Chief (Thomas Shirley),{{Cite journal |last=Beers |first=Henry P. |date=1949 |title=The Papers of the British Commanders in Chief in North America, 1754-1783 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1983299 |journal=Military Affairs |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=79–94 |doi=10.2307/1983299 |jstor=1983299 |issn=0026-3931|url-access=subscription }} additional storerooms, a kitchen, a shelter for the Commander's “chaise”, and the first part of the present Saw Pit Shed. During this time, a stone wall was built around the Dockyard, and land reclamation for wharves continued.

Additional construction took place between 1773 and 1778: the Engineer's Workshop, the Guard House, the Porter's Lodge, the two Mast Houses, and the Capstan House were constructed;{{Cite web |date=2014 |title=The Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archeological Sites: World Heritage Site Nomination Document |url=https://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1499.pdf |website=UNESCO WHC}} the first bay of the Canvas, Cordage, and Clothing Store was built; the walls around the Dockyard were extended to their present-day position; and the first naval hospital was constructed outside the Dockyard. By 1780, the dockyard also had boathouses, a water catchment, and a galley.{{Cite journal |last=Waters |first=Christopher Kurt |date=2018 |title=Putting Forts in Their Place: The Politics of Defense in Antigua, 1670-1785 |url=https://surface.syr.edu/etd/980/ |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=Syracuse University Libraries |publisher=Syracuse University |language=en |type=Doctoral Dissertation}}

Many of the buildings in the Dockyard today were constructed during a building programme undertaken between 1785 and 1794. The Engineer's House and the Pitch and Tar Store were built in 1785.{{Cite web |title=ANTIGUA MUSEUMS Maps |url=http://antiguahistory.net/Museum/maps.htm |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=antiguahistory.net}} The Engineer's Offices were built (and the Dockyard wall was extended to include them) in 1788. The wharves were improved and the northern side of the Saw Pit Shed was built in the same year. The Copper and Lumber Store was completed in 1789, and by 1792 the west side of the Canvas, Cordage, and Clothing Store had been completed. The Blacksmith's Shop also dates from this period. This building programme overlaps with Horatio Nelson's tenure in the Dockyard from 1784 to 1787.

File:Nelson's Dockyard - 23439326130.jpg

In 1797, the Sail Loft and Boat House were built{{Cite web |title=Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbour, on the island of Antigua, Leeward Islands {{!}} Royal Museums Greenwich |url=https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-1141325 |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=www.rmg.co.uk}} (adjacent to the Engineer's Offices and Tar and Pitch Store); the pillars are still visible today.{{Cite web |title=Boat House and Sail Loft Pillars at Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua: Photo of the Day |url=https://www.uncommoncaribbean.com/antigua/photo-of-the-day-boat-house-and-sail-loft-pillars-at-nelsons-dockyard-antigua/ |website=Uncommon Caribbean}} Around 1806, the Pay Master's Office was built and in 1821 the Officers’ Quarters building was constructed to accommodate the growing numbers of officers who accompanied their ships to the yard.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} The Naval Officer's and Clerk's House was built in 1855 and is now home to the Dockyard Museum.

In 1889 the Royal Navy abandoned the dockyard, and it fell into decay.{{Cite web |last=Almerigi |first=Sharon |date=1994-10-01 |title=Lord Nelson's Legacy in Antigua |url=https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-12/lord-nelsons-legacy-antigua |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=Caribbean Beat Magazine |language=en-GB}}

The Society of the Friends of English Harbour began restoration of the dockyard in 1951, and in 1961 it was re-opened to the public.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fodors.com/world/caribbean/antigua-and-barbuda/things-to-do/sights/reviews/nelsons-dockyard-175657|title=Nelson's Dockyard Review - Antigua and Barbuda Caribbean - Sights | Fodor's Travel|website=www.fodors.com}}{{Cite news |last=Knight |first=Carlena |date=Nov 11, 2021 |title=Dockyard's diamond celebrations to begin this weekend |url=https://antiguaobserver.com/dockyards-diamond-celebrations-to-begin-this-weekend/#google_vignette |work=Antigua Observer}} Among the original buildings are two hotels, a museum, craft and food shops, restaurants, and a large marina. Hiking trails radiate from the dockyard site into the surrounding Nelson's Dockyard National Park.

On May 9, 1982, Duran Duran filmed music videos for their songs "Rio" and "(Waiting for the) Night Boat" in English Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard.{{Cite web |last=Heyman |first=Stephen |date=2012-05-04 |title=Duran Duran Sails Back to 'Rio' |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/04/duran-duran-sails-back-to-rio/ |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=T Magazine |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=U.S. fans almost missed the genius of Duran Duran's 'Night Boat' |url=https://www.tampabay.com/us-fans-almost-missed-the-genius-of-duran-durans-night-boat/2341962/ |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2012-04-18 |title=Eilean Returns Home as the Star of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 2012 - Duran Duran |url=https://duranduran.com/2012/eilean-returns-home-as-the-star-of-the-antigua-classic-yacht-regatta-2012/ |access-date=2024-06-30 |language=en-US}} In 2023, Nelson's Dockyard was featured on an episode of BBC's The Apprentice.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-01-05 |title=Antigua gets major promotion as first Caribbean destination on BBC's The Apprentice |url=https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/news/caribbean-news/antigua-gets-major-promotion-as-first-caribbean-destination-on-bbcs-the-apprentice/ |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=Caribbean National Weekly |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=Jan 9, 2023 |title=Private screening of 'The Apprentice UK' takes place today |url=https://antiguaobserver.com/private-screening-of-the-apprentice-uk-takes-place-today |work=Antigua Observer}}{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Monica |date=2023-01-06 |title=Antigua and Barbuda - First Caribbean island to get featured on BBC's 'The Apprentice' |url=https://wicnews.com/caribbean/antigua-and-barbuda-first-caribbean-island-to-get-featured-on-bbcs-the-apprentice-270350056/ |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=WIC News |language=en-GB}}

File:View from Fort Hill Dow - Deep Bay - Nelson's Dockyard - panoramio.jpg|View of Nelson's Dockyard from Fort Hill

File:Dockyard Museum.jpg|Former Naval Officer's House (now the Dockyard Museum)

File:Boat House Pillars (5916097824).jpg|Remains of former Boat House & Sail Loft, which lost its roof in a hurricane in 1871{{cite web|title=Dockyard history|url=http://www.paradise-islands.org/antigua-nelsons-dockyard/boat-house.htm|website=www.paradise-islands.org}}

File:Nelson's Dockyard ~ English Harbour1.jpg|Capstan at Nelson's Dockyard marina

File:Nelson's Dockyard - Working Mast House C IMG 1024.jpg|Mast House at Nelson's Dockyard

File:Anchor Nelson.JPG|Ships anchor at Nelson's Dockyard, with the Officers' Quarters and Canvas, Cordage & Clothing Store behind

File:Nelsondockyard.JPG|Nelson's Dockyard: capstans within the remains of the Capstan House, galley behind

File:Nelson4.JPG|Figurehead at Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua

File:NelsonAntigua.JPG|Figurehead at Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua

• English Harbour
• Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites
• Sir Thomas Shirley, 1st Baronet
• Dow's Hill Interpretation Centre

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Nelson's Dockyard}}

• [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/caribbean/antigua-and-barbuda/articles/unesco-world-heritage-site-nelsons-dockyard-britains-colonial-legacy/ "Why Nelson's Dockyard is Britain's best, colonial Caribbean legacy"] (Telegraph article)
• [https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/19/travel/where-british-found-haven-in-antigua.html "Where British Found Haven in Antigua"] (New York Times article)
• [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37286174 "Nelson's Dockyard: from 'vile hole' to national treasure"] (BBC article)
• "[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1499/ Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites"] (UNESCO listing)
• [https://www.royalnavycemeteryantiguaproject.com/ Royal Navy Cemetery Antigua Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130143425/https://www.royalnavycemeteryantiguaproject.com/ |date=30 January 2023 }}
• [http://www.copperandlumberstore.com/history.html Copper and Lumber Store] website

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Category:History of British Antigua and Barbuda

Category:Buildings and structures in Antigua and Barbuda

Category:Royal Navy dockyards

Category:Saint Paul, Antigua and Barbuda

Category:Horatio Nelson

Category:Museums in Antigua and Barbuda

Category:Protected areas of Antigua and Barbuda

Category:Tourist attractions in Antigua and Barbuda