Fort George

Fort George. National Trust Cayman Islands. , Fort George was built sometime around 1790 by Caymanians for the defense of these Islands from attacks by Spanish marauders from Cuba. Little is known about the origin and early history of the Fort. In 1662, the Governor of Jamaica was instructed "to take charge of the Caimanes Islands by the Planting and raising Fortifications upon them," but Fort George was probably not built until a century later. , The fort was typical of English battery construction of the late 18th Century. It was built in the shape of an oval measuring approximately 57 by 38 feet, with ten cannon embrasures and a mahogany gate on the land side. The walls, which were made of coral and limestone rubble, ranged in thickness from two feet on the land side to five feet on the seaside. It was described in 1802 as being "by no means well equipped" with "three guns four to six pounders." At the time it was built, it commanded a view of the harbour. , In living memory, the Fort was a sand-bottomed enclosure in which children from the adjacent school played. It contained two large cannon which were not original and a large chain. During World War II, a huge silk cotton tree which stood on this site was used as a watch post for the many German submarines which patrolled the Caribbean. The Home Guard was stationed across the road. , The Fort was demolished in 1972 following a battle between a developer and the Planning Authority. The remains were given to the National Trust in 1957 by the Doucet Trust.