Nevis History & Culture

Built in 1778, the Bath Hotel was once a playground for the rich and famous who came to Nevis to take in the therapeutic, hot spring baths.

Guests would come by ship from throughout the West Indies and Europe for this pleasurable experience.

John Huggins, a merchant and aristocrat built the large, stone hotel at a cost of 43,000 “island” pounds, and surrounded it with lush landscaping, statuary, and goldfish ponds. The hotel was 200 feet long and 60 feet wide.

Dignitaries such as Lord Nelson, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Prince William Henry, who was the Duke of Clarence, visited the hotel in its heyday.

With the downturn of the sugar industry, Nevis stepped into the world of tourism with this hotel, which flourished for about 60 years. Since then the hotel has had various uses, reopening as a hotel from 1912 until 1940. It was used as training center for the West Indian regiment during World War II, and most recently, the temporary headquarters of the Nevis police while the new station was built.

Within the compound of the Bath Hotel is the Spring House, a two story masonry structure which was constructed from local hand cut stones. This building sits on the bank of the Bath Stream. The facility comprises of five thermal baths whose source of water springs from the base of the house. The spring water is reputed to contain minerals of medicinal value and is known to have cured chronic rheumatism and gout. Its water temperature ranges from 104F to 108F hence the reason why the Spring House was used significantly by visitors and locals alike.

John Cottle, once the president of Nevis and a planter, built this tiny church in 1824 as a place for his family and his slaves to worship together.

The ruins are located north of Charlestown, hidden in the woods off the main road, just south of the Newcastle Airport. A small sign on the main road marks the beginning of a dirt track that leads back to the church.

A very lenient slave owner, Cottle created this Anglican Church, which was never consecrated, since it was illegal at the time for slaves to worship.

Cottle Church is located on part of the 980-acre Round Hill Estate. The structure was severely damaged in a 1974 earthquake and again in 1989 during Hurricane Hugo. The stone building still provides a glimpse into our history.

Cottle Church is still a primary tourist attraction and stunning wedding location.

As its names implies, this museum displays artifacts and memorabilia of the life and times of British Naval Admiral, Lord Horatio Nelson, who visited Nevis in the late 18th century.

Nelson’s love affair with Nevis was largely due to Fanny Nisbet, a widow he met at a dinner party on Nevis. The two fell instantly in love, and their nuptials are without a doubt the most famous wedding here to date.

The museum houses what is said to be the largest collection of Nelson relics in the Western Hemisphere, called “Nevis in the time of Nelson”. The late Robert Abrahams, a Philadelphia lawyer who had a home in Nevis, compiled the collection during his life and first displayed at his Nevis home.

Mr. Abrahams donated the artifacts to the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society, a non-governmental body, which he believed was most capable of caring for the collection. The Society began construction of the Horatio Nelson Museum to house the collection in 1990.

On March 11, 1992, the museum opened in honour of Nelson, who is best known for his valiant command of the British fleet during the Battle of Trafalgar. The opening date was the wedding anniversary of Lord Nelson and Fanny Nisbet, and to this day the historical society hosts an anniversary tea each year in their honour.

Efforts to conserve those delicate artifacts have been well rewarded. They have fascinated thousands of visitors to Nevis, including Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal family who have visited the island.

For information, call 869-469-0408.

Archaeological work is ongoing at this site. The ruin of the stone Great House constructed in the early 19th century originally was joined to an older wooden house built in the 18th century.

Only the foundations of that earlier house remain, and in turn they lie atop the foundations of a 17th century house which is believed to have been burnt by the invading French army in 1706. The 17th century building was built by the Freeman family, the first owners of the estate. The 18th century structure was constructed by the Pinneys family, for whom Pinney’s Beach is named.
At one point the Pinneys considered allowing poets and writers from England to reside on the estate as an early “artist’s colony”, but it never came to pass. What makes this an exceptional site is that papers and correspondence of the Pinney family have survived in Bristol and give invaluable information about the buildings and life on the estate, which are being confirmed by archaeology.

The estate was occupied and produced sugar for 300 years.

The Nevisian Heritage Village administered by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, largely depicts the evolution of Nevisian social history through housing.

The houses, dating from the Carib Indian era, are replicas and are furnished with antiques and relics of their relevant periods. The display includes the blacksmith’s shop, rum shop, and the shoe-maker’s shop, along with the dwelling houses. To complete this traditional village setting are “backyard” gardens, beautiful flower gardens and various species of indigenous plants and shrubs some adorning the typical “estate yard” ruins. And, there’s even an area for animal rearing.

Site of many historic graves and imported head stones.

This delightful stone church dates back to the 1680’s and is known because the historic marriage record of Lord Horatio Nelson and Frances Nisbet is preserved.

Located about 10 minutes south of Charlestown on the main road, the churchyard contains many tombstones, which date back to the 17th century.

The first Anglican Church in the Caribbean, and the oldest church on Nevis, St. Thomas’ was built in 1643.

It is located on the main road about three miles north of Charlestown, and was built to serve the town of Jamestown, the island’s original capital that disappeared. The church is perched high on a hill overlooking St. Kitts.

The church cemetery has many tombstones bearing names of Nevis’ early settlers. They date back to 1649 and there is a vault that holds the remains of John Huggins (1763-1821), the founder of Bath Hotel.

This Memorial Plaque was erected and unveiled on Wednesday 1st August 2001 in memory of approximately 233 persons who lost their lives on August 1st 1970 when the government ferry “MV Christena” sank off Nags Head.

Located on Samuel Hunkins Drive in the vicinity of the Museum of Nevis History, the plaque lists the names of the 233 Kittians and Nevisians who perished in this unforgettable tragedy. The impact of this tragedy is still felt throughout the twin-island federation as most families were touched in some way.