Visit Sierra Leone

As the drive to make the Sierra Leone Colony a Christian community continued, Governor Maxwell sent a memo to the Secretary of State for the colonies requesting the construction of a church to serve as a place of worship for the citizens. The foundation was laid in 1817 by Governor MacCarthy and construction was complete 11 years later well over budget and time.

As the head church of a diocese including The Gambia, the Gold Coast, Lagos, the Islands of Madiera, the Canaries, Mauritania and Morocco it was the places of worship for the crème de la crème of society and was also the venue of worship for major State functions. Some of the busts and plaques on display in the church include that of Reverend William Garnon, Thomas Fowell Buxton, Africanus Beale Horton and James “Holy” Johnson.

As the Liberated African Villages grew, it was decided that structures had to be established to cater for the spiritual and educational welfare of the emerging communities. The government agreed to finance the construction of schools and churches. In 1816, the government financed the building of a stone church the Regent, one of the Liberated African Villages. St. Charles, named after Charles MacCarthy, was the first stone church to be built in West Africa.

Perched on top of a steep hill, the church soon became inadequate for the five hundred worshippers it had been planned for due to the expanding population of Regent and the inspirational and influential leadership of Reverend W.A.B Johnson. After the death of the Reverend and subsequent migration by the inhabitants to the city in search of more opportunities, numbers dwindled but the historic significance of the church still remains and it still services congregation in current day.

After the Abolition Act had come into effect and Sierra Leone had become a British Colony, the Navy were mostly involved in trying to intercept the still on-going Slave Traffic.  One of the most effective vessels charged with this responsibility was ironically a former slave vessel itself, the Black Joke, formerly called the Henriquita.

Captured vessels where brought to Sierra Leone were an Admiralty Court had been set up to deal with the legal aspects including issues around the liberation of the slaves and condemnation of the vessels.

The rescued slaves where landed at King Jimmy Wharf and taken to a compound constructed for them. This site was referred to as the King’s Yard where they could be accessed and housed until plans had been made for their resettlement. As many of them were in need of medical help, it was also known as an Asylum. Popular figures to have passed through The Asylum include Samuel Adjai Crowther and John Ezzidio. The Gateway to the King’s Yard now leads to a part of the Connaught Hospital and Sight Savers.

Due to frequent attacks on Freetown in the 19th century by the Temne under the leadership of King Tom, the government became nervy about future attacks on the colony. The governor of the day instructed that a Martello Tower be built on the top of Tower Hill as a defence mechanism. Similar structures were a defence mechanism of the period it has counterparts along the south coast of England.

This huge round tower complete with guns and armoury was finished in 1805 starting a long association with Tower Hill and the military. However, it is reported that it was never used in battle and in a couple of decades it was in ruins. A water tank was built inside the base and served as part of the earliest water system supplying pipe born water to the city around 1870. This tower is in need of refurbishment and is located next to the houses of parliament. A trip up the hill confirms why this would be a strategic position for the military with some of the most magnificent views of Freetown on offer.

Probably from a condemned slave ship, the Three Old Boundary Cannons were half buried in the ground to mark the boundaries of old Freetown. Vertically positioned with their muzzles pointing upwards they were put in this position to avoid people sitting on them.

Of the three guns only one is still visible and this is mounted at the junction of Kissy Road, Ross Road and Blackhall Road – this part of the city is called “Up Gun”. First used to demarcate the division of the road for cleaning purposes it dates back to about 1800.

The second gun is used to be on the Leicester Road or Mountain Road but this is no longer visible. The third gun was at the junction of Pademba Road and Jomo Kenyatta Road (then called Mereweather Road) but likewise is no longer visible.

This majestic tree stands in the centre of the oldest part in Freetown and is the most visible landmark in the city. Though its exact age is unknown it has undisputedly stood here for over 200 years. It is believed by some to have been the resting place for the Black Poor when the arrived in Sierra Leone in 1787. They apparently rested and prayed underneath the shade of the tree. The Nova Scotians upon arrival in 1792 are also said to have sung "Return ye, ransomed sinners home" at this site though some views are held that the tree associated with this settlers is some distance away.

The Cotton Tree is synonymous with Freetown and has inspired many works of art. In fact, the Visit Sierra Leone logo pays homage to the Cotton Tree. It is also the home of bats and vultures and Cotton Trees in general are associated with myths and mysticisms in Sierra Leone. In the dry season and harmattan it sheds its leaves but in the rains the tree can be admired in all its splendour. Its magnetic pull makes it an attractive sight for visiting tourists.

Bunce Island was the largest British slave castle on the Rice Coast of West Africa. Founded around 1670, it exported tens of thousands of African captives to North America and the West Indies until the British Parliament finally closed it down in 1808. During its long and tragic history, Bunce Island was operated by four London-based companies: the Gambia Adventurers; the Royal African Company of England (which had official recognition from the British Crown); and the private firms of Grant, Oswald & Company and John & Alexander Anderson.

During the 1750s Richard Oswald, Bunce Island’s principal owner, forged a strong business and personal relationship with Henry Laurens, one of the richest rice planters and slave dealers in the Colony of South Carolina. Rice planters in coastal South Carolina and Georgia were willing to pay high prices for people brought from the Rice Coast of West Africa where farmers had been growing rice for hundreds of years and were experts at its cultivation.