Gun Hill Signal Station

After the 1816 rebellion the British built a chain of six signal stations across the high ground of Barbados so that messages could be flagged from one end of the island to the other in minutes, and Gun Hill is the best preserved. It sits at around two hundred metres with a view over most of the southern half of the island and out to sea in three directions. Below the tower, cut from a single block of coral limestone in 1868 by a British officer with time on his hands, sits a white lion, which has become the site's emblem. The tower itself holds a small collection of military memorabilia.

What you actually see

• The signal tower - restored, with the view the whole system depended on.
• The white lion - carved from a single limestone block in 1868.
• The three-way view - across the southern half of the island to the sea.
• The military collection - small displays inside the tower.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and clearest. Mornings are best before haze. Opening hours are limited and it closes at weekends in some periods, so check. It takes about forty-five minutes.

Honest expectations

It is small and takes under an hour. Opening has been intermittent and the site has closed for periods. There is little interpretation. The road up is narrow. The view is good rather than spectacular, since Barbados is not a high island.

Nearby

Bridgetown is 25 minutes; Harrison's Cave and the Flower Forest are north.