Bois Cotlette Estate

Bois Cotlette was established in the late seventeenth century in the hills above Soufriere and grew coffee, cocoa, sugar and lime over three centuries, and it survives with its great house, mill, boiling house and workers' quarters standing in various states of repair. Restoration and archaeological work have run there since the 2010s, documenting the lives of the enslaved people who worked it. Tours are led by the project and must be arranged in advance.

What you actually see

• The great house - the estate house from the plantation's long working life.
• The mill and boiling house - the sugar processing buildings still standing.
• The excavations - the archaeological work on the quarters and the estate's people.
• The crop history - coffee, cocoa, sugar and lime grown here over three centuries.

When to go

December to April is drier and the track is easier. Tours are by arrangement rather than on a schedule. The site closes during heavy rain.

Honest expectations

Visits must be arranged in advance and there are no walk-up tours. Much of the estate is ruin under active work rather than restored display. The access track is rough.

Nearby

Soufriere is below, and Scotts Head is south.