York

York on the peninsula's western side is one of the villages founded in the early nineteenth century to settle Africans freed from slave ships by the naval squadron based at Freetown, and it keeps a stone church, board houses in the Krio style and a beach with fishing boats; it lies about 25 miles from Freetown and is mostly Krio and Christian, with fishing its main work. The Krio community that grew from these settlements shaped Sierra Leone's language and culture out of proportion to its size. The naval squadron based at Freetown intercepted slave ships for decades, and the people it freed were settled in villages like this one across the peninsula. Their descendants became the Krio community.

What to look for

• The stone church - the surviving building from the settlement period.
• The Krio board houses - the timber architecture of the community.
• The fishing beach - the boats worked from the village shore.
• The settlement history - a village founded for people freed from slave ships.

When to go

November to April is the dry season. The rains from May to October are heavy. The village is quiet through the week.

Things to know

Much of the historic fabric is in poor repair. Facilities are minimal. The road down the peninsula is slow.

Nearby

Kent is south, and Tokeh is northeast.

Key facts