Plymouth: Fort James, Courland Monument and Mystery Tombstone

Plymouth has a clear historical focus: Fort James, the Courland Monument and the Mystery Tombstone each offer a different perspective on the past. The route of the Carib Great Race also places the town’s name within a wider course. If you choose a holiday destination and holiday apartment based on the themes that genuinely interest you, Plymouth can be viewed above all as a place for a historical exploration.

Historical traces in Plymouth

Fort James in Plymouth was besieged by enslaved people who had risen up in the 18th century and was destroyed by the French. These two events give the town’s history a specific and conflict-filled context. As you prepare for your trip, you can use the siege and destruction as a starting point for exploring a particular period in Plymouth’s history.

The Courland Monument in Plymouth honours the ancestors of the Latvians who settled Tobago centuries ago. Latvians still occasionally visit the monument to honour the history and their connection to Tobago. It therefore represents a remembrance that links Latvian heritage with Tobago.

The Mystery Tombstone is the grave of Betty Stiven and her unborn child; it was erected in 1783. The name, burial site and year make the story personal and place it in a specific historical period. This site differs from Fort James’s history of conflict and the Courland Monument as a memorial. Together, the three sites offer different points of connection for anyone wishing to explore Plymouth’s history.

The Carib Great Race is also part of Plymouth’s profile: the offshore powerboat race is among the longest-running of its kind in the world. Its course starts in the Gulf of Paria in Trinidad, runs along Tobago’s west coast to Plymouth and then heads south to the finish at Store Bay. The route adds a wider geographical context to the history associated with specific places. The route information does not indicate a specific event date.

If you are travelling with others, it may help to agree in advance on whether you are more interested in the history of conflict, Latvian remembrance or individual life stories when choosing where to stay. You can then consider a holiday apartment in Plymouth as an option if you would like to include this historical focus in your travel plans.

Tobago in the wider travel picture

Tobago’s cocoa industry was revived in 2005 through the initiative of young Tobagonian sommelier Duane Dove. Tobago Cocoa Estate, in the green hills of Roxborough overlooking the Atlantic, grows a cocoa variety known as “fine” or “flavour” cocoa and used to make chocolate. The year gives the subject of cocoa a specific historical context; its cultivation and use also raise the question of how this variety of cocoa becomes chocolate.

Fishing is another facet of everyday life on Tobago: in fishing communities, groups bring their daily catch ashore using a method called “pulling seine.” The Tobago Harvest Festival began as a religious harvest thanksgiving celebration for the produce of the island’s villages. The festival programme included a morning service to bless the food, as well as an afternoon concert featuring skits, poems and a cantata performed by the village choir. This brings community practices, the harvest and cultural performances into view as different themes associated with Tobago.

Buccoo Historical Park is located on Golden Grove Estate in Buccoo. This historical nature park features the remains of two water mills, a copra-drying area and an old cocoa building. These traces offer insight into other aspects of the island’s history. For travel planning around Tobago, the Trinidad and Tobago Inter-Island Ferry Service also runs daily connections between Trinidad and Tobago. Check the operator’s schedule before departure.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Castara, Arnos Vale, Bethel, Bon Accord Village, Carnbee, Lowlands, Black Rock and Les Coteaux.

To the main travel overview: Western Tobago.