Fort King George Built in the 1770's, this fort is one of the island's best preserved historical monuments. • The Fort's prisoner's cells, bell tank, barracks and officer's mess are all located among very well manicured grounds. • Approaches to the fort take you past the old Fort's prison cell, now converted to offices and then past the present Scarborough Hospital Facilities. • The grounds of the Fort are a it is a popular venue for art displays. • There is a souvenir shop on the compound. • Several cannon emplacements still remain as they were in the past - overlooking and guarding the coastline, Scarborough, Rockley Bay and the harbour. • The Tobago Museum and art display is located in the Barrack Guard House of this Fort. Nelson’s Island
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"The prototype of the original model on which the edifice was designed, was a city dwelling in the town of
Gorakpur, in the county of the same name, from which Capil had emigrated and in which his family had
lived, for so many generations. Indeed, the architectural style of the building, like his family, went back
centuries.
Its brutally stark pillars forming an arcade in front, plain walls and flat roof, mirror the early Gupta style of the 5
th century A.D. Capil constructed the creation with his own hands. It was his very own and yet to
some extent he may have envisaged it as his cultural gift to Trinidad from his ancient homeland.
Outstanding in its own right, the house has become internationally famous because of its description in
cynical style, by Capil's grandson Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, in his book A House for Mr. Biswas,
in which he transforms the lions into representations of the monkey-god Hanuman, Capildeo becoming
Tulsi and Chaguanas, Arwacas ."
Surendranath Capildeo, Conveyancer and former Member of Parliament, completed the restoration of the
Lion House at his sole expense, so that today the public can visit it and see it as it was in 1926. The LionHouse has been many things to many people in its early history. It was a meeting place for many
travelers from all over Trinidad who were passing through Chaguanas.It was a home for Hindu Pilgrims
and an early community centre for the residents of Chaguanas and surrounding areas.
Ganja was sold at the Lion House and it was consumed there by the public without any discomfort to
Don Cosmo Damien Churruca was a Spanish Officer and well known as a scientific navigator. In 1792 he was
appointed to lead the expedition to fix the longitudinal points in the New World relative to Cadiz, Spain.
He arrived in Trinidad on 21 July 1792 and with the permission of the Spanish Governor Don Jose Maria Chacon,proceeded to establish an observatory at Laventille. The observatory is situated adjacent to the Roman Catholic
Church. A plaque incorrectly identifies the ancient structure as "Fort Chacon".
On 2 January 1793, Churruca made geographical and astronomical history by observing with great precision the
immersion of the third satellite of Jupiter in the disc of the moon and also that of the first satellite. From his