Thank you to the St Helena Independent

We're thrilled to announce a pledge of £2,000 from The St Helena Independent, St Helena's weekly online newspaper, towards our campaign to send a conservation-accredited structural engineer to St Helena in January. This very generous offer has helped us raise almost enough other gifts and offers of support in kind to be very close to sum we need. Huge thanks to Vince Thompson of the Independent. We couldn't have done it without your support! Thank you too for the publicity for our campaign.

Click on the logo for a link to the Indy's special coverage of our Conservation Engineer campaign in their issue of 10 October 2025.

It's not too late to top up our Conservation Engineer fundraiser. We'll be keeping the campaign open until Christmas to maximise the potential from the project. You can read more about the project below or by clicking on the link to our campaign page.

Donate to send a Conservation Engineer to St Helena

Why is this project needed?

Some of St Helena's most important historic monuments need urgent repair and protection. We are fundraising to send a conservation-accredited structural engineer to St Helena to assess and devise the most appropriate means of stabilising and repairing the monuments before more historic fabric is lost to the elements and the sea. 

We have a highly qualified and experienced engineer in the UK who is willing to work largely pro bono if we can raise the cost of flights and subsistence for their journey to St Helena. This is a great opportunity to move forward on preserving these important heritage sites. The engineer will work closely with the National Trust of St Helena, which is the custodian of the monuments.

The crumbling perimeter wall and damaged section of the firing platform on the west side of High Knoll Fort.

Which monuments are we talking about?

High Knoll Fort stands 600 metres above sea level to the southwest of Jamestown. It is the largest, most prominent and most complete of the forts and military installations on the island. It is a Grade I listed building and potentially a major tourist attraction, but it is in a sadly deteriorating condition. Its earliest elements date to 1790, when the East India Company ruled the island. During Napoleon's exile to St Helena, the fort was occupied by the 20th Regiment of Foot. Over half a century later, it was redeveloped and greatly enlarged by the Royal Engineers. It is a spectacular site, but among its many problems a large section of the western wall has collapsed, leaving sections of the firing platform hanging in the air without support. It is only a matter of time before more of this historic building is lost. 

The spectacular but very vulnerable remains of Banks Battery.

Banks Battery, which was built between 1700 and 1740, and modified during Napoleon's incarceration, occupies a strategic position relative to ships arriving at Jamestown. Approaching ships needed to identify themselves satisfactorily or risk coming under fire. Unhappily, the site was significantly damaged by storms in 2010 and its deterioration is continuing. It is in urgent need of protection and stabilisation. Munden’s Battery first existed as just two guns in 1673, but was considerably expanded in 1708-10. The battery protected the harbour of Jamestown, and is reachable from the town centre via a steep trail. Its surviving structures are in a dangerous, crumbling state and have suffered from inappropriate repair in the past.

These monuments are an important part of St Helena's history and, indeed, world history. Please donate today and help us get the right expertise to St Helena to map out the best future for them.