Fort Recovery, Tortola

[1] The Fort was later abandoned when the Territory fell into decline after the British seized control of the islands in 1672.

The fort fell into disrepair again in the early 19th century when the main theater of conflict moved from the colonies to mainland Europe, and the economies of the islands were insufficient for its upkeep.

The fort is a very early example of a Martello Tower, a type of fortification used extensively along the British south-east coastline during the Napoleonic wars.

The other possibility is that the fort was built to secure the trail that linked Soper's Hole to Pockwood Pond and Road Town as previous Spanish attacks had landed in Soper's Hole and then proceeded overland to Pockwood Pond and Road Town.

It would have been difficult to fortify effectively Soper's Hole against Spanish cannon, but a fort on the soldiers' overland route could delay an attack and prevent another massacre of the type that occurred in 1646.