Tower Hill/Smith's Hill

Tower Hill is a geographic height slightly inland from the Freetown estuary. The hill was a natural strategic point that overlooked the coastline. Smith's Hill, as it was called during the time, was the site of the governor's house. The house was destroyed by the French in 1794 and a new house was resurrected in 1796 with a palisade built around it but it too was attacked so a stone wall was erected around it. While building the stone wall defenses, the British colonial government decided to enclose the governor's house, a barracks, post office, and the colonial secretary's office. This compound was now deemed Fort Thornton and was inhabited by the governor for years and it is still the governmental house of Sierra Leone today.

Tower Hill is the site of the colonial regime that controlled Freetown during the colonial period. The fort on the hill not only was a strategic placement for defense but also played a psychological role as the ominous British fort beared down on the colonial subjects of Freetown. The notions of this type of imposing presence is still in use today as the government house is situated atop Tower Hill in the same manner as the fort.

“Bastions of Fort Thornton, Freetown.” Sierra Leone Heritage. Accessed December 2, 2020. http://www.sierraleoneheritage.org/sites/monuments/fortthornton.

Misevich, Philip. "The Sierra Leone Hinterland and the Provisioning of Early Freetown, 1792-1803." Journal of Colonialism & Colonial History 9, no. 3 (2008): N_A.

“OFFICIAL VISITS: 'Government House, Freetown, Sierra Leone.' ,” 1958. Ministry of Information .