List of National Monuments of Sierra Leone

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The National Monuments of Sierra Leone, in West Africa, are proclaimed in accordance with the Monuments and Relics Ordinance of 1947 with Dr Macormack Charles Farrell Easmon serving as the first chairman of the Monuments and Relics Commission.[1] Eighteen National Monuments have been proclaimed, although two have since been demolished.[2] Sierra Leone accepted the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in 2005, but is yet to nominate a site for inscription.[3][4] A three-year research project funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council in the late 2000s investigated the "object diaspora" of movable Sierra Leonean cultural properties in the context of European museums and has led to the creation of a digital resource relating to the country's cultural heritage.[5][6][7] The sites are maintained by the Sierra Leonean Monuments and Relics Commission, a branch of the country's Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

The two National Monuments that are no longer traceable were both in Freetown. They were a fireplace removed from a now demolished building and some military butts (shooting ranges).

Site Location Founded Proclaimed Location Description
Bunce Island Sierra Leone River 17th century 1948 8°34′9.86″N 13°2′24.84″W / 8.5694056°N 13.0402333°W / 8.5694056; -13.0402333 Site of an 18th-century British slave castle on Bunce Island.
Heddle's Farm Freetown 1820 1948 8°28′27.11″N 13°13′3.17″W / 8.4741972°N 13.2175472°W / 8.4741972; -13.2175472 Prominent residence, now in ruins, that was owned by several notable colonial families.
Freetown 1664 1948 8°29′18.11″N 13°14′16.8″W / 8.4883639°N 13.238000°W / 8.4883639; -13.238000 An inscribed rock left by Dutch Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, Freetown's oldest monument.
Freetown 1805 1949 8°29′3.12″N 13°14′0.78″W / 8.4842000°N 13.2335500°W / 8.4842000; -13.2335500 Fortifications on Tower Hill
Kono District c.1800 1949 8°50′49.48″N 11°1′9.43″W / 8.8470778°N 11.0192861°W / 8.8470778; -11.0192861 An abandoned fortified village that was founded before the arrival of Europeans.
Freetown 1817 1949 8°29′18.85″N 13°14′18.73″W / 8.4885694°N 13.2385361°W / 8.4885694; -13.2385361 Gateway through which ex-slaves entered the settlement of Freetown.
Moyamba District 1725 1949 7°54′37.43″N 12°59′25.21″W / 7.9103972°N 12.9903361°W / 7.9103972; -12.9903361 Site of the slaver settlement founded by John Newton.
Moyamba District 1791 1950 Near Shenge An 18th century European gravestone.
Freetown 1818–9 1953 8°29′20.13″N 13°14′15.80″W / 8.4889250°N 13.2377222°W / 8.4889250; -13.2377222 Early 19th century stairs leading down to Government wharf.
Freetown c.1800 1953 1# 8°28′59.90″N 13°12′46.07″W / 8.4833056°N 13.2127972°W / 8.4833056; -13.2127972
2# No longer visisble
3# 8°28′22.95″N 13°14′11.97″W / 8.4730417°N 13.2366583°W / 8.4730417; -13.2366583		 Three 18th Century cannons that probably came from a condemned slave ship
Old Fourah Bay College building Freetown 1845–8 1955 8°28′37.9″N 13°13′16.3″W / 8.477194°N 13.221194°W / 8.477194; -13.221194 The 19th century four-storey building at Fourah Bay College developed into the first University College in Africa.
St. John's Maroon Church Freetown 1820 1956 8°29′8.8″N 13°14′11.9″W / 8.485778°N 13.236639°W / 8.485778; -13.236639 It is built from the ship timbers that brought the first Jamaican Maroons to Freetown.
Regen Village 1816 1959 8°28′45.56″N 13°13′33.56″W / 8.4793222°N 13.2259889°W / 8.4793222; -13.2259889 The oldest stone church in Sierra Leone and the third oldest in Africa.
Dublin, Banana Islands 18th & 19th century 1956 8°8′11.07″N 13°11′32.66″W / 8.1364083°N 13.1924056°W / 8.1364083; -13.1924056 Early British fortifications against pirates that were established 80 years before Freetown.
Freetown 1805 1961 8°29′15.51″N 13°14′7.70″W / 8.4876417°N 13.2354722°W / 8.4876417; -13.2354722 Built to counter any threat from Napoleon.
Kono District 1893 1965 8°9′7.97″N 10°59′47.46″W / 8.1522139°N 10.9965167°W / 8.1522139; -10.9965167 Burial site of a British officer who was accidentally killed during a conflict with the Wassoulou Empire.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Monuments and Relics Ordinance (1947)" (PDF). UNESCO. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  2. ^ "National Monuments". SierraLeoneHeritage.org. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  3. ^ "States Parties – Sierra Leone". UNESCO. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  4. ^ "Tentative Lists – Sierra Leone". UNESCO. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Exhibition: Reanimating Cultural Heritage in Sierra Leone". Arts and Humanities Research Council. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  6. ^ Basu, Paul (2011). "Object Diasporas, Resourcing Communities: Sierra Leonean Collections in the Global Museumscape" (PDF). Museum Anthropology. American Anthropological Association. 34 (1): 28–42.
  7. ^ "SierraLeoneHeritage.org – About". SierraLeoneHeritage.org. Retrieved 5 May 2012.

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