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Settled by the French following the partition of St Kitts in 1628, the island capital, BASSETERRE , on the Caribbean coast, is French in name only today. Its centre, The Circus , reflects the town's later British dominion; the roundabout circling the green Berkeley Memorial Clock is allegedly modelled after London's Piccadilly, though the only obvious similarity is the traffic. Traces of British rule also dominate due east, in the historical town centre, Independence Square , where walkways imitating the spokes of a Union Jack are inlaid with red stones. A maiden-topped fountain at its nexus, a gift from Queen Elizabeth to commemorate St Kitts' independence in 1983, marks the spot that once hosted the Lesser Antilles' largest slave market ; slaves were bathed at the small red fountain on the square's south side prior to mounting the stage. The square looks onto the staid 1927 Immaculate Conception cathedral, its substantial twin-towered facade devoid of the drama associated with Anglican St George's , a few blocks northwest of the Circus. The French parish that originally stood here was incinerated in 1706 by the British, who rebuilt their own church in 1856-59, complete with menacing spearheads on the ground-floor Gothic windows. English-French distinctions aside, Basseterre's most remarkable aspect is its preservation of traditional Caribbean skirt-and-blouse homes built with stone ground floors topped by wooden levels - the stone prevented flooding, the wood allowed a breeze - and trimmed with dainty gingerbread fretwork. Many demonstrate a certain cultural ingenuity, most obvious along Fort Street , where old sentinel walls have been incorporated in their construction. Others are deceptively ancient, having been rebuilt using stones from Brimstone Hill Fortress, following an 1867 fire that ravaged most of the town. (Note that if you want to take pictures of private homes, you should get the owner's permission first.) A decent collection of photographs pre-dating the fire is displayed at the St Christopher Heritage Society (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-noon; free), at the foot of the Circus.
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