Half Tree Hollow | |
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| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Overseas territory | Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha |
| Island | Saint Helena |
| Status | District |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.6 km2 (0.62 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 1,034 |
| • Density | 615/km2 (1,590/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
Half Tree Hollow is the smallest by area of the eightdistricts of the island ofSaint Helena, part of theBritish Overseas Territory ofSaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in the SouthAtlantic Ocean. It is a suburb ofJamestown and is situated at the top of Ladder Hill, which forms the southern side of the James Valley, at the base of which sits Jamestown. The hill was fortified in the late 1700s, and Ladder Hill Fort was subsequently built. The village grew during the 1960s because the James Valley lacked any room for expansion.
The district is bounded by the contours of Ladder Hill and is essentially a flat plateau.[1]
Half Tree Hollow is the largest settlement in Saint Helena, with a population exceeding that of the territory's capital of Jamestown. Its population has fluctuated from 901 in 1998 to 1,140 in 2008[2] and 1,034 in 2021.[3]
Ladder Hill was initially known as Fort Hill, even though it was not initially fortified. It was first used by theEast India Company as an execution ground with thegibbet visible from Jamestown for the moral edification of the population. The first road to Ladder Hill was completed in 1770, and construction of fortifications on the seaward side of the hill began around 1790. Additional works were built over the next several decades, and the complex was known as Ladder Hill Fort by 1815. The fort was reinforced and expanded whileNapoleon was in exile in St. Helena (1815–21), and the20th Regiment of Foot is known to have been garrisoned there in 1819. Additionalbarracks and officer's quarters were built during the 1820s.[4]
Afunicular was built to connect Jamestown and the fort in 1829. The cars and rails were removed in 1871 and it was converted into a staircase, commonly known asJacob's Ladder.[5]
15°56′0″S5°43′12″W / 15.93333°S 5.72000°W /-15.93333; -5.72000
