Plymouth, Montserrat

After the establishment of the first European colony on the island of Montserrat in 1632, St. Anthony's Church was established in Plymouth in 1636.[3] Although there is a St. Anthony in Catholicism, it is believed that Governor Anthony Brisket, who went to England to secure funds to build the church, had the church named after himself.[4] The church had to be rebuilt several times throughout its history due to damage from earthquakes and hurricanes. As of September 2021, the church is buried deep in the ash.

Montserrat was struck by Hurricane Hugo on 17 September 1989. The hurricane destroyed a 180-foot stone jetty in Plymouth's harbour.[5] Many other buildings, including schools, health centres, and the recently constructed central hospital building, were rendered unusable by damage from the storm. Given that the hospital was the only one on the island, and damages were extensive enough that all patients had to be relocated, a survey conducted by engineers from the National Emergency Management Agency of Trinidad and Tobago concluded that the hospital should undergo substantial redesign in order to ensure its structural strength could withstand future storms.[6]

By 12 July 1997, pyroclastic flows had burned much of what had not already been covered in ash

Ash piled as high as a streetlamp on the streets of Plymouth (1999)

Beginning on 18 July 1995, a series of huge eruptions at the Soufrière Hills volcano, which had been inactive for centuries, sent pyroclastic flows and ash falls across a wide area of southern Montserrat including the capital, Plymouth. It was immediately clear that the town was in grave danger. On 21 August 1995, tephra fell on Plymouth, necessitating an evacuation that lasted until 3 September 1995. Following renewed volcanic activity, on 1 December 1995 residents were evacuated for the second time. This evacuation lasted for one month before residents were allowed back on 1 January 1996. [7]

On 3 April 1996, Plymouth was evacuated for the third and final time.[8] The island was divided into risk zones; during some periods, entry into Plymouth was prohibited,[9] and at other times, it was allowed during daytime only to those with a means of rapid escape.[10] The last time that access was legally allowed to Plymouth during daytime was 16 June 1997.[11][12] On 25 June 1997, a further massive eruption produced pyroclastic surges that killed 19 people and reached nearly to the island's airport on the eastern side of the island, which had remained open until that time.[13]

Between 4–8 August 1997, a further series of large eruptions destroyed approximately 80% of the town, burying it under 1.4 metres (4.6 ft) of ash. This hot material burned many of the buildings, making habitation nearly impossible for many of the residents.

The pyroclastic flows, lava, ash and other volcanic rock types were mostly compact, having a density similar to that of concrete. The removal of the overburden would have required the use of explosives, bulldozers and other resources too expensive for widespread use. It was anticipated that the soil underneath the hardened mud and lava would have been scorched and left completely non-arable by the intense heat of the pyroclastic flows.

The government ordered the evacuation of Plymouth, with the Royal Navy assisting by taking the population to safety. The entire southern half of the island was declared an exclusion zone because of the continuing volcanic activity at the Soufrière Hills. The government of the island was moved north to the town of Brades, although Plymouth remains the de jure capital. As of 2013, a new port and capital are under construction at Little Bay, on the island's northwest coast. Daytime access to Plymouth has been permitted for some activities since about 2015, including sand and gravel extraction for construction projects.[14]

The total destruction of Plymouth caused severe economic problems for the island of Montserrat. Plymouth had been by far the largest settlement on the island, with a population of around 4,000 inhabitants, and as such had been the site of almost all the island's shops and services, in addition to having been its seat of government. Some of the lost facilities were subsequently rebuilt elsewhere on Montserrat, but this did not prevent emigration. Between 1995 and 2000, two-thirds of the island's total population was forced to flee, many of whom settled in the United Kingdom, leaving fewer than 1,200 people resident on the island as of 1997. The population figure had risen to nearly 5,000 by 2016.