On the edge of North America lies a little-known ghost town abandoned by its residents. Plymouth, capital of the island of Montserrat, was deserted by its inhabitants almost 30 years ago and they have never returned.
Montserrat itself is a British territory in the Atlantic Ocean, nicknamed “The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean” for its resemblance to the Irish coast and the ancestry of many inhabitants. Given the name Santa Maria de Montserrate by explorer Christopher Columbus in 1493, Montserrat translated as “serrated mountain” in Catalan.
It was originally named after the Virgin of Montserrat of the Monastery of Montserrat near Barcelona, Spain and was settled by England in 1632. The capital, Plymouth, was constructed during Georgian times on historical lava deposits from the long-inactive Soufrière Hills volcano.
However, the volcano became active again in July 1995, when a series of eruptions spread ash across a wide area of the southern part of the island. The following month, tephra fell on Plymouth, fragments of volcanic material produced by eruptions, meaning the town had to be evacuated until September.
Following a further evacuation in December 1995, hot ash began to spew from the volcano in March 1996, leading to a third and final evacuation in April that year.
Montserrat was divided into risk zones and access to Plymouth was limited. This continued into 1997, when the last period of public access was permitted.
On 25 June 1997, another eruption killed 19 people and reached almost to the island’s airport on the opposite side. Debris was shot an astonishing 8 miles (13 km) into the air and rocks as large as houses tumbled down the hillside.
WH Bramble Airport was shut down in 1997 and subsequently destroyed by ash, while a new airport was opened near Brades in the north of the island in 2005.
In August, eruptions destroyed around 80% of the town, burying it under over a metre of ash. The Royal Navy aided the evacuation of Plymouth, with the entire southern half of the island declared an exclusion zone.
Some of the lost amenities in the town were rebuilt elsewhere on the island, but many residents chose to leave Montserrat.
Between 1995 and 2000, around 66% of the island’s population was forced to leave, with many heading to the UK.
Plymouth alone had a population of around 4,000 before the eruptions, but Montserrat dwindled to just 1,200 people by 1997, though this rose to nearly 5,000 by 2016.
A new capital is now under construction at Little Bay, with the nearby town of Brades serving as the capital until its completion.
Today, access to Plymouth is not permitted, though tours can be arranged by a certified operator or taxi driver.
Volcanic activity is currently at its lowest level and the northern third of the island remains safe.
