Gun Square is one of Bodden Town’s most distinctive historic sites, preserving the memory of a time when Cayman’s former capital relied on locally organised defences to protect its harbour and community.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Bodden Town was Cayman’s principal settlement and centre of government. Gun Square is believed to have been one of the town’s two historic defensive positions, the other being Guard House Hill at the western approach to the settlement.
Its location made it particularly well suited for defence. The battery overlooked one of the principal channels used when Bodden Town had a natural harbour, allowing the cannons to command vessels approaching the settlement from the sea.
Two eighteenth-century cannons remain at the site today. Historical accounts record that one of them lay buried in the sand for many years before four Bodden Town men, Henry Bodden, Procklington McCoy, Conwell Solomon and Thomas Tatum, dug it out around 1910 and returned it to its position at the eastern end of the square.
The name Gun Square also became deeply rooted in the identity of the area. When an attempt was later made to change the name to Cannon Way, residents objected strongly, preferring to retain the historic name known by generations of Bodden Town families.
Today, Gun Square offers a glimpse into a period when Caymanian communities depended largely on their own organisation and resources for protection. Its surviving cannons recall Bodden Town’s importance as Cayman’s former capital and its close connection with the sea.
Did You Know?
- Bodden Town was once the capital of the Cayman Islands.
- Cannons were used for signaling ships, not just defence.
- The square dates back to the early settlement period.
- It reflects Cayman’s maritime heritage.