Carr’s Bay and Little Bay in the northwest of the island used to be calm and sparsely populated. But as Plymouth was destroyed and abandoned in 1997, Brades became the de-facto capital of the island, which brought a huge boost to the region: Government buildings were built in Brades and Little Bay Marina was developed.

Prior to the eruption, there were only a few houses in Brades and Davy Hill, and Little Bay (left of the image) was essentially untouched. Credit: David Watters. Date: 1995

This image shows the developments in now busy Little Bay (foreground), Davy Hill, and lots more buildings in Brades (background beyond Carr's Bay). Credit: Rob Field.

Little Bay in 2019. Credit: Paddy Smith.