Dotted around Antigua one can see old, abandoned sugar mills devoid of their sails that were used in the past to process sugar cane into sugar. Nowadays the only restored sugar mill in Antigua is at Betty's Hope. Sir Christopher Codrington was largely responsible for the introduction and subsequent domination of the economy of the island when he introduced new techniques for growing and processing the sugar cane from Barbados. At the height of the sugar trade there were over 150 sugar mills in Antigua giving a highly profitable industry.

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Antigua became known as 'the gateway to the Caribbean' due to it's position which allowed control of the shipping routes between all the wealthy colonies in the region. The increase in sugar cane production meant that more and more slaves were brought to the island from Africa and the inhumane conditions precipitated the planning of a revolt by Prince Klaas, which failed as it was discovered before it could take place. Thankfully slavery was ended in 1834 and all the slaves were emancipated, unlike on some of the other Caribbean islands where they were made to wait a further four years for their freedom.

Nowadays the sugar mills are largely abandoned and you can see them in various states of disintegration all around Antigua. One however has been preserved and restored. Betty's Hope was one of the most productive sugar plantations on the island and had two windmills which were used to crush the sugar cane. This produced a juice which was then processed into the sugar crystals so desired by the British. A by product of this process is molasses which was further treated to produce rum. The sugar mill at Betty's Hope was restored during the 1990's and the sugar mill there is the only one with working sails in Antigua and has genuine machinery, taken from another mill, that was used for crushing the sugar.

Betty's Hope was originally founded by Governor Keynall in the 17th century but was taken over by the Codrington's in 1674, their ownership lasting until 1944. With the new techniques introduced by the Codringtons and the almost constant trade winds that Antigua enjoys, around 5000 gallons of sugar syrup could be produced from 200 tons of sugar cane.

In addition to seeing the working mill, a Visitor's Centre, located in the building that was used to store cotton, is well worth a visit. There is a pictorial history of Betty's Hope as well as maps, plans of the estate and a model of the site.