Langley Great House, Saint Andrew

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by Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle

Langley Great House is a hidden gem located just off the Mount Airy main road in Mount James, rural St. Andrew. With no work for a 3 day weekend, my partner and I decided it would be worth the trek to visit despite finding very little useful information about it online. It ended up being very easy to find, hiding in plain sight! I hope that this article will stir new interest in Langley Great House because it would benefit from some investment and TLC– as is the case with all public ruins and great houses in Jamaica. Here’s how this adventure went.

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Jamaican travel guidebook in front of waterfall

How to Find Langley Great House

Google Maps in Jamaica is a hit or miss, and they definitely missed on this one. Now, the map marker itself for Langley Great House on Google Maps is correct but why on earth does majority of the Mount Airy main road not exist on the map? It’s absurd. You would think some hiking through bush on a track for ages was involved if you entrusted the map to take you to this great house but that isn’t the case.

Mount Airy was a fairly good road, give or take a few potholes, narrow corners and a small stretch of the road only amenable to single lane traffic. Take the right turn just across from the Golden Spring Total gas station, and follow the road. When a fork in the road arises next to the blue and white Supreme Ventures shop and a church, keep left. Landmarks you’ll pass include the Mount James Post Office, the venue for Street Food Saturdays, and a few corner shops. There are some arrows along the road guiding you to the Street Food Saturdays venue which prove helpful as well, confirming that you are on the right path. Overall drive time from Manor Park was approximately 30 minutes, and then you’ll come face to face with this beautiful sign after taking the final corner.

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Coffee plants by the side of the road

Park near to the sign pictured above then it’s a 5 minute downhill stroll to the great house. There is a large gate next to a sign which says private property on the left. Go through the gate– not onto the private property of course. Enjoy the lovely heliconias, bird of paradise flowers and beautiful trees which have likely been standing for centuries. Oh, the stories they would tell if trees could talk! P.S. Visits are free and no reservation is required.

  • Bird of paradise flowers
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Exploring Langley Great House & Its History

The Langley Great House and Estate is located between 1700 and 4600 feet above sea level on originally 999 acres of land. Formerly known as Mount Moses, the name was changed to Langley in 1877. The estate’s main crop was coffee, but also grew pimento, cocoa, citrus, nutmeg, banana, sugarcane, guinea grass, wood and open pasture land for grazing animals. The estate is located in the lush Blue & John Crow Mountain range which is Jamaica’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site to date. Langley got water supply from three rivers: the Ginger, Plantain and Foxes Rivers. In addition to domestic purposes, the water was used in the cultivation of Blue Mountain coffee, the washing of the coffee beans and to turn their two water wheels which supplied the mills essential to coffee production and export.

Like all Jamaican estates, Langley has a dark history in that it was once supplied by slave labour. In 1822, the Langley Estate had 229 enslaved Africans counted as property alongside its animal stock. Today, all that remains of the Langley Estate are the Plantation House, an abandoned footbridge over the river and a few areas still under cultivation. During the rainy season there are several waterfalls and pools of water. The National Water Commission leases sections of the land for harnessing water. The land is currently owned by the Commissioner of Lands and comprises 845 acres.

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  • The upper floor was lost to wear and tear, and termites
  • Old foot bridge alongside the great house

At the great house, we met one of its caretakers, Basil, who gave us some historical tidbits of the area, further supplemented by the above signboard. He also told us about his dreams for the area’s restoration and converting it into an ecotourism venue alongside a nutraceutical hub. That’s because the estate currently grows rosemary, castor beans, and so many other useful products with beauty and medicinal properties. Let’s see what happens. His ideas were inspiring– they just need to hit the right investor’s ears. So far, the Member of Parliament for the area, Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, has added two gazebos to the historical property for a facelift which could spell great promise for the area as a recreational site.

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The River in Mount James

After chatting to Basil, we headed to the river. It led us past some old water pipes and then to a small pool which was occupied by community residents and some visitors. The water was muddy, shallow and not as swift flowing as we would like since it was dry season, therefore we opted to spend most of our time at a shallow secluded but serene spot we found further upstream instead. I hope to revisit during rainy season. Come prepared with bug repellant as the mosquitoes were out in their numbers. Not nearly as bad as the mosquitoes at Cunha Cunha Pass, but still annoying.

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Wrap Up

What do you think about the Langley Great House? The river was underwhelming when I visited in the dry season, but the house itself was stunning. With a little restoration, I really think it could shine, unlike other ruins such as the Stewart Castle in Trelawny which would have to be completely rebuilt if it ever underwent restoration. Share your thoughts with me below.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle

Adventures from Elle is a travel blog for locals & visitors who want to experience the best of Jamaica, one adventure at a time. The blog is curated by Dr. Rochelle Knight, an internal medicine specialist and published author. She began the blog in 2016 as a medical student & wants to see the world, starting with her home country. Purchase her book 'SIGHTSEE JAMAICA' on Amazon and join her in Jamaica!

24 thoughts on “Langley Great House, Saint Andrew”

    1. Thank you! I surely hope so too. The general feedback I’ve got in the comment section so far is that perhaps it has been left to fall to ruin based on its negative history in terms of enslavement and colonialism, but I agree with you. It’s quite a shame to leave to ruin as it’s a beautiful structure and can remind us how far we have come as descendants of enslaved people. Thanks for reading, and I’m super happy you enjoyed this adventure 🙂

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  2. Many years ago I was part of a family group who had brunch inside the Langley Greathouse. I was absolutely charmed by its’ beauty. I asked why Langley had not been restored. There was silence. The family, really my husband’s family are from that area of St. Andrew. All his ancestors lived and were enslaved working on Langley or on other such plantation estates in the area. After emancipation Great Houses such as Langley were not viewed with love but reminders of torture and grief. Perhaps that sentiment remains. So the romantic feelings I had as a Kingstonian was not shared by the descendants of the enslaved from that area. In retrospect, us, the descendants of the formerly enslaved having brunch in the Langley Great House and those who commented about playing and swimming and ejoyinng Langley so many years after slavery give testimony to the resilience and joyful triumph of our brave ancestors.

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    1. That’s an interesting thought and you may be right. Unfortunately these great houses are reminders of our enslaved and colonial past which perhaps most people don’t want reminders of. That may explain why they’ve been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair, but like you, I too admire these buildings and wish we’d preserve them as reminders of how far we’ve come. Fancy a slave descendant being able to have brunch on an old plantation! This is exactly what our ancestors fought for: the freedom for us to travel, make happy memories, get an education, live and be treated with dignity and to do what we please. I view these old houses in that regard, but I guess most people don’t share our sentiments.

      Thanks for stopping by and I hope this article and seeing what’s left of the place brought back good memories. 🙂

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  3. i think theres something really creepy but fascinating in exploring ruins like you did Ro, sometimes we dont need to see a full restoration because we see a lot of that today and it gets restored to a pristine condition that may not accurately reflect how the place was, because it is too slick and too perfect. and also, the history of a place like this… great blog post. it looks amazing

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I love that perspective Andy! Maybe you are right. I’d only want to see it restored/maintained to a certain point, but who knows? The authenticity may just get lost altogether. Ha! I can see how exploring ruins could be considered creepy because a LOT of not so good things would’ve happened here a few centuries ago. But hey! I’d explore ruins any day 😀

      Thanks for reading! 🙂

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  4. Yes indeed Ellie, thank you for such stunning scenery. I am from that area, I could remember as a girl walking home from school through that beautiful place walking across that pipeline. My mom RIP had worked there at Langley. My grandfather worked on the land, planted beautiful plantain and yellow yam, also beautiful sweet oranges. I swam into the water, back then the water was beautiful and clear. I am now living abroad, and i have returned back to Jamaica on vacation, taken my boys back to Langley to enjoy those water holes and tickle some prawns back then. I also enjoyed walking from my home to Langley my sister and I when visiting home as our 5 am early morning walk before the rising of the hot sun, Loved it. It would be nice if some form of restoration was done to that lovely place

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much for this insightful comment! I would’ve loved to see Langley in its glory years but perhaps one day the govt and/or concerned citizens can revive it to its former glory & more. I will certainly head back for the watering holes when this drought passes. Thanks for reading, and do stop by again 🙂

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  5. I’m from that area
    My Grandma and Aunt worked there for years
    Some of my best childhood memories were there with Grandma
    It’s a shame to see it’s decline
    Langley had the best water hole back then

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Oh..I just Love this beautiful country, Jamaica..my native Land… but like your readers have said we really need more honest , upright, leaders of integrity to oversee the running of this country.
    Look at the history and historical buildings ! And to see them go to ruins while money is gone to some unnecessary “project” its a shame.
    Anyways, thanks again for sharing this beautiful story… Yes we all know what Great houses meant.. with slavery and all that. Some of us may not want to be reminded, but still,.. It grabs my curiosity and sparks some excitement and yes sadness too of the past ..but I believe these Great houses should be restored. This would definitely be a great tourist market..There are lots of people who would enjoy these trips and sites.
    Thanks again..
    June.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much for this thoughtful comment. Agreed! Jamaica has a lot of potential but many of our treasures are going to waste and even going up in smoke, often quite literally. I am not very confident that things will ever change but the optimist in me is always hopeful.

      I understand that not everyone will want to be reminded of our dark past but I always mention it to put things into perspective. It’s very humbling to know that the places which once held our people in bondage is now a ruin which I can visit on a recreational trip. I mention it to honour their legacy, to make it clear that they didn’t die fighting for nothing. They fought so we can be free today, and we are living out their wildest dreams. I don’t shy away from the past; rather it empowers me for the future– a future of resilience and hope as we continue to fight for our rights and decolonize our mindset. Nonetheless, I hope this particular great house and all the others lying in ruin can one day be restored and the stories of their occupants told so both locals and foreigners can know our history. Thank you for reading! Do stop by again 🙂

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  8. A historic house and a visionary plan to revitalize it for the locals! Sounds like it was an educational and fun time at the Langley Great House! Although the mosquitos would put me off, the swim at the end looks very inviting!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Guess the story is similar for a lot of those historic buildings in Jamaica, all gone to ruins. Just like our historic courthouse in St Thomas with the statue of Paul Bogle. Burnt and never restored with the statue destroyed after by a mentally ill person. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn is from St. Thomas, I went to high school with her, guess two gazebos are a start?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. So true! It’s very unfortunate how little Jamaicans value our historical treasures. Visiting Cusco in Peru was eye-opening and memorable because of the way they preserved their centuries-old buildings alongside new buildings (and I’m sure I’ll be just as blown away by Europe for this same reason). Some of our buildings are too far gone for repair, some quite frankly need demolishing for public safety. But for the ones which can be salvaged, it would be great to see that general attitude towards them changed. The gazebos are a start but I’m not as hopeful as the caretaker was. I guess we have so many more pressing issues that heritage preservation always takes a backseat 😦

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Yeah, pressing issues like infrastructure and economics. What we need though are more honest, smart, responsible leaders are more interested in the affairs of the country more than they are about that of their pockets.

      Liked by 1 person

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