A Visit to the Old Pera Windmill & Beach

Old Pera, a small village in St. Thomas, Jamaica’s easternmost parish, is home to a historic windmill and beach by the same name. Built around 1780, this windmill is a remnant of the sugar estates which once dotted Jamaica. The Pera Estate dates back to 1682 and was originally owned by Sir Thomas Lynch, an English lawyer who had three stints as Governor of Jamaica before his death in 1684. The estate was eventually subdivided into two: New Pera and Old Pera, both of which are sleepy rural villages today. Here’s what’s left of them.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle8 Comments

A Visit to the Stokes Hall Great House in St. Thomas

The Stokes Hall Great House in St. Thomas first piqued my interest three years ago when I researched and visited the Colbeck Castle in Old Harbour, St. Catherine. Both great houses bear some similarity, but Stokes Hall is smaller in size and was built thirty years later. Stokes Hall was constructed in the early 1700s by Luke Stokes, a former Governor of the island of Nevis who came to Jamaica shortly after the British captured the island from the Spanish. Today let’s explore what’s left of the great house.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle9 Comments

Shafston Great House, Westmoreland

Great houses are remnants of colonialism in Jamaica, built between the early 1700s to the mid-1800s. A great house was the seat of authority on the plantation, home to its owner or representative. Generally speaking, greathouses had two floors typically made of brick or cut stone, but the second floor was sometimes constructed of wood. At slavery’s peak, there were about 700 of these homes across Jamaica but fewer than 100 remain today due to a combination of fires from slave revolts and eventual neglect or demolition by its owners. Exploring great houses may be seen as morbid given the ghastly history of enslavement they represent, but I enjoy visiting for the architecture. They also serve as a reminder to celebrate how far my people have come. With that said, here’s how I ended up at the Shafston Great House in Westmoreland.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle21 Comments

Timeless Beauty: Georgian Architecture in Jamaica

Georgian architecture is a style that originated in the early 18th century in Britain during the reigns of the first four King Georges (1714-1830). This architectural style has left an indelible mark on the world with its timeless elegance, balanced proportions and classical design elements. Our colonial ties to Britain led to the emergence of Jamaican Georgian architecture during the late 1700s-1800s, with its emphasis on light and air, and modified to suit the tropical climate of the Caribbean. Despite the negative history attached to Jamaican colonial buildings, I still admire the timeless beauty of our surviving Georgian buildings. With that said, today I’ll share more about Jamaican Georgian architecture as well as nine surviving Georgian buildings across Jamaica worth visiting.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle28 Comments

Explore the Grandeur of Greenwood Great House

Perched on a hill high above Jamaica’s northwestern coast and overlooking the Caribbean Sea is the Greenwood Great House. Built by the wealthy Barrett family of UK’s Wimpole Street between 1780 and 1800, Greenwood was originally intended as a guest house. The Barretts amassed their wealth from the heinous trade of sugar and slaves, and traces of that brutality are still visible within Greenwood’s walls today. The Great House also offers a glimpse into the opulent lifestyle of the island’s elite during the 18th and 19th centuries, and houses an extensive collection of antiques as well as the island’s largest collection of rare musical instruments and plantation library books. I recently took this tour courtesy of Get Your Guide, so today, allow me to take you on a journey through time as we explore the mansion and discover the stories hidden within its well-preserved walls.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle6 Comments

Langley Great House, Saint Andrew

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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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle24 Comments

Stewart Castle, Trelawny

The sightseeing detours on a road trip are almost as exciting as the destination itself. On the drive home from my weekend getaway at Animal Farm, my partner and I made two sightseeing detours. Our first was the Persian Water Wheel in Falmouth which I covered in January; Stewart Castle was the second. Present-day Stewart Castle lies in ruin but was once an impressive cut stone mansion, built in the 1760s by enslaved Africans. Here’s everything you need to know about Stewart Castle near Duncans, Trelawny.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle21 Comments

Persian Water Wheel, Trelawny

On the drive home from my weekend getaway at Animal Farm, my partner and I made a sightseeing detour– something which has become our norm. We had both passed signs to the Persian Water Wheel before on different occasions but never stopped. The Persian Water Wheel was built in 1798 to provide water from the Martha Brae river to the town of Falmouth in Trelawny on Jamaica’s north coast. In 2008, it was restored using many of the original parts. It still turns to this day once the river’s water level is high enough, such as after recent rainfall. The water wheel now lies on private property which is used to host events such as weddings, but thankfully we came at the end of a function and were able to view the wheel without interrupting. Here’s how this excursion went.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle16 Comments
Colbeck Castle

Colbeck Castle: A St. Catherine History Gem

Colbeck Castle is a huge mansion located near to Old Harbour in St. Catherine, Jamaica. Details about the mansion are sparse, but it is believed to have been built in about 1680 by Colonel Jon Colbeck. Colbeck came to Jamaica at 25 years old in 1655 with the invading British army that took control of Jamaica from the Spaniards. The Crown granted Colbeck 1340 acres of land as reward, which he used to build his castle. At one point, Colbeck Castle even had a moat and was the largest building in Jamaica. The estate once produced sugar and tobacco. Colbeck went on to have a distinguished career as a member of the Jamaica Assembly, but is believed to have lived a solitary life. He died at age 52 years, leaving his fortune to his executors and the church. Over time, the building fell into ruin and became property of the Jamaican government. The castle became a national heritage site in 1990, and can be visited by tourists today for free.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle26 Comments

Folly Ruins & Lighthouse, Portland

Isn’t it magical that everywhere has a story to tell? Tales of romance, tragedy, wickedness, bravery, cowardice etc. If you’re familiar with my travel posts, you’ll know that I love to give a historical perspective. That’s because the past explains the present– how did a place get its name, why does it looks the way it does now or even just for general knowledge and appreciation. However, history is sometimes the only thing that entices people to visit a place. That, my friends, is how I found myself at the old Folly Mansion (Folly Great House) on my way back to Kingston from the Portland Sea Cliff Resort & Spa.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle25 Comments