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 | Adventuresfromelle11 Comments

Lyssons Beach, Saint Thomas

Lyssons Beach is one of Jamaica’s better public beaches, a prime jewel in Saint Thomas near its capital Morant Bay. Lyssons Beach features a white strip of coastline which has two sections but the best part is that they’re still both free in 2022! One part of Lyssons Beach is managed by the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA), a government arm charged with maintaining Jamaica’s shoreline. The other is owned and operated by the University of the West Indies (UWI) for its students. My experience is based on the UWI portion of Lyssons Beach, but the coastline and views are the same.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle19 Comments