• Privacy & Security Policy
Friends of the Georgian Society of Jamaica
Menu Close
  • Home
    • About
    • Grants and Bursaries
    • AGM Papers
    • Contact
  • News
  • Projects
    • Current Projects
    • Possible Future Projects
    • Completed Projects
  • Buildings at Risk
  • Resources
    • Members Only Newsletters
    • Members Only Videos
  • Membership
    • Login
    • Membership Account
  • Events

British India

Georgian Jamaica: A new way of looking at a unique heritage, by Douglas Blain

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Administration

For me, there are two quite distinct types of Georgian architecture to be found in Jamaica. The first, which one might call Colonial Classicism, imitates 18th-century prototypes as closely as possible. Familiar examples include the Rodney Memorial in Spanish Town… Continue Reading →

Resources architecture, British India, Good Hope, Rodney Memorial, Spanish Town, Trelawny

Donate Now

 
Help our ongoing work right now with a secure donation via PayPal.

News

Subscribe for news and advance notice of events:

 

Useful Links

  • The Georgian Society of Jamaica

  • Jamaica National Heritage Trust

  • The Falmouth Project

  • Jamaica Colonial Heritage Society

  • Jamaican High Commission, London

  • Black Cultural Archives

  • Georgian Group

  • INTBAU

  • Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings

  • Association for Studies in the Conservation of Historic Buildings

  • Prince’s Foundation for Building Community

  • A Tour of Jamaica's Great Houses, Plantations, & Pens

  • Family History Jamaica

  • Caribbean Family History Research

  • A Parcel of Ribbons - Anne Powers on genealogy

  • Sharon Tomlin on genealogy

  • Antony Maitland on genealogy

Tags

Trelawny St Peter's Church Georgian Society of Jamaica enslaved Africans Dr Ivor Conolley slavery colonial Caribbean Port Royal pot still museum iron frame Good Hope shingle roofs Port Authority Rum oak aged plantation Fort Charles exhibition Scots Kirk Kingston Georgian Group Coroners Court Tharp Windrush Spanish Town American War of Independence sugar Scotland Duke Street Fort Stewart Jamaica Falmouth West India merchant timber decay Iron Bridge earthquake runaway bay Jamaica National Heritage Trust treasure trove

Restoring

Properly restored and maintained, many of these buildings serve the local community in several ways: practically, they house post offices, courthouses and churches, as well as private dwellings of all sizes; economically, they form the basis of heritage tourism which can help struggling towns survive; they also reinforce local pride in the island’s heritage.

The very act of restoration can also provide much needed employment for young people trained in the skills needed.

Saving

Many of these buildings disappear every year as a result of extreme weather and unchecked degradation. The town of Falmouth, on the north coast, is on the World Monuments Fund’s list of 100 Most Endangered Sites. While there is recognition at government level and in several heritage and conservation organisations of the need to preserve and restore Jamaica’s historic buildings, the state of the island’s economy makes funding a real problem. It is therefore all the more important that we contribute what we can to restoration, both to help preserve these wonderful buildings and also to support the organisations on the island which are struggling to carry out this important work.

Supporting

The FGSJ offers financial support to projects for the conservation and restoration of historic buildings, and seeks to stimulate an interest in and an appreciation of the value of Jamaica’s heritage.

Jamaica has some of the finest Georgian buildings outside Great Britain. The architecture of this period was adapted to suit the tropics while maintaining the style and charm of its eighteenth-century origins. The particular Georgian quality of grace combined with utility appears not only in the design of great houses and civic buildings, but also in quite modest buildings throughout the island.

The Friends of the Georgian Society of Jamaica is a charity registered in the UK, no. 1074915.

It is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, no. 3447992

© 2025 Friends of the Georgian Society of Jamaica. All rights reserved.
CWS built
Friends of the Georgian Society of JamaicaLogo Header Menu
  • Home
    • About
    • Grants and Bursaries
    • AGM Papers
    • Contact
  • News
  • Projects
    • Current Projects
    • Possible Future Projects
    • Completed Projects
  • Buildings at Risk
  • Resources
    • Members Only Newsletters
    • Members Only Videos
  • Membership
    • Login
    • Membership Account
  • Events