Jamaica’s Heritage

Jamaica has a rich and diverse heritage in the form of antique forts, monuments and lighthouses. In spite of not having any site in the World Heritage list, Jamaican heritage has its own attraction. Since the last century, Jamaica has been taking initiatives to preserve its vast heritage, which includes the following:

Historic Districts: The historic districts of Jamaica clubbed together form an impressive display of ancient architecture consisting of old buildings and monuments. The main districts that come in its heritage chart are listed below:

1. Spanish town: It has been supporting settlement of the people since historic times.
2. Falmouth: It is known for its arresting Georgian architecture.
3. Titchfield Peninsula: It is famous for its variety of Jamaican architectural styles including the Georgian and Vernacular.
4. Black River Town: A town that flourished from its old trading activity and is a store of many beautiful sites.

Forts: The Jamaican forts were mainly built after the 1655 English invasion, when Jamaica realized the danger of more foreign invasions and felt the requirement to protect itself from them. Thus it decided to construct several forts along its coastline that was the main entry point for the foreign invaders. The House of Assembly funded money for their construction. The size and capacities of these forts varied depending on their use. Fort Dundas, Fort George, Fort Augusta, Morant Bay Fort and Ocho Rios Fort are some of the forts from a list of twenty forts that were built during that time.

Lighthouses: Jamaica’s list of lighthouses includes Plump Point Lighthouse, Portland Point Lighthouse, Lover’s Leap Lighthouse, Negril Point Lighthouse, Folly Point Lighthouse, Galina lighthouse and Morant Point Lighthouse. These lighthouses were mainly built in the 19th century. They exhibit an extraordinary construction style. Even today they stand to offer aid to ships and sea goers.

Great Houses: Apart from other heritage sites, there are a large number of varied style constructions of Great Houses that enrich the heritage of Jamaica. They are renowned for their plantations that have existed for a long period of time. The names of a few of them are Tryall Great House, Ramble Great House, Quebec Great House and Bromley Great House. Now they come in the category of ancient monuments of the plantation era.

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