Manchester, near Mandeville
Bloomfield
Great House
A hilltop coffee estate house that helped give land for Mandeville.
- Built
- Early 1800s
- Economy
- Coffee
- Style
- Georgian-style
- Today
- Restaurant
Overview
Bloomfield Great House sits on a five-acre hilltop on the edge of Mandeville, the cool upland capital of Manchester parish, with wide views over the town. It was once the main house of the Bloomfield estate, which began as a coffee plantation and is said to be older than the parish of Manchester itself. Bloomfield was one of four estates that gave land for the centre of Mandeville.
Over two centuries the property changed with Jamaica's farming economy: after coffee it grew citrus, raised cattle and ran a dairy, and at one time the house was a small hotel. A Jamaican family bought the house in 1972, and after a two-year restoration by Pamela Grant and her Australian husband Ralph Pearce it opened in 1997 as a fine-dining restaurant and bar that also hosted art shows and music. Some recent listings report that the restaurant has closed, so its present use should be checked locally.
Timeline
10 dated moments in the life of Bloomfield. Select a marker, or use the arrow keys, to read each one. Shaded bands show the wider eras of Jamaican history; dotted lines mark island-wide uprisings.
Swipe sideways to see the whole timeline, or read the full list below.
- 1814
Estate predates the parish
JNHT says the Bloomfield estate existed before the parish of Manchester was formed in 1814.
- 1816
Land for Mandeville
Bloomfield is one of four estates that give land for Mandeville's town square; the town was laid out around 1816.
- 1828
Daniel Hogg registered
UCL LBS records Daniel Hogg as owner of a Manchester property called 'Bloomfield or Virginia' from 1828 (identification with this house unconfirmed).
- 1834
Emancipation
Slavery is abolished, followed by apprenticeship until 1838.
- 1835
Compensation claim
Daniel Hogg is awarded £735 1s 2d for 32 enslaved people under Manchester claim 158 (Bloomfield).
- 1925
Harris buys the house
Guy Winchester Harris buys Bloomfield and changes the building, which was then used as a hotel.
- 1962
Dairy farm
Farmer Richard Harris buys the property and runs a dairy.
- 1966
Land sold off
Most of the estate's land is sold.
- 1972
Grant family purchase
Guy Barrington Grant buys the parcel on which the great house stands.
- 1997
Restaurant opens
After a two-year restoration by Pamela Grant and Ralph Pearce, the house opens as a restaurant and bar.
The story of Bloomfield
Origins, owners and the working estate.
The Jamaica National Heritage Trust records that the Bloomfield estate existed before the parish of Manchester was formed (Manchester was created in 1814, and Mandeville was laid out in 1816 and named after Viscount Mandeville, son of the Governor, the Duke of Manchester). When the town was planned, Bloomfield was one of four estates that donated land for what became Mandeville's central square. The estate began as a coffee plantation, which fits the wider history of the Manchester uplands, where coffee and livestock pens rather than sugar dominated in the early 1800s.
Later the land was turned over to citrus, and Bloomfield is believed to have had the island's first citrus packing house, though this claim rests on a single newspaper account. It was also used for cattle-rearing and dairying. At one stage a leaseholder, Willing Mullings, ran a small hotel from the great house. In 1925 Guy Winchester Harris bought the property and altered the building that housed the hotel.
In 1962 Richard Harris, a farmer, bought it and ran a dairy, and in 1966 most of the land was sold off. In 1972 Guy Barrington Grant bought the parcel on which the house stands. In more recent decades the house hosted a steakhouse before the Grant family's restaurant. The estate's story therefore mirrors the town around it: Mandeville grew up in the cool hills about 628 metres above sea level, some 100 kilometres west of Kingston, and its surrounding properties moved from coffee and pens to citrus, cattle and dairy as markets changed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Bloomfield remains one of the named districts on the edge of the town.
Architecture
How the house was built, and what survives.
Reliable published detail on Bloomfield's architecture is limited. Sources consistently describe it as a Georgian-style great house, about two centuries old, set on a hilltop of about five acres with panoramic views over Mandeville and the surrounding hills. The house has a verandah that, in its restaurant days, seated about 30 diners, along with a main dining room, a private dining room and a larger function room. There was also an open-air bar deck.
Guy Winchester Harris made changes to the building after he bought it in 1925, when it was being used as a hotel, and a further two-year restoration was carried out in the mid-1990s before it reopened in 1997. The exact original plan, building materials and any surviving 19th-century features have not been documented in the sources consulted, so they are not described here. What can be said is that the house's hilltop position was deliberate in the great-house tradition, catching breezes and giving owners a commanding view of their land, and that its use as a hotel, a steakhouse and a restaurant has shaped its interior more than its original farming role.
The people of Bloomfield
Owners, enslaved Africans and their descendants, workers and keepers.
Like other Jamaican estates before 1834, Bloomfield's coffee was almost certainly grown and processed by enslaved people, but records tying named individuals to this particular house have not been confirmed. The UCL Legacies of British Slavery database lists an estate called 'Bloomfield or Virginia', which appears to be in Manchester parish; whether it is the same property as the Mandeville great house is not certain. If it is, the registers show between about 16 and 37 enslaved people there between 1823 and 1832, owned first by Samuel V.
Tamlin and from 1828 by Daniel Hogg. Several groups of enslaved people were moved there by purchase in the 1820s, separating them from earlier homes. At emancipation, Daniel Hogg claimed compensation as owner for 32 people at a Manchester property called Bloomfield and was awarded £735 1s 2d (Manchester claim 158, dated 2 November 1835). After 1834, apprenticeship lasted until 1838, and later generations of free workers tended the estate's citrus, cattle and dairy.
In the 20th century owners included Guy Winchester Harris, Richard Harris and Guy Barrington Grant, whose daughter Pamela Grant, a former CBS news producer, restored the house with her husband Ralph Pearce. Local workers staffed the hotel and later the restaurant.
Daniel Hoggfl. 1828–1835
Slave-owner and compensation claimant
Claimed for 32 enslaved people at 'Bloomfield', Manchester (claim 158); link to this house not confirmed.
Willing Mullingsearly 20th century (dates unknown)
Leaseholder who ran a hotel in the house
Recorded by JNHT.
Guy Winchester Harrisfrom 1925
Owner
Altered the building, then a hotel.
Richard Harrisfrom 1962
Owner and dairy farmer
Ran a dairy on the estate.
Guy Barrington Grantfrom 1972
Owner
Bought the parcel containing the great house.
Pamela Grant and Ralph Pearcefrom mid-1990s
Restorers and restaurant operators
Opened the restaurant in 1997 after a two-year restoration.
What the records count
Every mark below is one person listed as enslaved on the estate in the official returns. Choose a year to see how the number changed.
28
Between 1823 and 1832 the recorded number rose by 12, from 16 to 28.
Historians have not yet confirmed that these register entries refer to this house: other Jamaican estates share the name. Treat these figures as provisional.
Bloomfield today
Bloomfield's land was largely sold off in 1966, and in 1972 Guy Barrington Grant bought the parcel with the great house. Pamela Grant's father is described as the first Jamaican owner of the property. After a two-year restoration, Pamela Grant and Ralph Pearce opened the house in 1997 as a restaurant and bar, offering Jamaican and international food, an art and gift shop, and occasional art exhibitions and concerts. JNHT and JIS describe the property as operating as a restaurant and gift shop.
It became a well-known viewpoint over Mandeville and a popular spot for evening drinks. Travel writers recommended it for its setting, and some tour listings mention house tours. However, at least one recent online listing marks the restaurant as permanently closed, and no up-to-date official source was found confirming whether it is still trading. The house is listed by the JNHT among Manchester's heritage sites, but a formal declaration as a protected national heritage site was not confirmed.
Bloomfield Great House has operated as a restaurant, but some recent listings say it has closed; check locally before planning a visit.
Learn
For students, teachers and the curious.
Did you know?
- Bloomfield was one of four estates that gave land for the centre of Mandeville.
- The estate is said to be older than the parish of Manchester, which was created in 1814.
- Over the years Bloomfield grew coffee, then citrus, then raised cattle and ran a dairy.
- Before it became a restaurant, the great house was used for a time as a small hotel.
Test yourself
Sources
Where this account comes from. The web addresses are listed so you can check the evidence yourself.
- Jamaica National Heritage Trust – Bloomfield Great Househttps://www.jnht.com/site_bloomfield_great_house.php
- Jamaica Information Service – Manchester Heritage Siteshttps://jis.gov.jm/information/jamaica-heritage-sites/manchester-heritage-sites/
- Jamaica Observer – That's a great house (2010)https://jamaicaobserver.com/2010/08/07/thats-a-great-house
- Moon Jamaica – Bloomfield Great Househttps://www.moonjamaica.com/listing/bloomfield-great-house
- UCL Legacies of British Slavery – Bloomfield or Virginia estatehttps://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/estate/view/16891
- UCL Legacies of British Slavery – Jamaica Manchester 158 (Bloomfield)https://lbs.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/claim/view/15521
- Wikipedia – Mandeville, Jamaica (pointer only)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandeville,_Jamaica
- Airbnb – Bloomfield Great House listing (closure note)https://www.airbnb.fr/things-to-do/places/471138
Historian's notes: what is uncertain
Construction date is not documented; 'about 200 years old' (2010) gives c.1810, low confidence. The Observer says Manchester was named in 1838, which conflicts with the standard 1814 creation date; the Airbnb listing repeats an 1838 date for Mandeville, which is also doubtful. The identification of the LBS 'Bloomfield or Virginia' estate and the Manchester 158 claim with this Mandeville house is NOT confirmed; LBS also lists other Bloomfields (e.g. in Vere).
The LBS claim says 32 enslaved but the 1832 register lists 28. The 'first citrus packing house in Jamaica' claim rests on one newspaper article. No permanent art gallery was confirmed: sources mention an art/gift shop and occasional exhibitions.
One listing marks the restaurant permanently closed; current status unverified. Coordinates are approximate (8 Perth Road, Mandeville). JNHT lists the site but formal declaration not confirmed. The house's materials and plan are not documented in sources consulted.
Nearby great houses
This profile was compiled by Jamaica Homes News from the sources listed above and checked against archival records where they were available. Legends are labelled as legends. Inclusion here does not confirm public access or opening hours. Spotted an error, or hold records about this house? Return to the Great Houses archive to explore the other houses.