colonial Jamaica

In the Jamaica of the late 19th century, architecture was shaped by empire, emancipation, commerce and climate. Behind the picturesque verandahs stood sharp inequalities — but also practical lessons about building with the island rather than against it.

When Lehman Brothers collapsed in September 2008, Jamaica was already carrying one of the world’s heaviest debt burdens. What followed — two domestic debt exchanges, a Tivoli Gardens incursion, and a property market defying economic gravity — reshaped the island’s fiscal culture and national psyche for a generation.

Jamaica’s 14 parishes were formally established between 1664 and 1773. Vestry boards collected taxes and governed local land disputes. Quit…

High Crown land prices deliberately kept freed Blacks tied to plantations. Crown Land Act 1869 formalised colonial control over Jamaica’s…

High Crown land prices deliberately kept freed Blacks tied to plantations. Crown Land Act 1869 formalised colonial control over Jamaica’s…