Falmouth Historical Sightseeing Tour

The Historic Falmouth Tour consists of tours of Falmouth, the capital of Trelawny parish, Greenwood Great House in Saint James, and Saint Ann’s Bay, the capital of Saint Ann parish. This tour will also stop at the Columbus Park for lunch (additional cost). This tour takes you back to the days when the town was a beehive of activity, with a journey that encompasses its rich Georgian legacy, among it several churches, chief among them the imposing parish church St Peter’s Anglican built in 1795. Other imposing Georgian buildings include the Falmouth courthouse. Falmouth is the capital of Trelawny, the parish which has produced several notable individuals, including sprint legend Usain Bolt.

Falmouth’s claim to fame over the years has been its fascinating history that dates back to its establishment in 1769. Some notable facts include: The town got piped water before New York City, Falmouth’s grid layout has earned it accolades as the best laid out town in the Caribbean, for several decades during the 18th century Falmouth was the main port from where sugar was shipped, the town’s Georgian style architecture has endured over the centuries and remains a draw card for tourists, Unfortunately, Falmouth was also a hub of the slave trade, with its port being used as base for several ships plying the route across the Atlantic, with slaves from Africa.

The fist stop on the tour will be at the historic Greenwood Great House, one of the best preserved great houses on the island.
It is located just a few miles west of Falmouth (heading towards Montego Bay), in a district that bears the name, Greenwood, in the parish of Saint James.Greenwood Great House was once owned by the family of famous English poet, Elizabeth Barrett-Brown, one of the most well known poets of the Victorian era. She is renowned worldwide for love poems such as “How much do I love thee, let me count the way,” and “If though must love me, let it be for nought except for love’s sake only.” Greenwood Great House was built between 1789 and 1800 and was said to be used mainly for entertainment purposes by its owner.

The next stop will be at Saint Ann’s Bay, the capital town of Saint Ann parish, which is the site where Christopher Columbus landed when he first arrived in Jamaica in 1494. St Ann was named after Lady Anne Hyde, the first wife of King James II of England. St Ann is also the birth parish for reggae superstar Bob Marley and other popular musicians such as Shabba Ranks. The town, St Ann’s Bay’s, is known mostly for being the birthplace of Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey (b. 1887), Jamaica’s first national hero, who has a statue in his honor located on the grounds of the St Ann Parish Library. A statue of Christopher Columbus is also located in the town. St Ann’s Bay boasts several important buildings dating back to over a century, including the St Ann’s Bay Courthouse (1860) and the St Ann Parish Church (1871). On the outskirts of St Ann’s Bay is the Seville Great House, built 1745.