Work begins at Seville Heritage Park

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced the commencement of development work at the Seville Heritage Park in St Ann.

Minister Grange said the work, which started last week and is scheduled to be completed by January 2021, is part of the government’s heritage preservation programme.

“This is a continuation of the work we started several years ago to restore the Great House and to develop the grounds into an interpretive park that highlights and memorialises important periods of Jamaica’s history,” said Minister Grange.

The scope of the project, which is being funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund in the sum of J$10.3M, includes extensive repairs to the roof of the Great House, electrical upgrades, fencing of the park, lighting of the park, installation of air conditioning units in the museum and gift centre, termite treatment, installation of signs and storyboards, landscaping, among other upgrades.

Minister Grange said:

“Seville Heritage Park is one of the most important heritage sites in Jamaica as it was the site of encounter of the Taínos, Spanish, British and the Africans and we must ensure that it is preserved for future generations. The development work at Seville is not only focused on heritage preservation, but also on transforming the site into a world-class heritage tourism attraction in Jamaica.”

Seville Heritage Park is managed by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.