St. Peter’s Church (Alley)
St. Peter’s Anglican Church takes us back to the days of slavery. The cornerstone of the church, which is located on the Montpelier Estate, is dated 1847.
The foundations of the church were laid on the scene of a noted slave uprising.
Old Montpelier was one of the estates burnt by slaves during the great slave rebellion in the western Parishes of Jamaica between 1831-1832.
Portland Point Lighthouse
The Portland Point Lighthouse has the highest tower in the Island, standing at a height of 145 feet. This light is located at latitude 170 44′ 9″ north and 770 9′ 58″ west on the summit of the Portland Ridge near the southern most point of the Island. The Tower flashes a white light every 15 seconds.
Milk River Spa
Milk River Bath is not only another of Jamaica’s great spas, but is counted among the best natural spas in the world. The radioactivity of the water is many times greater than many of the world’s famous spas. The relative radioactivity of the water has been found to be:
• 9 times as active as Bath, England
• 50 times as active as Vichy, France
• 5 times as active as Karlsbad, Austria
• 54 times as active as Baden, Switzerland
The Spa is located about ten (10) miles south of May Pen, Clarendon, and is open to the public.
Claude McKay’s Birthplace
Claude McKay, internationally acclaimed writer and poet, was born in the year 1889 in James Hill, Clarendon.
In 1912 his first volumes of poems, Songs of Jamaica and Constab Ballads, for which he was awarded the Silver Musgrave Medal of the Institute of Jamaica, were published.
He migrated to the United States where he became one of the leading writers of the Harlem Negro Renaissance. In 1948 McKay died in Chicago and was buried in New York.
In 1977 the Government on behalf of the people of Jamaica posthumously awarded Claude McKay the Order of Jamaica in respect and admiration for his great contribution to literature.
May Pen Clock Tower
The May Pen Clock Tower is a physical testament to the sacrifice of Jamaican soldiers in World War I.
On the west side of the Tower is the following inscription:
“The Great War 1914-1918: Message to the Government of Jamaica From the Secretary of State for the Colonies 16th November 1918. Now that the war has been brought to a victorious conclusion, I desire on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, to express to the people of Jamaica and her dependencies, the mother country’s high appreciation of the military efforts they have made, their cheerful acceptance of compulsory service in the common cause, and their struggle in spite of the difficulties in which visitations of nature have involved them at home. I recall with gratitude the share of men of Jamaica in our final victory in Palestine.”
The tower is made of stone. It is approximately twenty-four (24) feet in height, eight (8) feet in width, and eight (8) feet in length. The exact date of its erection has not been ascertained, but it appears to have been constructed after World War II.
Heritage Sites by Parish
- Hanover
- Kingston
- Manchester
- Portland
- St. Andrew
- St. Ann
- St. Catherine
- St. Elizabeth
- St. James
- St. Mary
- St. Thomas
- Trelawny
- Westmoreland
Learn more about Jamaican Heritage Sites here.