Devon House, dating back to the 1860s, stands as one of St Andrew’s most historically and culturally significant landmarks. Restored to its former splendour, the estate showcases period furniture, rare trees, and a collection of African art and cultural artifacts. The site draws both local and international visitors to its museums, shops, and renowned restaurant.

Published Thursday, September 13, 1973

Jamaica Places: The Fascinating Area Around Devon House

By Alex D. Hawkes

One of the more unusually attractive and interesting sections of St Andrew is the one near Devon House, along Waterloo Road, extending from the Hope Road intersection to the roundabout. Devon House is certainly the major scenic attraction hereabouts.

Dating from about 1863, the great house and extensive property, studded with splendid, big, and often rare trees, was taken over by the previous government administration and literally transformed back to its former splendour.

After a rather singular number of staff changes, and indeed plans for development of the house and grounds, Devon House seems to have settled down now, and today attracts many visitors from overseas, plus a good representation of residents.

The Port Royal Grog Shoppe is a handsome room, with costumed waiters and waitresses, who also serve in a patio under one of the island's largest mahogany trees, offering a series of distinctive beverages featuring rum, which I helped to invent, and an interesting menu day and night.

The great house itself is marvellously restored, with period furniture and paintings, and an intelligent tour conducted by pretty lasses in old-fashioned gowns is offered. Nearby is a tiny museum showing some of the artifacts from Port Royal, and, in the rear quadrangle of the property, we find a very extensive collection of art and cultural objects from Africa of unique interest. Here, too, are several shops offering a wide array of crafts, clothing, et al, in a pretty garden setting.

Across Waterloo Road from Devon House is found the headquarters of the Jamaica Festival Commission, relatively quiet now, but just a few weeks ago a veritable beehive of activity for the 11th Independence Festival.

Further along the broad roadway, often used as a sort of private racecourse especially on Sundays when traffic is light, we find the headquarters of the Girl Guides of Jamaica, the Jamaica National Export Corporation, the German Embassy, and the Coconut Industry Board.

Many of these offices are in made-over private residences, and there are still a few large elegant homes in this district, though, because of rising taxes, perhaps their days are numbered. We also find an increasing array of new townhouses hereabouts, as well as the offices of Marvin D. Goodman Associates, the renowned architectural firm which has designed many of them.

International
Terra Nova Hotel lies a bit further along, an internationally famous establishment which attracts truly knowledgeable people from all over the globe. Its elegant gourmet restaurant is one of Jamaica's best known and appreciated, under the personal supervision of the unique Mr Roc Pavesi. And, down at the roundabout, we encounter a new attraction for this district, the O.K. Corral, a horse-riding school which is already attracting quite a group of agile young people. I wonder if later on they will introduce Wyatt Earp?

Happily, Waterloo Road has lost its row of utility poles standing some distance out in the roadway. This comes after many months of buck-passing between the JPS and JTCo, and remarkably, without any fatal crashes before someone got around to doing something about the situation. And I must not close without mentioning one of my favourite residences in this area, the one at the corner of Dilcoosha Avenue, with the tallest, whitest, handsomest big wall in town.
Privacy is obviously relished by the inhabitants, and more power to them!
This district around Devon House, along Waterloo Road, is a prestigious part of the Parish of St Andrew, handsomely combining modernity with pleasant touches from the elegant past.

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