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| Port
Antonio
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| Excerpted
from the book, Jamaica,
by Don Philpott |
Port
Antonio is on the island's northeast
coast and is a charming blend of old and new.
It was Jamaica's first tourist resort and
although still popular as a resort with cruise
ship facilities, it is in need of a face-lift,
and a campaign has been mounted locally to
get Government funds for this. It has, however,
managed to retain much of its quiet fishing
village charm. The location could not be more
perfect with sheltered harbor, beautiful scenery
and landscapes inland, and long stretches
of stunning white sandy beaches.
The scenery is obviously good for inspiration,
as Port Antonio is a favorite area for writers
and artists, and Robin Moore is said to have
written the French
Connection while sitting under
a mango tree in his yard. It has also long
been popular with the rich and famous, and
was a playground of Royalty and movie stars
like Errol Flynn, Ginger Rogers and Bette
Davis. It also claims to have been used as
a setting for more films than anywhere else
in the Caribbean.
The town was named
Puerto Anton bythe first Spanish,
and although the English settlers renamed
it Titchfield, the original name has survived.
Titchfield was also the name of the estate
of Lord Portland, a former Governor, after
whom the parish is named. Land grants were
offered to Euroeans to boost settlelment and
the town was fortified to protect both the
harbor and the residents who were heavily
outnumbered by slaves in the surrouding plantations,
and there were a number of uprisings.
The main part of Port Antonio is shaped like
a horseshoe around the large East Harbour.
On the eastern tip of the horseshoe is Folly
Point Lighthouse, and Fort George was built
on the shorter western tip known as Titchfield
Peninsula. Navy Island
stands off Titchfield Peninsula and although
known as Lynch Island, after an early Governor,
was renamed because it was fortified and used
by the navy as a hospital and land base in
the 1720's.
Over the years the town has expanded westwards
and now includes West Harbor, which is why
Port Antonio is popular with those seeking
a more peaceful, relaxing holiday although
there is still plenty to see and do for those
who want to get around. There are lots of
restaurants and bars, and shopping along Harbour
Street and City Centre Plaza. The offshore
waters offer great game fishing and there
are a number of fishing tournaments from the
Marina. The tourist office is in the City
Centre Plaza (993-3051). A good
way to get your bearings is to walk up Bonnie
View, the road that runs up Richmond Hill
to the vantage point near the summit which
has magnificent views of the town and surrounding
areas. It is a great place to watch the sunset.
There are historical tours of the town from
the sea, and details are available from the
tourist office, but the town is easy and fun
to explore on foot.
Start by exploring Titchfield
Peninsula. In 1947 Errol Flynn
arrived in town and immediately fell in love
with it. Ironically, in one of his swash buckling
films, he had played adventurer Henry Morgan,
who became Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica.
Flynn bought the Titchfield Hotel, which he
renamed Jamaica Reef, and als purchased Navy
Island.
The town became very fashionable in the 1950's
and was the haunt of the rich and famous.
Many of the buildings in the area, including
the hotel, were destroyed by fire. Titchfield
School was built on the site of the hotel,
and nearby is the shell of the hotel staff
quarters and two swimming pools that used
to belong to the hotel. The site has now been
taken over by the Jamaican Defence Force and
is used as a training camp. You can visit
the eighteenth-century Christ Church that
is still in use.
Fort George with its 10ft (3m)
thick walls, is mostly in ruins but the Titchfield
School, founded in 1785, is housed in the
former barracks. Other sights on the penisnsula
include De Montevin Lodge, and the former
home of an admiral. At the neck of the peninsula
around the junction of Harbour Street and
West Street are the Court House, Capitol Cinema
and Market.
There is a pleasant walk along the Harbour
Street, past the Anglican Christ Church, built
in the early 1840s, and Allan Avenue tht follows
the harbor's edge to the eastern arm of the
horseshoe. There is a road off the A4 that
leads through the Folly
Estate where you can visit Mitchell's
Folly and the Folly
Point Lighthouse.
In the late 1940's it was acquired by the
Government, and for a time was leased to Mrs.
Errol Flynn who planned to develop it into
a resort. The project collapsed like the house,
although the crumbling structure, with some
interesting graffiti, impressive columns,
arches and stone steps, can be seen. It is
possible to swim from the nearby beach over
to Wood Island.
The red and white striped Folly Point Lighthouse
stands at the end of the promontory.
A wide range of tours are organized from Port
Antonio including trips into the Blue
Mountains. There are tours of the
Blue Mountain Coffee
Plantations and even a Blue Mountain
Cycle Ride on mountain bikes, led by experienced
guides. Port Antonio-based Valley Hikes offer
conducted walks, raft trips, waterfall and
caving visits in the Rio Grande Valley.
Rafting
down the Rio Grande
is another exciting outing, and is said to
have been started by Errol Flynn. Rio Grande
Rafting offer 6 mile (10km) cruises on bamboo
rafts for two, poled by exper raftsmen through
spectacular sscenery. The trip can take between
two and three hours. About 150 rafters operate
on the river, and they follos the route traditionally
taken by the Maroons, and later used to transport
bananas to the sea. The Rafters Pavilion is
at Rafters Rest at the mouth of the river
and was built by the Earl of Mansfield. If
not on an organized tour, dirve to Rafters
Rest to pick up a driver who will take you
to the start point, and then drive your hire
car back so that it is witing for you. Do
not forget your cameras. It is available from
8:30 am to 4:30 pm daily - 993-2778.
Moore Town
is the home of the Windward Maroons, and governed
by an elected Committee chaired by a colonel,
a reminder of the days when the Maroons were
organized into military bands to fight the
British. The Anglican Church at the entrance
to the town, is the ldest building, and Bump
Grave, opposite the school, is the tomb of
Nanny, an eighteenth century Maroon leader
who was known for her fighting skills.
The site of Nanny
Town is across the hills to the
west of Ginger House, and you can appreciate
how remote it is when you consider that British
trooops under orders to find the camp at all
costs, took six years to locate it. When they
did finally attack the town, Nanny and her
Maroon troops had climbed to higher ground
and poured boiling water on to the soldiers
who fled. It took repeated attacks before
the town was finally taken and destroyed,
and now it has been taken over by the forest,
and although there have been somne archaeological
digs, nothing of great inteest has yet been
found.
The road ends a little further on at Cornwall
Barracks, another Maroon settlement.
From here you can cross the rope bridge to
visit Jupiter Falls, beside a mineral spring.
The right fork at Seaman's Valley runs to
Alligator Church,
Ginger House, Comfort Castle and
ends just beyond Four
Feet, high in the John
Crow Mountains. This is the wettest
place in Jamaica and annual rainfalls of 459in
(1166cm) have been recorded. To your right
are the peaks of Macca
Sucker 438ft (1335m) and Dinner
Time 3851ft (1174m) beyond. There
is a path from Four Feet across the mountains
south to Bath.
The route continues westwards along the north
coastline to Hope
Bay and the Somerset
Falls. The Daniels River plunges
through a gorge of natural rock in a series
of cascades and pools. The Lower falls are
set in tropical gardens and the Higher falls
are reached by swimming or rafting into the
narrow gorge. There is a restaurant and rest
rooms. The admission charge includes the raft
trip, and the Falls are open from 10 am to
5pm daily, except Christmas and Good Friday
- 926-2952. |
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