A Visit to the Stokes Hall Great House in St. Thomas

The Stokes Hall Great House in St. Thomas first piqued my interest three years ago when I researched and visited the Colbeck Castle in Old Harbour, St. Catherine. Both great houses bear some similarity, but Stokes Hall is smaller in size and was built thirty years later. Stokes Hall was constructed in the early 1700s by Luke Stokes, a former Governor of the island of Nevis who came to Jamaica shortly after the British captured the island from the Spanish. Today let’s explore what’s left of the great house.

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The History of Stokes Hall

Great houses were the seat of authority on the plantations where my ancestors were enslaved for nearly three hundred years. They were often heavily fortified and constructed in a strategic location with clear view of the coast and entire estate. At slavery’s peak, there were about 700 great houses in Jamaica but fewer than 100 remain today due to fires from slave revolts, demolition or decay. Many are in a state of disrepair due to conflicting opinions on what to do with them. Many Jamaicans would rather have them all crumble to the ground, while others like myself prefer to preserve them as testament to Jamaica’s history. After all, most were built by slave labour and it would be a shame to destroy our ancestors’ work even if they weren’t allowed to live within the walls.

The community of Stokes Hall was first settled by the Spanish who named it Hato de Morante (Ranch of Morant). Following British conquest and occupation of Jamaica, the name was changed to Stokesfield by Luke Stokes, the Governor of Nevis. He and his followers were the first set of English settlers in Jamaica, and he brought 1600 English settlers, hogs and cattle. However, shortly afterwards, the surrounding mosquito-infested marshes led to yellow fever and malaria epidemics to which Luke Stokes himself, his wife and two-thirds of the settlers succumbed. The survivors moved to higher ground (present day Stokes Hall) to escape the vector borne diseases. As such, Stokes Hall Great House, built in the early 1700s, is considered by many sources to be one of the oldest English structural remains in Jamaica. In 1907, Stokes Hall was destroyed by earthquake and now stands in ruin. The great house is currently owned by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT).

How to Find Stokes Hall

Stokes Hall Great House is located in a community by the same name. Signs leading to it are lacking, but look out for a right turn directly across the road from a bus stop and sign marking the community of Winchester. From there, it’s a bumpy but navigable dirt track; it’s best to ask community residents for assistance to ensure you’re on the right path as Google Maps hardly recognizes the road to the great house. Stokes Hall was not an easy find so I’m grateful for the lovely residents who helped us find this hidden gem.

Admission to the Stokes Hall Great House is free. In 2025, fifteen years after the creation of the Stokes Hall Great House Development Proposal in March 2010 by the Archaeology Division of the JNHT’s Heritage Preservation Management Unit, the facilities mentioned such as lighting, restrooms, benches and gazebos have not been installed. However, there’s now a storyboard which is a nice touch. That proposal also made mention of cracks and small trees which protruded from the building and needed urgent repair before the building’s structure was undermined. That hasn’t changed.

Exploring the Great House

The house had thick walls with several loopholes from which to fire small cannons and muskets if needed. At the corner of the main buildings lies towers almost thirty feet high and served as lookouts for miles around. It was also a comfortable family home with large bedrooms and modern conveniences for that era. It was fun wandering in and out of the arches and trying to visualize what the structure would’ve looked like in yesteryear. The house is surrounded by breadfruit trees, sugarcane and an old photogenic guango tree which has been taken over by wild orchids and bromeliads.

Wooden beams, supports and the roof have long disintegrated from forces of nature, termites or intentional removal. That’s why regular scheduled maintenance of buildings is so important. Take a look at the Greenwood Great House or Rose Hall Great House in Montego Bay for instance; perfectly intact.

Wrap Up

I wish Jamaicans placed more emphasis on preserving our history, similar to what I’ve witnessed in Latin America. It’s important to preserve the past for future generations to see, and it’s a potential source of revenue too. For a rural community like Stokes Hall, I’m sure its residents would welcome the economic opportunity of tour groups, photoshoots, weddings, reunions etc. at the great house if it were better maintained, but alas. How do you feel about great houses? Should they be maintained or left to crumble? Sound off in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:

• Colbeck Castle, St. Catherine
• Langley Great House, Stony Hill
• Seville Great House, St. Ann
• Greenwood Great House, St. James

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