For the price of a small boutique hotel, Real estate investors can buy one of Jamaica’s historic structures, the Cardiff Hall Great House in St Ann, which is on the market for US$12 million ($1.9 billion) not as a commercial property, but as a home.
Due to its rarity and renaissance architecture, the great house dating back to the 17th century seems to be holding its own within a minimalist-themed real estate boom.
Its listing price suggests that there is still a premium on history.
“A great house’s value no doubt goes up, just like any other item considered to be an antique,” said realtor Trecia Panton-Thompson, speaking for the owner, whose identity has not been disclosed.
Property records show the Brown family owning the ‘Cardiff Hall Plantation’, but Panton-Thompson said that is not the case.
Purchase enquiries for Cardiff Hall have so far come mainly from outside Jamaica.
“I have found that mostly Europeans have shown interest thus far; I suppose because of their high appreciation for art,” said Panton-Thompson a realtor at Jamaica Sotheby’s International Realty.
“But I would love it if a Jamaican could be the next owner so that we may keep it in our culture and storied history,” she said.
Great houses are those structures that were historically part of a sugar or coffee plantation. The buyer’s market for the historic structures remains small, not only due to the price, but also the rules limiting retrofitting policed by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust. Also, the nearest neighbour is likely to reside miles away.
“The ideal buyer would be someone such as a historian, someone looking for a home with character that they can be proud to retell the story of its rich history, over and over again, and tell it with passion because they are now a part of such a story,” Panton-Thompson said.
At Cardiff Hall, for US$12 million, the buyer gets a five-bedroom great house, originally built in 1655, the year the English colonised Jamaica. The house was rebuilt 130 years later.
There is also a two-bedroom cottage that sits on the 10-acre property. And there is a hidden underground bunker with its own set of cannons. The property was entered on the MLS or Multiple Listing Service real estate broker site about two months ago.
“Not many changes can be done to disturb it’s appeal and the architectural design,” said Panton-Thompson, “meaning one cannot modernise it. They have to have a strong connection and burning desire for such a property.”
The JNHT, the state agency that safeguards the integrity of historic properties, lists 38 great houses on its website although it states that there are more property owners who can apply for the status.
“There are many others for which research needs to be undertaken,” said JNHT Senior Research Officer Georgia Rookwood.
Some examples of privately owned great houses are Good Hope in Trelawny, Greenwood and Rose Hall in St James, Admiral’s Mountain in St Andrew, and Geddes Great House in St Ann.
Some are commercial attractions, and others are antique homes, but few are utilised as long-term residences.
Cardiff Hall, developed by the Blagrove family, generations of which owned and lived there from 1655 to 1950, according to the JNHT. There are unconfirmed reports that the Blagroves owned other plantations in Jamaica and Barbados.
As the story goes, the Blagrove patriarch was a British soldier who came to Jamaica upon the transition of power from Spanish to British rule. Later, members of the family were Eton and Oxford educated in England and became members of the Government in Jamaica. The family at one point reportedly held over 1,550 slaves.
“It is possible that Cardiff Hall may be the only great house in Jamaica that has remained a residence for so many years,” JNHT’s Rookwood told the Financial Gleaner, “whereas Good Hope, Greenwood, and Rose Hall are operated as heritage tourism products.”
“Admiral’s Mountain and Geddes are also ‘lived in’,” the researcher added.
Although the Jamaica National Heritage Trust lists Cardiff Hall among the great houses on its website, which reflects its historic and architectural significance, the site was not declared as a national monument or designated as a protected national heritage under the JNHT Act. At least, not at this time, according to Rookwood.
The JNHT research officer explained that in December 2019, a ‘notice of intention’ to declare the Cardiff Hall Great House a national monument was served on the owners of the property. The owners did not object but requested and received information on incentives available and the effects of the declaration, particularly as it relates to access to the property by the general public.
“The matter is to be revisited to see if the owners will consent to the declaration,” Rookwood said.
Declaration or designation of a heritage asset does not prohibit the sale of the property. The status of the property under the JNHT Act is noted on the certificate of title so that prospective buyers are aware that it is protected under the JNHT Act, Rookwood said.
“When the JNHT declares a property a national monument or designates a site as a protected national heritage, then the owner or occupant is responsible for not making any alterations to the property without first obtaining the written approval from the JNHT,” she added.
Still, the great houses are said to be in varying conditions, from good to poor to some being in ruins.
“The JNHT is not presently in a position to offer financial assistance to owners of national monuments or protected national heritage sites. However, declaration and or designation status will strengthen an owner’s application for grant funding,” said Rookwood.
steven.jackson@gleanerjm.com
