Knutsford Park in St. Andrew was originally part of Snow Hill Pen, which in the 18th Century was owned by the Archbould family who also owned Constant Spring Estate, St. Andrew. When Alexander Lindo, Jewish Merchant of Kingston, acquired Constant Spring Estate during the 1790s, he also acquired Snow Hill Pen. Lindo sold the southern half of Snow Hill Pen to Benjamin Marriott Perkins (1774-1828), a prominent Kingston Solicitor, who renamed it Castle Perkins. In 1805 Perkins also purchased the northern half of Snow Hill Pen, which he renamed Trafalgar Park. Benjamin Marriott Perkins and his family first resided in the 18th Century Great House at Castle Perkins, but about 1811 he built an elegant new Great House on Trafalgar Park and he and his family then took up residence there. Castle Perkins was later sold and by 1878 it had become the property of Sir Edward Lucie Smith, Chief Justice of Jamaica, who renamed it Knutsford Park. The Knutsford Park Great House later became a Hotel about 1907.
Brett Ashmeade-Hawkins, May 29, 2016
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work in progress!!
Daily Gleaner, July 24, 1875
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Daily Gleaner, October 24, 1905
KNUTSFORD HOUSE HOTEL TO BE STARTED SOON. In yesterday's GLEANER it was stated that Knutsford Park House on the Half-way Tree Road, had been leased and that there was some talk of having an hotel there. To-day we are in a position to state that the house and a certain portion of the lands has been leased by the Jamaica Jockey Club, to Mrs. Austin who will convert the building into an hotel. Mrs. Austin does not at all contemplate giving up Park Lodge HoteL She will run the Knutsford Park Hotel in connection with Park Lodge. The house at Knutsford will be altered and improved on an extensive scale, and Mrs. Austin expects to have 40 rooms erected there. According to present arrangements those rooms are to be ready early in January next, when the Hotel will be opened, to meet the tourist season. It was at first proposed to form a Ladies’ club at Knutsford house but in consequence of the leasing of the house for the purposes of an Hotel, the proposal with regard to the ladies' club has, unfortunately, been abandoned. |
1912 map:
