This mansion, with its commanding hilltop position 3km east of Ironshore, is the most famous Great House in Jamaica.
Construction was begun by George Ashe in the 1750s and was completed in the 1770s by John Palmer, a wealthy plantation owner. Palmer and his wife Rose (after whom the house was named) hosted some of the most elaborate social gatherings on the island.
Slaves destroyed the house in the Christmas Rebellion of 1831 and it was left in ruins for over a century. In 1966 the three-story building was restored to its haughty grandeur.
Beyond the Palladian portico the house is a bastion of historical style, with a magnificent mahogany staircase and doors, and silk wall-fabric that is a reproduction of the original designed for Marie Antoinette during the reign of Louis XVI. Unfortunately, because the house was cleaned out by looters back in the 19th century, almost all of the period furnishings were brought in from elsewhere, and quite a few are from the wrong century. With that said, the imported furnishings are the genuine article, and many are the work of past leading English master carpenters.
Much of the attraction is the legend of Annie Palmer, a multiple murderer said to haunt the house. Her bedroom upstairs has been (re)decorated in crimson silk brocades because, y’know, red is the color of blood. The cellar now houses an English-style pub and has a well-stocked gift shop haunted by the ghosts of tacky souvenirs. There’s also a snack bar.
Tours of the house are mandatory and commence every 15 minutes till 5:15pm.
