Janice Lindsay, Contributed

Belle Plain Great House - Contributor

It was a relaxing Sunday afternoon drive which found me in search of a plant nursery that specialises in perennial plants and I instead discovered a 'bloom' of a far different nature in the community of Belle Plain just off the Osbourne Store main road in Clarendon. Sitting discreetly on a large expanse of lush greenery is the unmistakable grandeur of a great house.

It was a sight to behold! Imagine my surprise, delight, confusion and bewilderment as I drove cautiously on to the property and the reality of my discovery began to take shape? What appeared to be grandeur from the streets, however, now screamed neglect, architectural suicide, and a structure hanging on for dear life. The property seemed isolated save for a skinny dog that fiercely approached me, undoubtedly very protective of his or his master's mess of a mansion. An elderly gentleman appeared from the back of the house and headed towards me with indignation, and I hurriedly introduced myself to allay any fears that he may have had.

There is something to be said for 'country' hospitality because before long I was involved in an animated conversation with my new confidant, Mr. Philip Knight. Two hours later I had learnt the shocking saga of the Belle Plain Great House.

RE-LOCATED

Mr. Knight, his wife and nine children were relocated to the Great House in 1986 by the Red Cross following a devastating flooding in Clarendon. The living arrangements should have been temporary as they were assured by the agency that they would be placed in new dwellings. Twenty years later he still waits. His wife has since died, and a few of the children have left the fold, but lack of company is not an issue in this house where seven other families occupy the building.

Each family has on average six-eight persons living in one room each and, according to Knight,. the occupants are not strangers - they are people within the community and its environs who are in desperate need of a place to call home.

None knew the present owner of the property, but everyone at the house said the parish council once occupied the building.

A community member recounts that there was once a prison in operation on the property.

scorching reality

While the stories of the great house swelter, the social conditions which exist on the property are of an even more scorching reality. The residents have been living without basic amenities such as light and water for over two years, and bathroom facilities are less than ideal for the over thirty persons occupying the house.

As I walked the inner sanctuary of the structure, struggling to imagine what must have once been a majestic home, the grime, filth and unkempt surroundings stifled my attempts to paint a picture of 19th century splendour. Despite their less than favourable living

The saga of Clarendon's

Belle Plaingreat house conditions, a lovely herbal and flower garden flourishes in one area of the premises.

One of my first orders of business as I drove away from this 'discovery' was to establish contact with the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.

The trust, however, had no record of the house. Until ownership can be ascertained, it has no legal jurisdiction over the property. The parish council as the local authority seemed the more obvious entity to provide some information about the great house. Alas, they did not even have a record of its existence!

Jurisdiction

After much arm twisting, countless promises and threats the council confirmed that they had located the house, but had no knowledge about its ownership, nor did they have jurisdiction over the property. Surprising? It was downright alarming for me, because at this point the feeling was one of despair and disillusionment as I seemed to be making no headway in tracing the ownership of this property.

Contacts with other key agencies, such as the National Land Agency and the Red Cross, did not reveal much, and the latter agency refuted the allegation that it was responsible for relocating one of the families that now occupy the building. A visit to the National Library of Jamaica revealed that the Belle Plain Great House last appeared in the Government's List of Properties in 1912, and was valued at £1,200. The 987-acre property was then under the charge of John N. Robins with property ownership registered to the Overlays, possibly the wealthy banking magnates of 19th century Jamaica who owned a number of properties across the island.

Frustration set in on my tenth visit to the property, as I still had no favourable news for the occupants, most of whom are now showing clear discomfort about the living conditions at the great house. Additionally, I have concluded that there are some government agencies that are either not aware of, or have not yet bought into the administration's move to develop community - based tourism within areas that hold the potential to establish engaging and sustainable programmes.

How can we turn a blind eye to the 'invasion' of our historic structures to facilitate the social needs of the homeless and destitute? A change in attitude about the value of our cultural heritage, supported by an intensive public education programme, must take place at all levels of society, including schools, workplaces and communities.

One private sector company has already expressed some interest in restoring the great house for the greater good of the community and, by extension, our history. This cannot be achieved if ownership is in question. This is a plea to the relevant authorities, and anyone who may know something about this house, to bring urgent closure to the Belle Plain Great House saga.

Janice Lindsay is a heritage consultant. Email commhertours@yahoo.com