Friends of the Georgian Society of Jamaica

Background of the FGSJ

Our Aims

Jamaican Georgian architecture, with its emphasis on light and air, has over the years proven to be ideally suited to the climate of the West Indies, with features added to suit the tropics while maintaining the style and charm of its eighteenth century origins. The particular Georgian quality of grace combined with utility appears not only in the design of great houses and civic buildings but is also apparent in the vernacular used throughout the island in quite modest dwellings.

The Georgian Society of Jamaica was established in 1967 out of concern for the destruction and neglect of these period buildings, large and small, in all parts of the island. In the rush to modernisation, many of them were replaced by structures of poor design and little character, the practical details of Georgian architecture having been largely forgotten or misunderstood.

Jamaica was England's wealthiest colony in the 18th century, and the houses and public buildings constructed during this period give evidence of that. Fine examples of Georgian architecture are to be found in the most unlikely spots.

It is the beauty and worth of these now decaying relics of the past and the international context of their importance which gives the FGSJ the enthusiasm to work for their preservation. Their potential for development as heritage tourism attractions is also not lost upon the FGSJ.

To support the charitable objects of the Georgian Society of Jamaica, and in particular:

for the public benefit to preserve, restore and maintain buildings, monuments, artefacts and other items and features of historical or architectural importance in Jamaica, with particular emphasis on the period 1720-1850, known in Jamaica as the 'Georgian period'.

for the advancement of the education of the public concerning these items.