Overlooking the beautiful Caribbean sea, on the hills of the former Rose Hall Sugar Estate, approximately 10km, from Montego Bay, St. James is the very imposing Rose Hall Great House. With the many stories about its former owner, Annie Palmer and the cruelty she meted out to her slaves, Rose Hall Great House is a very popular visitor attraction.
Restored to its former glory, visitors may have a guided tour of the Great House, and visit the tomb of Annie Palmer. On the grounds of the Great House are several gift shops and snack counters.
Rose Hall Great House was built in the mid 19th Century by George Ash for John Palmer, Custos of St. Thomas for £30,000. The Great House which is of Georgian architecture is built of cut stone on the first two levels and stucco on the third and uppermost level. The main approach to the second level of the building consists of a cut stone symmetrical grand staircase which leads to a veranda on the seaward side of the building.
The building is completed with sash windows, keystone, quoins and a hip roof.
During your Montego Bay tour, you will have the chance to take a guided tour of Rose Hall. Built in 1770, the Rose Hall Great House was the home of the Palmer family from England, who started the enormous sugar plantation.
In 1820, John Palmer married a gorgeous brunette named Annee. Annee was a petite woman about 4ft. tall, who moved to the beautiful island of Jamaica and became the mistress of Rose Hall.
Once settled in, Annee did away with her husband (John), and subsequently with two other unsuspecting husbands; along with a number of her slave lovers as well. But her black magic didn't protect her from meeting her own death in 1831, when she was murdered by her slaves, who then set the Great House on fire.
Legend says that Annee, called the White Witch by her slaves, still haunts Rose Hall. There are those even today who claim to have seen her passing through the upstairs rooms of the Great House.
Rose hall was later restored to its original 18th Century grandeur - now a national monument in Jamaica