Good Hope Great House: LONG STORY OF HOSPITALITY
ON WEDNESDAY, July 25, we featured Trelawny’s Good Hope Estate, looking briefly at some of the points of interest. Today, we are focusing on the great house, which is one of the centerpieces of the tourist attraction, along with Chukka’s Adventure Park and Falls at Good Hope.
Its story started in 1742 when Colonel Thomas Williams, for services to the King of England, was given several acres of land not far from the Martha Brae River. He established a sugar estate on this land in 1744. The area was then a part of the parish of St James. In 1755 Colonel Williams built the great house in honour of his young bride, Elizabeth Baker. At age 24, Baker died aof malaria. She was buried in the basement of the great house.
The history of ownership succession of the estate is a bit obscured. A storyboard at the back of the structure says, “In 1767, John Tharp, at the age of 25, purchased the home from Colonel Williams’ son. Tharp died in 1804.”
Yet, in an online article by Daniel L. Ogilvie called ‘The History of the Parish of Trelawny’, Ogilvie says that in a tablet on the estate is the following inscription: “Colonel Thomas Williams Jnr, from the parish of Westmoreland, began to settle this estate April 7th, 1774, and named it Good Hope.” That was seven years after John Tharp bought it.
The same article also says that the property passed from Colonel Williams to his son, Obediah, for whom John Tharp worked as an overseer. Williams departed Jamaica to reside in England, after which “the finances of the estates were reduced to a low ebb, and in disgust, the estates were passed over to
to Mr John Tharp”. So, when exactly did Tharp acquire the property, and by what means? Was it handed down to him, or did he buy it?
In any case, the great house remained in the Tharp family until 1867. It changed ownership a few more times and was once operated by American banker John F. Thomas as a small hotel where “distinguished visitors”, such as Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, the duke and duchess of Kent, and governors of Jamaica stayed. It operated as a hotel until 1989.
It was undoubtedly a social hotspot in the parish, especially because of Tharp’s repute. Lady Nugent wrote in her diary that Tharp was second to Simon Taylor of St Thomas in terms of social respectability. She and her husband, Governor George Nugent, also stayed at the great house in 1802 as guests of John Tharp.
The mostly cut-stone building is still going strong and is in a an excellent state of preservation. Apart from the regular furniture, a bedroom had a commode chair and chamber pot, a basin, a pewter, and a drinking glass. There were no adjoining bathrooms in the 18th century. Up to 1804, there were nine bedrooms. Now, there are only three.
Yet, John Tharp installed a leadcoated bath when he got sickly and suffered from rheumatism. The hot water for the bath came from a boiler that was fed with water stored on the roof. The water in the boiler, located outside of Tharp’s room, was heated by woodfire. It is said that Tharp might have unknowingly hastened his own death as he could have been poisoned by the lead used to coat his bath.
There are many pieces of exquisite furniture throughout the one-level house. Of note are two lounge chairs in a sitting area. Called planters’ or Spanish chairs, they were made of a combination of mule-skin leather and mahogany wood. They were uniquely designed and were made to accommodate people of different heights.
The great house is open to members of the public as part of a tour package.