Bellefield Great House was built in 1794. After the British took Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655 it quickly came to realise that growing sugar cane was the best way to go. Production of cane sugar became the economic and political strength of the Jamaican British Colony. Sugar Plantations dominated Jamaican life and led to massive importation of slaves from Africa to provide manual labour to the plantation owners

 

The Great House was restored in 1994. Every effort has been made to maintain the architectural integrity of the building. Each room is fitted with antique items, portraits and paintings which belong to the family. Most of the furniture and fittings were culled from other houses on the estate and are authentic representations of the period.

 

Bellefield is one of several great houses on Barnett Estates. Most of the houses were occupied by family members or overseers, known as "bushas". And while this is not a large plantation house, it is authentic of that period, and representative of the lifestyle of that time.
The walls on the ground floor of the Great House are very thick. Architects of that period designed houses to keep them cool and plantation owners wanted to protect themselves from the "foreign heat" because they considered the climate to be very harsh. The thick walls were also a protection against the guerilla-like attacks of the Maroons and possible French attacks - the French were busy during- the 1700s, expanding their colonies
 
Bellefield Great House, Granville, St. James, Jamaica. Email: info@bellefieldgreathouse.com. Tel: (876) 952 2382