THE TEENage team was whisked away to the enchanting Seville Great House and Heritage Park, tucked away in the beautiful parish of St Ann. The tour provided a journey into the illustrious history of the great house coupled with the indigenous people that once roamed our island.

It was June 7, 1658 that the Great House was given, as a result of an English victory, to Captain Richard Hemmings and his grandons. The house was bought in 1710 by the last known owners, the Hoskins family which consisted of Henry Smallwood Hoskins, Jessin Hoskins and Tennella Hoskins.

The family burial ground is located on the front of the property with a missing spot for the youngest daughter who was buried in England. The great house has a breathtaking view of the water with cannons facing out at the front; one could only imagine the amazing encounters that were made on the property.

We learnt that Seville was the first Spanish settlement and not the commonly perceived St Jago de la Vega more popularly known as Spanish Town. Seville is also the home of the first sugar factory and the first catholic church. St Jago de la Vega became the town after an influx of Malaria had hit Seville and Governor Esquivel became the leader.

Our tour guide Michelle started the first leg of our journey in the great house which has been transformed into a museum with rooms representing different indigenous peoples and different historical experiences. We were taken into the lifestyles of the Tainos, Spanish, English and Africans along with rooms highlighting the first encounter and other important times. Each room brought its own charm with interesting artefacts and background on what was at the centre of each civilisation and what was their contribution to the diverse Jamaican culture.

Thanks to the Taino Room, we learnt further that the Stone Age was called such because there were tools made of stone. Each culture came alive with the displays of intricate jewellery and actual tools and artefacts used by the individual groups.

The real charm about the Heritage Park is that everywhere was alive with a tale and if one allowed their imagination to soar, they could see the history coming alive. The first landmark was a replica of an African slave ships that would have been used to transport enslaved people from West Africa to the Caribbean.

From the African Room, we learnt that when being transported, the expression packed like a sardine was the most applicable term to describe the inhospitable conditions these enslaved people had to face. Even though it was a short trip for us it was a journey that took weeks to finish.

The next striking feature was a replica of the Taino village which highlighted simple but very strong building materials. As Michelle told us, these structures could withstand hurricanes and other disasters.

Edward then took us to explore the vast property to see what features were still intact today.

TEENage was shown many hidden gems of the property, which included a gargantuan waterwheel that provided energy for the estate and it was majestic to witness this source of technology in its earliest forms. Other features of the estate included the overseer’s quarters and the coach house which were the residences of the workers who provided human fuel for the functioning of the plantation.

The rum factory, whose output was 45 gallons annually complimented the sugar mill whose output was 100 tonnes of sugar. Edward further pointed out that these sites were newly excavated and the intricacy of the construction could be seen. The excavation process was assisted by the Simon Frater University in Canada in 2007 with the main engine being Robbin Woodwork.

The Governor’s Castle only needed a little imagination to picture its splendour and was the site of the earliest form of refrigeration where food would be stored underground for preservation purposes.

The best part of the tour was the visit to the breathtaking beach that was also home to the first wharf as Edward highlighted where those on the wharf would stand guard and point out their guns with the aim of taking no prisoners. Seville Great House and Heritage Park is truly a historical treasure that should be explored by everyone and for $5 US for foreigners, J$200 dollars for local adults, $50 for students and $100 for children out of uniform this experience is right at your fingertips.

Contact the Jamaica National Heritage Trust at 922-1287-8 for more details.