Imagine traversing through the streets of Spanish Town, St Catherine, and seeing tourists immersing themselves in the town’s storied history as the former capital of Jamaica.

Restored underground secret tunnels, once utilised by the Spanish in their resistance against British adversaries, now serve as the main attraction for international visitors looking to journey through Spanish Town’s rich heritage.

Meanwhile, tour guides navigate buggies to and from the Emancipation Square, pausing to tell tales of iconic landmarks such as the Old Iron Bridge — the oldest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere; Sligoville — the first free village in Jamaica and the Phillipo Baptist Church, purportedly housing the buried shackles of enslaved individuals.

A few minutes into a conversation with the Mayor of Spanish Town Norman Scott and president of St Catherine Chamber of Commerce Dennis Robotham will teleport you into that reimagined vision for the old capital.

It’s a vision they have openly shared with the public, but it has failed to secure a commitment from the Government over the years. However, rapidly growing interest by private investors in the town over the past five years, has both Scott and Robotham increasingly confident that now is the opportune time to revisit the discussion on the redevelopment of Spanish Town to capitalise on its economic potential.

“I wish that I will get to a point where I can influence the policymakers to make Emancipation Square a pedestrian-only square. What I want to see for Spanish Town is the renovation of this old courthouse, make it into an amphitheatre, and take the council out of this building.

“The King didn’t walk on the road when he was here. He would go into a trap door and walk through a tunnel and exit over the King’s house and vice versa. If he wanted to go up the road to Tacky Bridge, which is on Brunswick Avenue, he would go into a tunnel and exit there,” Scott said in an exclusive interview with the Jamaica Observer.

He is calling on the Government to engage archaeologists in a study on Spanish Town, with specific focus on identifying existing tunnels, assessing whether they are blocked, and advocating for their restoration and reopening.

Underground the old capital runs secret tunnels not explored in recent times. They are said to connect many buildings in Emancipation Square. Today, the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) has responsibility for the preservation of the tunnels among other material cultural heritage in Spanish Town.

Since its oversight, the JNHT has never allowed exploration of the tunnels, some of which were said to be partially blocked up by the British when they conquered the territory. But prior to its handing over, some of the tunnels were said to be used as ‘little hideaways’ for thieves and homeless individuals.

“One of the tunnels exits out by the old Forum Hotel in Portmore. I would want the archaeologists to come and check these things so that we can have tourists come from all over the world and know the history of Jamaica,” Scott said.

Talks of the redevelopment of Spanish Town aren’t new. In fact, in 2022 Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in his address at his party’s annual conference, pledged that his Administration would make urban centres more accessible to pedestrians and motorists and improve public order. That would include the restoration of historical assets and improved garbage collection in Spanish Town.

Before that, Minister of Information Burchell Whiteman, under the PJ Patterson Administration announced the formation of the Spanish Town Redevelopment Company (SPARCOM) in 2006 to slow infrastructural decline in the historic town and improve the town’s heritage tourism potential.

Then in 2007, the Bruce Golding Administration announced that SPARCOM would receive a start-up share capital of $500 million funded by private- and public-sector interests. Ultimately, they proved to be nothing but empty promises.

“I don’t think the Government is giving St Catherine and Spanish Town the kind of attention that it needs in terms of infrastructure development, upgrading the facility, tourism, redeveloping the Square… giving it recognition as a tourist site,” Robotham told the Observer.

Efforts by the Observer to get a reaction from the JNHT on the proposed redevelopment plans proved futile, but Senior Advisor and Strategist at the Ministry of Tourism, Deland Seiveright is batting for collaboration between the private and public sectors to get the project underway.

“There is no doubt potential for the development of a tourism product in Spanish Town. There is a need for joint public and private effort in this endeavor, and we are open to fostering strong collaborations,” he said, adding that partnership with Culture Minister Olivia Babsy Grange and team, the Municipal Corporation, other government entities along with civil society will be pivotal.

Spanish Town holds rich history and its architectural design remains a national treasure. Originally called Villa de La Vega (City on the Plains) and St Jago de La Vega before being captured by the British in 1655, Spanish Town was the only settled town in Jamaica.

The checkerboard plan the Spanish adopted in 1534 still largely influences the layout of the town today. The former town centre, now known as Emancipation Square, consists of four key buildings — the old court house south of the square, that was built in 1819; the old House assembly to the east, a two-storey brick building that was constructed in 1762, which now houses the St Catherine Municipal Corporation’s offices; Rodney’s Memorial, now Jamaica Archives, to the north; and the shell of the old King’s House to the west.

Under the British, the square was rebuilt in the mid-1700s following a grid-like plan by John Pitcairne and was replete with Georgian architecture. It is now considered one of the world’s finest Georgian squares.

Some of the key historic events of the old capital includes the trial and conviction of the pirate Calico Jack Rackham, who counted the notorious female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read among his crew in 1720.

In 1773, Lewis Hutchison, the Mad Master of Edinburgh Castle, said to have tortured and killed visitors to his area of the island, was hung. Then in 1725, the Maroon Treaty that recognised the Maroons as the first autonomous people of African heritage in the New World was signed.

In 1780s, a group of armed Maroons marched holding the mutilated head of the bandit Three-Fingered Jack aloft to claim a $300 reward. Jamaica’s National Hero Paul Bogle also marched in vain to meet with then-Governor Eyre to explain the plight of the peasants who would go on to riot under his leadership in what is now known as the Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865.

Seiveright noted that the initial focus must be on the historic quarter, including the Old King’s House, the Old House Assembly, Rodney’s Memorial, and the Old Courthouse.

“By revitalizing these landmarks, we can create a compelling narrative and tourist experience that honors Spanish Town’s rich history. We are enthusiastic about the possibilities ahead and are confident that, with collaborative efforts, Spanish Town can become a vibrant and appealing destination for both local and international visitors,” he said, adding that the strategic advantage provided by the North-South Toll Highway, which connects the town to the North Coast and Ocho Rios in just over 30 minutes, cannot be overstated.

Infrastructural developments

At present, Spanish Town is attracting increasing interest from new and existing investors including the Sagicor Group, developers Michael Subratie and Edward Azan as crime in the city trends down year on year.

Seiveright reasoned that the growing interest in the town is a testament to Spanish Town’s potential and augurs well for its future, but he notes that to achieve the proposed tourism vision, significant infrastructure development is needed to enhance the town’s appeal and address long-standing safety concerns to ensure a welcoming environment for local and international visitors.

Some of that lies with Scott, who has served as mayor of Spanish Town for over a decade.

“A lot of commercial development is taking place, but the infrastructure is something that’s still lacking and it’s the Government prerogative to deal with these things. Many of the structures in the square were made in the early 40s or 50s, some of the roads are just too narrow to manage the number of vehicles that pass through the town and so the place is very congested.

“Spanish Town also has a massive drain issue, whenever it rains water is everywhere and that is probably a result of the commercial developments outgrowing the infrastructure works,” Chamber President, Robotham chimed in.

During his tenure, Scott says he has worked to advance garbage collection in the old capital and its environs, as well as fix the problem of illegal parking and the proliferation of illegal garages around the town.

He has also aggressively tackled unauthorised vending in the town and has pledged to implement policies for proper guttering and catchment areas to be mandatory in the construction of new homes in the parish.

“I have summoned the soup on the steam to start remedial work on what we call the side drains, as well as to do more road works. But the constraint — National Water Commission, as soon as the road is fixed NWC pipe burst and the road mash up, then I get the blame,” Scott said.