Echoes of Inequality: How plantation ruins reveal much about the enduring legacy of slavery in Trelawny, Jamaica.
Photograph: Bedroom on the upper floor of Hyde Hall Great House, in Trelawny, Jamaica, (2023), Tracey Thorne, from the series Intended for Jamaica
The firm of Boulton & Watt supplied from Soho Foundry several works to the parish of Trelawny between 1801 and 1815. Most significantly these included a water ram for the Falmouth Waterworks Company to pump water from the Martha Brae River to the port of Falmouth and a steam engine for the enslaver William Atherton for use in his sugar mill on the Green Park sugar plantation, the number of enslaved people in that year on the estate was registered as 543.
Although the firm did not sell any steam engines to Hyde Hall sugar estate, it felt important while I was in the parish to journey into Jamaica's sugar hinterlands. Locals people had told me that generations of their families had worked at Long Pond sugar estate, which became a significant hub for sugar production during the twentieth century. This work highlights the enduring colonial legacies embedded in the region's history and the ongoing impact on the lives of its people.
As I drove out past Clark's Town, I headed into a rural area surrounded by sugarcane fields. Soon, I arrived at the Long Pond Sugar Factory, which, although manned by security, has been closed since 2017. The estate now only processes sugar for rum production, carried out nearby at the Long Pond Distillery, one of the last remnants of the waning sugar industry in the parish. I continued on the road past the closed factory and eventually, I spotted the ruins of the Long Pond Great House in the distance.
Photographs: View towards Hyde Hall Great House, Trelawny, Jamaica, (2023) Tracey Thorne
Turning off the main road, I drove up a track towards the great house. The area was silent, and the midday sun beat down on the house, whose ruins still maintained an air of splendour. As I got out of my car and walked towards the great house, I was struck by the architecture of the building (built c. 1820).
Photograph: Staircase on the lower floor looking into the ruins of Hyde Hall Great House, (2022), Tracey Thorne.
Despite its poor condition, it was still being used as accommodation for agricultural workers. The upper floor gallery and rooms were laid out with dormitory bunk beds.
Photograph: Upper gallery hallway inside Hyde Hall Great House, Trelawny, Jamaica, (2023), Tracey Thorne
I turned into a small bedroom, and at that moment, sunlight shone through the window, illuminating the stark contrast captured in the main image (Top). The wealth generated by these plantations never benefited the enslaved or their descendants and has contributed to long-standing socio-economic disparities in Jamaica. In contrast, Britain's great houses stand in glory, visited by millions and regarded by many as symbols of the nation's economic triumph, much of which was built on the backs of enslaved labour. This juxtaposition highlights the enduring legacy of slavery, where the opulence of colonial wealth continues to be celebrated while the profound injustices and inequalities it created persist.
The ruins of Hyde Hall Great House and eighteenth-century windmill, still mark the land and serve as a physical link to the area being a site of historic enslavement connected to the former Hyde Hall Sugar plantation as well as nearby Long Pond Sugar Plantation
The photograph (TOP) taken at Hyde Hall is currently being exhibited in Intended for Jamaica at the Library of Birmingham, which is open until 14th December 2024. The project was supported by Arts Council England.
Further Reading
I found a copy of King Sugar: Jamaica, the Caribbean and the World Sugar Industry (2001) by Michelle Harrison in the Library of Birmingham's lending collection which provided really helpful context to understanding more about the economic impact of sugar in this part of Jamaica. This book is currently available in the reading area in the exhibition on the 3rd Floor in The Gallery.
Hyde Hall was once owned by the Hall family of Worcester, who were major enslavers in Jamaica owning sugar estates on the island.
Hyde Hall Great House Blog by Dr Rual A Moseley is available here
The Hall Family Sugar Barons, Blog by Worcester Cathedral is available here
Hall Family Papers and Sugar Plantation Records, UC San Diego Archives https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/collection/bb3175569k
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