Port Royal Jamaica

A Historic Jamaican Site

Port Royal Jamaica - The Present

Part of Port Royal Jamaica today is a museum and the rest is home for regular Jamaicans and is a fishing village. 

It is an important Jamaican historic site visited by locals and tourists far and wide fascinated by the history and  relics of the former Fort.

Entrance to Port Royal Museum Kingston Jamaica

Visit Port Royal and take a look at the relics such as

•  St Peter’s Church originally built pre 1692 destroyed by fire some 25 years later and after much restoration still stands.

•  Fort Charles built 1656 – one of six in Port Royal used to guard the entrance of Kingston Harbour and survived the 1992 earthquake.
•  Giddy House – was the old Royal Artillery Store...named such because of its tilted standing position (45 degree angle) after the 1907 earthquake .

•  The old Naval Hospital built early 1800s still stands today and is used for a variety of purposes.  Source: Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT). 

To organise a tour of Port Royal:  Tel: (876) 967 8438 or email tours@jnht.com. 

Port Royal Jamaica - Attractions

Socialise in Port Royal 

Gloria's Fish Restaurant - After the historic tour of Port Royal, have lunch at Gloria's, a popular fish restaurant opposite with friendly staff and delicious seafood dishes prepared to order.  

Morgan's Harbour Hotel - If you prefer a little more ambiance, have drinks or dinner by the shore, at the restaurant at the Morgan’s Harbour Hotel across the road on the seafront. 

Remember to take your sun screen for the day time and bug sprays for late evening.  

Morgan's Harbour Hotel is the closest hotel to Kingston airport and could be a convenient for stop-over after a late flight into Kingston.  Its about 10 mins drive from the airport.

Beach, off Port Royal Jamaica

Lime Cay - If you would like a nice white sand beach in Kingston where the habitation is strictly birds and nature’s creatures.  Lime Cay is a tiny island just across the water from Morgan’s Harbour Hotel. 

Fishing boats are available to take you across at a fee or maybe, like me, you may have a friend with a yacht moored at the Morgan’s Harbour Mariner who could take you out in style for the day!

Take a picnic basket to Lime Cay as it’s just a lovely beach area…like I said no human habitation.  This is a favourite place where Jamaica's uptowners hang out on weekends. 

It was a great experience for me, give it a whirl and let me know.

 The Past

Port Royal Jamaica is about 10/12 miles outside of Kingston Jamaica and Fort Charles bears the scars and remnants of Port Royal’s history.

The original inhabitants of Jamaica (the “Taino” people) used the area  now know as Port Royal as a fishing camp. 

The Spanish came to Jamaica  in 1494  took over and turned it into a port where they moored and serviced their shipping vessels.

The English explorers came later ousted the Spanish and used Port Royal’s strategic position to set up a Fort from where they warded off others trying to come in.

Port Royal soon became the headquarters of buccaneers and pirates.  One of the most famous pirate of the era was Captain Henry Morgan who later was Governor of Jamaica until his death.

Earthquake destruction

In 1692 a large earthquake destroyed much of Port Royal, burying a large part of the town at sea together with a large part of the population. 

Although Port Royal was rebuilt soon after the 1692 earthquake, other mishaps...fires and other hurricanes forced the merchants and business owners to abandon the town and moved across to Kingston which became the main town of industry.

Later in the 18th century Port Royal became a British Naval Station headed by another famous buccaneer, Horatio Nelson.  

In 1907 another earthquake further devastated Port Royal and the hurricane of 1951 finished it off and left it to what it is today.

Return from Port Royal Jamaica to Jamaica

Return from Port Royal Jamaica to Jamaica Vacations

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