FOLLY RUINS

East of Port Antonio along Alan Avenue stands the Folly Ruins. Once the most opulent house in Jamaica, the crumbling shell has become an alluring destination. The Ruins was a 60 room two-storey built by retired mining engineer, Alfred Mitchell, for himself and his wife, heiress Annie Tiffany. It attracts many sightseers, photographers, and video shoot directors. In its heyday, the couple lived lavishly for 35 years. But after Mitchell’s death and the outbreak of World War I the mansion was abandoned and fell in disrepair. Due to years of the negligence Folly mansion is now owned by the government.

According to the common story Folly got its name in an act of frugality and rush. Mitchell wanting to impress his wife used saltwater to build parts of the mansion. It began to disintegrate soon after to which his wife exclaimed, “what a folly” and left. Like any good legend there’s usually a grain of truth and it seem saltwater was used in the construction of parts of the mansion. But it also said that the name traces back to when the Folly Point Lighthouse was built in 1888. Either way the striped limestone remains of the ill-fated mansion is great for exploring and a picnic. If you do it is advised to go with a group.