Old York Castle
The
original York Castle High School started in 1876 and closed down in
1900. In that quarter-century it educated some remarkable men who came
from a cross section of late 19th century Jamaican society. Some of
them, most notably Ansell Hart, left very lively accounts of their
school days.
1875
'York Castle' was a spacious house built on the top of a mountain 2,000 feet high, a spur of the central ridge of the island looking northwardstoward St. Ann's Bay, from which the site was about twelve miles distant. To the house an estate of 800 acres was attached, laid out for pimento-growing and cattle-grazing. The situation was healthy and bracing, and commanded a glorious view. It had the disadvantage of bad communications, being four miles from the nearest village and post-office, while it was sixty miles remote from Kingston. The roads of the neighbourhood were execrable; travelling and transport to the place were difficult and costly. The existing premises required much alteration to adapt them to the new purposes, and the necessary work was far from finished when the School was opened. Even the carriage-way through the grounds, extending to a mile's length of steep climbing, was unmade; nothing on wheels could reach the house.
THE HISTORY OF THE WESLEYAN METHODIST MISSIONARY SOCIETYBY G. G. FINDLAY, D.D. AND W. W. HOLDSWORTH, M.A., B.D.
