Dream House | Discovery Bay home, built in 1955, teeming with history

This will not be the house that time forgot! We are quite aware that time and memory are inseparable and that with the passage of years, we may ultimately forget. However, this column wishes no such outcome for this residence, fading and disappearing from the nation’s collective consciousness.

Today, with a sense of nostalgia, we enter the gates of this private, completely walled–in residence, built in 1955, in Discovery Bay, St Ann. Situated on four acres of well–laid out, fruited, and flowering gardens, it is dramatically poised between the sky and sea, at an elevation that yields spectacular scenery as far as vision will permit.

The 1989 made–for–TV movie Passion and Paradise, based on a true, still unsolved murder, was partially filmed at this address. The late Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, from 1883 to 1981, the first Chancellor of the University College of the West Indies (now The University of the West Indies), spent time here on several occasions. She actually planted mahogany trees on the property.

The entire structure is built out of large, cut pieces of ivory limestone that affects you at first sight. Floors are of hardwood, and well polished to a mirror-like shine. The ceilings are out of timber, painted white. Windows are of the sash type, and interior doors reflect a raised panel configuration, also painted in white. The home (with its antiques and artwork) is designed to accommodate comfortably and stylishly, with six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, with four-poster beds (with canopies) commanding attention. The drawing room is at the centre, with a formal dining room and large kitchen (with pantry) adjoining. The lower level carries additional sleeping quarters en suite. We cannot fail to mention the appealing feature of a wide, wraparound verandah used for dining and entertainment. A detached, double garage supplements the 12,000 square foot space, including a porte cochère (covered entrance drive-thru) and a separate staff house.

The fresh air outdoors is alive with a sparkling swimming pool and a hard–surface tennis court. A formal fish pond (teeming with fish) with its fountain piece at the centre is part of the garden’s aesthetics, allowing you and your family to meditate and relax within a pleasurable atmosphere. As we depart down the royal palm tree-lined driveway, we will not forget this home. We will treasure memories of it as long as we live and continue to look towards our architectural history for inspiration and sustenance.

- Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barry-rattray@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.