Manning’s School invites tenders for restoring its iconic Thomas Manning Building

The iconic Thomas Manning Building, one of Jamaica's national treasures, which sits on the campus of the Manning's School in Savanna-la-Mar, is one step closer to being restored to its former glory.

The school has invited tenders to bid for the demolition and recreation of the Georgian timber structure. The building, easily identifiable by its Georgian architecture, was declared a heritage site in 1999 by the Jamaica Heritage Trust.

Manning's School launched its fundraising drive a year ago to raise approximately $100 million to restore the entire structure and modernise what used to be a resource centre and library to become a state-of-the-art facility and a museum that will showcase a number of artefacts found in the parish.

At the formal launch on June 3, Dr Archibald Campbell, the fundraising chair, noted that the restoration of the Thomas Manning Building is intended to benefit not just Manning's School, but the people of Westmoreland and Jamaicans in general, and to preserve a significant portion of Jamaica's rich heritage.

Past students and other stakeholders, the business community, the public sector, and civil society have to date contributed $60 million in cash and pledges.

The Thomas Manning Building represents the oldest existing part of the Manning's School and is primarily made of timber, with the rest on a masonry plinth. The building had fallen into disrepair and was deemed unsafe due to termite infestation.

Manning's School is among the oldest high schools in Jamaica, celebrating its 285th anniversary in 2023 when it expects the restorations to be completed.

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