Pedro St James

Pedro St James was built around 1780 by an English settler using enslaved labour, three storeys of coral rock and mahogany on a bluff above the south shore, and it is the oldest building still standing in the islands. In December 1831 a meeting here resolved to elect the first legislative assembly, and in 1835 the proclamation ending slavery in the islands was read from its steps, which is why it is treated as the birthplace of Caymanian democracy. It burned, was rebuilt as a hotel, burned again, and was restored in the 1990s using period methods. A multimedia theatre tells the story and the grounds run down toward the sea.

History

The Englishman William Eden built the great house in 1780 with enslaved labour, of coral rock with mahogany verandas and a slate roof brought from England, and by 1823-24 it served as a courthouse and jail. On 5 December 1831 the meeting that formed the islands' elected parliament took place here, and on 3 May 1835 the abolition of slavery was announced at the house; later a hotel and a restaurant, it was damaged by fire and by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, bought by the government in 1991 and reopened in December 1998 as a National Historic Site, restored to its 18th-century look (Wikipedia, Pedro St. James).

What you'll find

• The 1780s house - the oldest standing building in the islands.
• The 1831 meeting - where the elected legislature was resolved on.
• The 1835 proclamation - emancipation read from these steps.
• The grounds - running down the bluff toward the south shore.

When to go

November to May is the driest. The multimedia show runs at set times through the day and is worth timing for. Cruise days bring groups in the middle of the day; mornings are quieter.

Before you go

The building is a 1990s restoration after two fires, so almost nothing of the original fabric survives above the walls. The multimedia presentation is dated. The enslaved people who built and worked the estate are acknowledged but not given much space. Two hours covers it.

Nearby

Spotts Beach is ten minutes; Bodden Town is fifteen minutes east.

Key facts