Good Hope Estate

Good Hope was one of the largest sugar estates in Trelawny, running to thousands of acres and hundreds of enslaved workers, and unusually the whole ensemble survives: the 1755 great house of cut stone on a rise, the counting house, the coach house, the stone aqueduct that carried water to the works, and the works themselves. The setting above the Martha Brae valley with Cockpit Country behind is the finest of any estate on the island. It now operates as a private estate open to visitors, with the great house available to stay in, and an activity operation running zip lines, river tubing and a coach ride through the grounds.

What you actually see

• The 1755 great house - cut stone, on a rise above the valley.
• The aqueduct and works - the surviving industrial buildings of the estate.
• The setting - the Martha Brae valley with Cockpit Country behind.
• The estate grounds - coach rides and trails through the property.

When to go

December to April is drier. Activity packages run through the day and are heavily booked when cruise ships are in Falmouth. The house and grounds are quieter in the afternoon once the excursion groups have left.

Honest expectations

The estate is now essentially an adventure park with a historic house on it, and the activity packages are priced accordingly; visiting for the architecture alone is possible but not really what the operation is set up for. Cruise days fill it. Interpretation of the enslaved labour that built the place is limited.

Nearby

Falmouth is half an hour north; Martha Brae rafting is nearby.