Hope Botanical Gardens

Established in 1873 on land from the Hope estate, these gardens cover around two hundred acres on the north side of Kingston with the Blue Mountains rising directly behind, and they are the largest public green space in the English-speaking Caribbean. Wide lawns run between avenues of royal palm, with a walled sunken garden, an orchid house, a cactus garden, ponds and a bougainvillea walk. A small zoo occupies one corner, with Jamaican iguanas among the residents as part of the breeding programme that has helped bring the species back from the edge. On Sundays the lawns fill with Kingston families.

History

The estate of Major Richard Hope was granted to him after 1655, when the British took Jamaica from Spain, and it was worked as a sugar plantation with a watermill; the gardens now cover 200 acres in St Andrew (Wikipedia, Hope Botanical Gardens).

What to look for

• The palm avenues - royal palms running across the lawns.
• The sunken garden - the walled formal garden at the centre.
• The orchid house - the collection under glass.
• The Jamaican iguana - part of the breeding programme in the zoo.

When to go

Year-round; mornings are coolest and quietest. Sundays and public holidays bring large family crowds. The gardens are free but the zoo and the attractions in one corner are ticketed separately.

Good to know

Maintenance is uneven and parts of the gardens are shabby, with funding a long-running problem. The zoo is small and dated by international standards. The corner given over to fairground rides and paid attractions sits awkwardly with the rest. Little shade on the main lawns at midday.

Nearby

The University of the West Indies is next door; Devon House is fifteen minutes west.

Key facts