House of Assembly

Kingston, Blue Mountains & the Southeast Coast


On the eastern side of Parade Sq is the redbrick House of Assembly, erected in 1762 and today housing the offices of the St Catherine Parish Council. It has a beautiful wooden upper story with a pillar-lined balcony. The Assembly and Supreme Court sat here in colonial days, when it was the setting for violent squabbles among feuding parliamentarians.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kingston, Blue Mountains & the Southeast Coast attractions

1. Parade

0.03 MILES

Spanish Town’s finest old buildings enfold this square (more formally known as Emancipation Sq).

2. Rodney Memorial

0.04 MILES

Dominating Parade Sq on the north side is the elaborate Rodney Memorial, built in honor of Admiral George Rodney, who crowned his four-year service as…

3. Courthouse Ruins

0.05 MILES

On the south side of Parade Sq you pass the fenced-off Courthouse Ruins, destroyed in 1986 by fire. The Georgian building dates from 1819, when it was…

4. National Archives

0.06 MILES

The building behind the Rodney Memorial is the National Archives, with national documents dating back centuries, including the proclamation of the…

6. Old King’s House Ruins

0.07 MILES

On the west side of Emancipation Sq is the porticoed Georgian redbrick facade of the ruins of the Old King’s House, a once-grandiose building erected in…

7. St Jago de la Vega Cathedral

0.18 MILES

Built in 1714, this is the oldest Anglican cathedral in the Caribbean, boasting an impressive beamed ceiling, and a magnificent stained-glass window…

8. Old Iron Bridge

0.47 MILES

This narrow cast-iron bridge is the first of its kind in the Americas, and is another reminder of the deep connections between the Industrial Revolution…