Spanish Town Spain | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 St. Jago de la Vega Cathedral | |
| Nickname: Spain | |
  Spanish Town | |
| Coordinates:17°59′45″N76°57′18″W / 17.9958766°N 76.9551086°W /17.9958766; -76.9551086 | |
| Country | Jamaica |
| County | Middlesex |
| Parish | Saint Catherine |
| Founded as Villa de la Vega | 1534 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Norman Scott |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2021) | 145,018[1] |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| Area code | 876 |
| Website | Official Website (2016) |
Spanish Town (Jamaican Patois:Spain) is the capital and the largest town in theparish ofSt. Catherine in the historic county ofMiddlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital ofJamaica from 1534 until 1872. The town is home to numerous memorials, thenational archives, and one of the oldestAnglican churches outside England (the others are inVirginia,Maryland, andBermuda).
The Spanish settlement ofVilla de la Vega was founded by the Spanish in 1534 as the capital of the colony. Later, it was also calledSantiago de la Vega orSt. Jago de la Vega.[4] IndigenousTaino had been living in the area for approximately a millennium before this, but this was the first European habitation on the south of the island.
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When theEnglish conquered Jamaica in 1655, they renamed the settlement as Spanish Town in honour to the original Spanish root of this town. Since the town was badly damaged during the conquest,Port Royal took on many administrative roles and functioned as an unofficial capital during the beginning of English rule. By the time Port Royal was devastated by anearthquake in 1692, Spanish Town had been rebuilt and was again functioning as the capital. Spanish Town remained the capital until 1872, when the seat of the colony was moved toKingston.
Kingston had been founded in the aftermath of the 1692 earthquake. By 1755, serious rivalry from lobbyists caused increasing speculation about the continued suitability of Spanish Town as the capital. In 1836, GovernorLionel Smith observed that "the capital was in ruins, with no commercial, manufacturing and agricultural concern in operation."[citation needed] To worsen the situation, following theMorant Bay Rebellion of 1865, SirJohn Peter Grant ordered the removal of the capital in 1872 to Kingston. As a larger port, it had come to be considered the natural capital of the island. After the seat of government was relocated, Spanish Town lost much of its economic and cultural vitality.
Built on the west bank of theRio Cobre, the town lies thirteen miles (21 km) from Kingston on the main road. Its history was shaped by two significant colonial periods: Spanish rule from 1534 to 1655 and the English from 1655 to 1872. After that the capital was relocated to Kingston. The Anglican Church took over the 16th century cathedral.
The historic architecture and street names mark the colonial history, such as Red Church and White Church streets, symbolic of the Spanish chapels of the red and white cross, as well as Monk Street, in reference to themonastery that once stood nearby. Nugent and Manchester streets were named for the British Colonial Governors,George Nugent andWilliam Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester. King Street runs past the King's House, the governor's residence, and Constitution Street, near to the Square, refers to the island's former administrative centre.Regency buildings in the town centre include theRodney Memorial flanked by two guns from theFrench ship Ville de Paris (1764),[5] and the façade of the Old King's House, which was the residence of the governor until 1872.
Spanish Town is the site of an earlycast-iron bridge, designed by Thomas Wilson and manufactured by Walker and Company ofRotherham, England. Spanning the Rio Cobre, the bridge was erected in 1801 at a cost of £4,000.[6] Its four arched ribs are supported on massive masonryabutments. After the abutments deteriorated, endangering the structure, it was listed in the1998 World Monuments Watch by theWorld Monuments Fund.[7]
A restoration project began in 2004, with funding provided byAmerican Express throughWorld Monuments Fund.[8] Progress was slow until 2008, when a renewed restoration effort was made. A first phase of restoration was completed in April 2010, when the repair of the abutments allowed the bridge to be reopened for the public.[9] More recently, violence in the area has prevented the bridge from achieving the status of aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[10]
In 2009, the population of Spanish Town was estimated to be about 160,000.[2] The population of Spanish Town, like the rest of the St. Catherine, has been growing rapidly.
It is sometimes referred to colloquially as "Spain" or "Prison Oval" within Jamaica. The latter nickname is a reference to thecricket pitch or oval located just outside the St. Catherine District Prison, where some inmates can get a limited view of the sport through their cell windows. Association football is also played at thePrison Oval;Rivoli United F.C. is the major team.
The town had one of the first Spanish cathedrals to be built in the New World, constructed around 1525. Many Christian denominations have churches or meeting halls in the town, including a Roman Catholic church and Wesleyan, Baptist and Seventh-day Adventist chapels. There is also a mosque.[11]
Standing untouched in character is a historic alms-house, public hospital, and a penal institution built in the eighteenth century. The town contains a factory that manufactures dyes fromlogwood, a salt factory, and a rice processing plant. In the neighbourhood are five large sugar estates, a milk condensary, and a large textile mill.
TheRio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre of theDepartment of Correctional Services, Jamaica is located in Spanish Town.[12]
Spanish Town is on the mainA1 (Kingston toLucea) andA2 (Spanish Town toSavanna-la-Mar) roads.[13] It is well served by buses, mini buses and taxis, which operate from the Spanish Town Transport Hub.
The now disusedSpanish Town railway station formerly provided access to four lines:
The station opened in 1845 and closed in October 1992 when all passenger traffic on Jamaica's railways abruptly ceased.[14]
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