Mount Plenty Great House

Parish: St. Ann

Mount Plenty property was purchased in 1980 by the Hon. Maurice William Facey.

Mount Plenty was for a long time the home of the Custos of St. Ann, Honourable John Hiatt, who was born in 1722. He was 98 years of age when he died, and was buried at Mount Plenty. The probate inventoire for John Hiatt of Mount Plenty is available at the Jamaica Archives. Much Later, Mount Plenty was owned by St. Thomas Roxborough, and finally Pat and Bernard Cooke. It was the Cookes who renovated the building and added a car port.

The property was famous for the breeding of horses. The tradition of breeding fine thoroughbred horses for racing continues to this day as well as crossed Arabian/Thoroughbred polo ponies and quality beef cattle. Orchids and other tropical flowers are grown for export.

Mount Plenty Great House is a three storey building. The lower level forms a basement made from cut stone which elevates the wooden portion off the ground. This cut stone foundation is the wooden framed main level.

The level is clad with wood shingles on the low portion of the walls, with a series of louvre panels, sash windows, and small portions of walls taking up the rest of the wall space. The third level is the attic that has within it a sweeping cedar shingle hip roof. Additional habitable space is created using large dormer windows.

On the western side of the building a pedimented portico projects from the hip roof to form the verandah for the main entrance. Unlike most vernacular type buildings in Jamaica, there is none of the typical wrap around type verandahs. This would suggest that this building was designed and built closer to the Georgian age before the style had been adapted to the tropical climate.

Mount Plenty Great House is a private property