- Photo by Launtia Cuff --Taken from the Daily Gleaner
Magdala House is located in the heritage district of Black River, St. Elizabeth. The house is of historical and architectural interest.
Magdala House -- the history
Located on High Street, the house was built in the late 19th Century by Thomas Leyden of the Leyden and Farquharson Shipping Company. The building was constructed by Adolphus Williams for Mr. Leyden. Both men were considered two of the richest men in Jamaica at the time.
The two storey house had inside plumbing with running water for the main bathroom and lavatory upstairs. It has concrete foundation walls which are rectangular and rise two to three feet above the ground. Liberal use of fretwork on facias and barge boards give the house an imposing appearance, set on extensive grounds.
Donald Farquharson, who spent most of his boyhood days at Magdala House, wrote the following in 1981:
The two storey house had inside plumbing with running water for the main bathroom and lavatory upstairs. It has concrete foundation walls which are rectangular and rise two to three feet above the ground. Liberal use of fretwork on facias and barge boards give the house an imposing appearance, set on extensive grounds.
Donald Farquharson, who spent most of his boyhood days at Magdala House, wrote the following in 1981:
The staircase was in every way of a fine design and construction but was a constant source of trouble as the Flemish Oak was not impervious to termites and bits from time to time had to be replaced. The arches in the hall were also like the staircase of Flemish Oak. The pressed paper panelling in the dining room was I recall, in the opinion of my family, the epitome of Victorian nouveau riche bad taste!
The dining room had oak flooring. It was a big room with a bow window and no floor board was joined. Each board was cut in England to the exact length required from a length of oak. The verandahs were small and tiled in gaudy Victorian tiles of various mixed shades of brown and yellow. The outer board walls were painted and sanded with white sea sand for preservation."
Magdala House was purchased by the Roman Catholic Church in 1963 and was used as a church and school. Both were later closed and the nuns were sent to Mandeville and Kingston. After that the building was used as an orphanage.
Currently the building is in a sad state of disrepair as shown in the photograph above. According to The Daily Gleaner article, "Funds Needed to Repair Magdala House, March 2, 2013, the building has "creaking floorboards, flaking paint, water damaged ceilings and walls." and the the future of the site is undecided.
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by GSJ Editor, Lena Joy Rose
Check back soon for more posts on historic sites/buildings of interest around Jamaica.
Currently the building is in a sad state of disrepair as shown in the photograph above. According to The Daily Gleaner article, "Funds Needed to Repair Magdala House, March 2, 2013, the building has "creaking floorboards, flaking paint, water damaged ceilings and walls." and the the future of the site is undecided.
______________
by GSJ Editor, Lena Joy Rose
Check back soon for more posts on historic sites/buildings of interest around Jamaica.
