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So many of our historical buildings lie in varying states of disrepair, ruin and neglect, that it is not hard to realise that there are only three Great Houses that have survived the passage of time. These existing monuments to our past are Mt. Helicon, Dougaldston House and the Plantation House.
These Great Houses, as their name suggests, were all large in size and elaborate in design and decor. But did you know that a Great House is different from a Plantation House or Estate House?
Great Houses were the grandiose homes of the European slave owners and their families during the sugarcane and slavery days of the 17th and 18th century.
Did you also know that there were no such houses built in Grenada after 1834?
Any house built after this time was either a Plantation or Estate house.
And have you ever wondered about the location of these Great Houses?
Mt. Helicon, Douglaston, The Plantation, The Ruins at Beausejour, Grenvillevale, Woodford, Mt. Nesbit, and Belvidere, are all located on the top of a hill. This vantage point afforded the owners a panoramic view of their property, allowing them to keep an eye on various parts of their plantations at the same time.
The Great Houses were basically off limits to all slaves except the house workers, but the French owners were known to handpick a select few to entertain their house guests. With painted faces, masks, costumes and music, these slaves entertained their masters and his guests. This revelry would become a custom for the slaves after emancipation, and eventually a part of Carnival which we know today - the Pierrot Grenade or Grenadian clown.
As was mentioned earlier, there are many Great House ruins in Grenada but what caused their demise? Well, we have heard much about Julien Fedon, who was a free coloured estate owner. During Fedon’s rebellion of 1795, he sought to free the slaves of Grenada from their white masters, and with the help of his sympathisers, burnt many of the Houses and plantations to the ground. After the eventual emancipation of the slaves, there also was a spate of wide-spread destruction by arson, to many of the remaining Great Houses by the newly freed slaves.
Mt. Helicon Great House however, is one of the few to have withstood the passage of time. Though no one knew its date of construction, there are records dating back as far as 150 years ago. Situated just 300 feet outside the northern gates of our Governor General’s residence, it is a magnificent example of our history. Approximately 2,000 square feet in size, Mt. Helicon has retained a lot of its original structure of solid stone work and beautiful, hand cut, wooden craftsmanship. Alas, such art is almost impossible to duplicate nowadays.
written & provided by CONCEPTS Marketing
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