The picturesque Fort Charlotte sits at the western tip of the Lucea Harbour in Hanover.
It provides one of the most spectacular ocean and mountain views in Jamaica spanning as far as Mark Tree, the Dolphin Head Mountain peak in Askenish to the south, and German Hill in Claremont to the east.
The property was built in 1761 by the British for the defence of the north-westerly section of the island, during the reign of King George III of England and was named after his wife Queen Charlotte, who, according to historical records, was the first back Queen of England.
Now owned by the Hanover Municipal Corporation, the Fort has been dubbed as one of Jamaica’s “Best Kept Secrets” and is rated on TripAdvisor, as number 178 of 304 things to do in Jamaica and “a romantic spot for and evening sipping on wine or fishing”.
Across from the fort, at the Lucea Harbour’s eastern tip lies the Grand Palladium hotel which is the largest hotel in the Caribbean.
Built of rectangular cut stone, Fort Charlotte was designed with 23 embrasures (opening in its walls) allowing for the firing of 23 cannons, 20 of which were mounted.
Today, these arches, which open toward the sea, provide gorgeous vistas for those who want to relax with their loved ones, inhale the best air quality in Jamaica and enjoy some health-promoting Hanoverian thalassotherapy.
The remains of the circular base for the rotation of guns, which was erected so that soldiers could shoot from every possible angle, can also be seen at the fort.
The Artillery Store
The Artillery store also stands predominant at Fort Charlotte. Interestingly, rumour has it that many tour operators, not knowing the history of the former military base, oftentimes tell visitors that the ammunition storehouse was a church building.
According to historical records, “during the Napoleonic Wars it was thought that the guns at the fort were insufficient to guard the harbor”. As a consequence, in 1807, “three 24 pounders on traversing carriages were installed on the seaward side of the fort”.
Fort Charlotte’s barracks which built to house 50 West India Regiment soldiers, has been used to house the Rusea’s High School’s Campus II since the early 1900s, after the original school building which was located in the Lucea town centre, was destroyed by fire.
Today very little activity takes place at the historic fort. However it has become the official home of the Jamaica Natural Hair Health and Beauty Festival since 2017 and is a major sightseeing spot for tour bus drivers who make it a trademark stop on their way to and from Negril.
Queen Charlotte
As for Queen Charlotte, after whom the fort and was named, historians say that she was the first Black Queen of England, and by extension the first (and only) Black Queen of Jamaica.
She was of mixed heritage, part-black, part-white. A marked giveaway is her kinky hair, as depicted in paintings done by Scotsman, Allan Ramsay, whom it is said, “chose not to downplay her African features”, one historian wrote.
Queen Charlotte had a passion for vegetables and used very little sugar, so much so that along with her husband King George III, she was mocked for their “restrained eating habits”, historical records from the University of Reading show.
One historian Francisco Antonio Doria of the (Conféderation Internationale de Généalogie et d’Héraldique and the Brazilian College of Genealogists (CBG), noted in 1995 that “Charlotte was descended from the black line due to Alfonso III of Portugal conquering Faro”.
Faro was a small Portuguese town controlled by the Moors in the 13th century, and Alfonso took the African daughter of Faro’s governor – Ouruana, who is later baptised Madalena Gil – as his ”droit de seigneur,” or rite of conquest.
According to Doria, one of their sons, Martin Alfonso, married into the de Sousa family, which is widely accepted among genealogists as a black branch of the Portuguese royal family.
“Where from, this extra Black ancestry of the old Sousa line? Certainly Gomes Echiguez had an African name, or Echigue Gozoys, or Egas Gomes de Sousa, as well as their wives. All clear-cut African names, sure, no doubt. Back then, it was ‘proper’ to take the name of the most powerful family,” the historian noted.
Fort Charlotte Development Proposal
In 2016, a team of Hanoverians led by Clifton native Dale Brown, drafted a plan and drawings for the redevelopment of the fort which included its “preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction and transforming it into revenue-generating tourist attraction”.
The plan which was accepted by the Tourism Enhancement Fund and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) a year later following a site visit which included TEF Chairman Godfrey Dyer, his Executive Director Dr. Carey Wallace, Chairman of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) Ian Dear and his Executive Director Dr. Andrew Spencer.
A maintenance plan also submitted and accepted.
The plan’s vision is to transform Fort Charlotte into a place where local residents and visitors experience history in a safe, peaceful, friendly atmosphere and to create a strong and sustainable year round economy insured through partnerships with local businesses, resort operators and satisfying the employment needs of local residents.
In addition, the mission is to “provide leadership in preserving and restoring Fort Charlotte and create a significant educational, cultural, shopping and entertainment centre, all with the aim to promote an understanding of Jamaican history and heritage to audiences of all ages and interests”.
The proposed redevelopment mix includes the construction of new buildings and the restoration of the fort, with new construction work entailing among other things, a restaurant, retail shops, , fountain, VIP wall monument, gazebos, a guardhouse, entrance/exit gate, perimeter wall, saltwater aquarium, restrooms, landscaping (trees, lawn grass, flowers ), parking Lot, two boardwalks, as well as stone paved driveways and walkways.
In relation to the fort restoration and reconstruction work, this is to include the restoration of cannons, restoration and reconstruction of fort walls, and the armory.
The Committee also required that all new buildings at Fort Charlotte should be designed and built of Georgian Style architecture to give an accurate reflection of the sites historical past.
Georgian architecture is the eponym for the set of architectural styles used in most English-speaking countries, between the years 1714 and 1830 during the reign of the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, George III, and George IV. The four kings reigned in continuous succession from August 1714 to June 1830.
Similar to Devon House’s management structure, the Committee proposes to establish a public-private partnership with the Hanover Municipal Corporation through the creation and incorporation of the Fort Charlotte Development Company, under the laws of Jamaica, which would be put in place to oversee the re-development of the fort and manage its promotion and maintenance as the premier attraction and centre of activity in Lucea.
