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Historic ruins and lighthouse · Portland

Folly Ruins and Folly Point Lighthouse, Port Antonio: a local's guide

By Michael RainfordBorn and raised in JamaicaPrices & hours checked Sources

Unmanaged public site; access unconfirmed. I couldn't confirm it's open right now. Check before you go; the guide below has open alternatives.

On this page
  1. My local take
  2. How to get there
  3. What to expect
  4. Local tips
  5. Before you go
  6. FAQ
  7. Sources

My local take

Every Portland child grows up hearing why the Folly fell down: the builder mixed sea water into the cement, the steel rusted, and his new bride took one look and called the house a folly. It’s a good story. The Tourist Board tells it too, then points out that the walls are still standing more than a hundred years later. What’s documented is plainer. Alfred Mitchell, an American, and his wife Annie Tiffany, heiress to the Tiffany fortune, bought land at Folly Point and built a large winter home there in 1905, modeled on a Roman villa, with 60 rooms and marble floors. Mitchell died in 1911, his widow sold, the Government of Jamaica later took over the property, and the roof fell in in 1936.

What’s left is a roofless concrete shell with columns and empty window frames, set in open grass by the sea, a short walk from the red-and-white Folly Point Lighthouse. Nobody runs it. There’s no gate, no ticket office and no guide on duty, which is part of the charm and part of the problem. The Tourist Board notes it has been the backdrop for many photo shoots and music videos, and that’s the best way to think of it: a stop for photos and a story, not an outing in itself. My take: pair it with a morning at the Blue Lagoon or Frenchman’s Cove.

A word on status: Portland was the parish furthest from Hurricane Melissa’s path, according to the Jamaica Information Service, and the Port Antonio area reopened quickly. I couldn’t find any report since then that speaks to the Folly site itself, so treat access as unconfirmed and ask locally before you set out.

Nearby, the Blue Lagoon and Frenchman’s Cove are a short drive east, and the protected waters the Alligator Head Foundation looks after start at Folly. For more of the parish, see my Portland guide, and for other old sites around the island, my guide to historical sites in Jamaica.

How to get there

Folly Point is the peninsula on the east side of East Harbour, just across the water from downtown Port Antonio. From town, head east and take the turn toward Folly Point; the last stretch is a rough track, so go slowly if you’re driving a small car. The Tourist Board’s Port Antonio cruise page puts the ruins about five minutes’ drive from the cruise pier, and its Port Antonio walking route runs roughly 2.5 kilometers from Musgrave Market in town to Folly Point Lighthouse, so fit walkers can do it on foot.

From Kingston, allow roughly two and a half to three hours, over the hills or along the coast through St Thomas. From Ocho Rios, allow about two and a half hours along the north coast through Annotto Bay and Buff Bay. These are estimates, not timed routes. From Montego Bay it’s a very long day, so most people see the Folly as part of a stay in Portland.

Without a car: From Kingston, JUTC's Route 710 runs to Port Antonio through St Thomas, Monday to Saturday. From downtown Port Antonio you can walk to Folly Point (see Getting there) or take a licensed JUTA taxi and agree the price and waiting time first.

What to expect

The mansion is a shell: concrete walls, columns, arches and open window frames, with no roof and no floors upstairs. You walk around it on open grass. There are no facilities at the ruins, no restrooms, no food and no shade apart from the trees, and no signs telling the story, so it helps to know it before you go. Parts of the structure have been fenced off over the years for safety.

Folly Point Lighthouse stands at the tip of the point. A notice in the London Gazette records that its light was first shown on March 1, 1888, and the Port Authority of Jamaica keeps it today as a working, solar-powered light. Published lighthouse records say visitors can walk the grounds but can’t go up the tower. Just offshore is Monkey Island, where, the Tourist Board says, Mitchell kept the animals that gave it its name.

Navy Island. From the point and from the town’s waterfront you look across at Navy Island, the wooded island that splits Port Antonio’s two harbors. The Port Authority of Jamaica bought the island in 2002 and spent about US$2.7 million there by 2007 on plans that included a hotel, but the Observer reported years later that it was still in ruin and closed, used only by fishermen and farmers. The Tourism Minister said in mid-2023 that plans were afoot to make Navy Island part of Portland’s tourism offer, with details to come later.

As for getting there: I couldn’t find any official ferry, tour or landing arrangement for Navy Island today. The island is government land and uninhabited. Guidebooks say landing isn’t really possible and suggest a boat trip around it instead, with a local fisherman or boat operator from the waterfront. If you do that, agree the price, the route and the time before you get in, and make sure there are life jackets on board.

Local tips

  • Go in the morning or late afternoon, when the light on the columns is best for photos and the sun is less fierce.

  • Go with a licensed driver or guide from town who knows the place.

  • Bring water and wear proper shoes. The track and the grass around the ruins can be rough and muddy after rain.

  • Leave nothing in sight in a parked car, and don’t leave bags on the grass while you take photos.

Before you go

  • It’s isolated, and guidebooks have warned about muggings at the ruins in the past. Don’t go alone, and don’t go after dark.
  • The ruins are unstable concrete. Stay out of fenced areas and keep children off the walls.
  • The last part of the way in is a rough track, so it isn’t suitable for wheelchairs.

Questions people ask

Why is it called Folly Mansion?

Local legend says the builder used sea water in the cement, the house crumbled, and his bride called it a folly. The Tourist Board tells the story but notes the walls still stand more than a century later. What is documented is that the owner died in 1911, the house was later sold, and the roof fell in in 1936.

Who built the Folly in Port Antonio?

Alfred Mitchell and his wife Annie Tiffany, heiress to the Tiffany fortune, bought land at Folly Point and built the house in 1905, according to the Jamaica Tourist Board. It was modeled on a Roman villa and had 60 rooms. The Government of Jamaica later acquired the property.

Is the Folly free to visit?

No official body charges entry or sets hours; the ruins are an unmanaged site. Access is unconfirmed, so ask locally before you go, and go in daylight with company.

Can you climb Folly Point Lighthouse?

Published lighthouse records say visitors can walk the grounds but not go up the tower. It is a working light kept by the Port Authority of Jamaica, first lit in 1888.

Can you visit Navy Island?

There’s no official ferry or tour to the island that I could confirm. It is uninhabited government land, the Observer has reported it closed, and guidebooks suggest seeing it from a boat trip around it instead. Plans to bring it into Portland’s tourism offer were announced in 2023, with no details published since that I could find.

Sources & updates

Update log

  • — New researched guide; history, status and access checked; Navy Island section added.
  • — Moved source citations out of the text
  • — Removed repeated advice
  • — Trimmed hurricane references to where they change the advice

Spotted something out of date? Tell me and I’ll check it.