Devon House Families

Throughout its 130+year history, Devon House has captured the imagination of Jamaicans ever since it was built in 1881 by Jamaica’s first black millionaire George Stiebel. It is a history that has been colourful, at times shrouded in mystery, tragic and controversial. The story of this `house of dreams’ is being fully told for the first time in this book by Enid Shields through the lives of the families who owned and lived in Devon House. The author’s easy, almost `gossipy style’ of writing brings the families and Devon House vividly to life while preserving the accuracy and authenticity of the story. Winner of an American Express 1990 Historic Preservation Award, Devon House is today the centre of social life in Kingston. Its restaurants, numerous craft, ice-cream and pastry shops and flower pavilions make it a popular venue for tourist outings, family reunions and wedding parties.