Login/RegisterMy Jamaica Island Newsletter

What To DoAttractions
Overview | Beaches | Culture | Historic Sites | Marketplaces | Natural Wonders | Waterfalls
Print Share
Send to friend
Want to share this page with a friend? It's easy. Just fill in the *required fields below.

*Friend's name:
*Friend's e-mail:
*Your name:
*Your e-mail:
Message:
Castleton
Add to my Jamaica

City: Castleton

History
Some 20 kilometres north of Kingston lies the small village of Castleton, known for its most famous attribute, the Castleton Botanical Gardens. The gardens at Castleton were established in 1862 to facilitate the relocation of the Bath Botanical Gardens, making it one of the oldest public botanical gardens in the western hemisphere. In just a few years after the move, the gardens at Castleton were the most richly stocked in the Caribbean, boasting over 180 species of palm and at least 400 specimens of other flora. The garden occupies approximately 10 hectares of land in the cool, verdant hills of St Mary. It is divided by the main road to Junction with another end adjacent to a rocky river bed where women from the village can sometimes be seen washing clothes in the small seasonal stream. Many of the trees and plants introduced to Jamaica were first planted here, most notably the Bombay mango, navel orange and tangerine. Other important exotic trees, palms and shrubs in the garden today include: Cestrum Nocturnum (Night Jasmine), Spathodea Campanulata (Flame of the Forest), Litchi Chinensis (Chinese Guinep) and Sanchezia Nobilis (Hummingbird Fountain). The 15-acre gardens are open to the public, and Castleton is a popular picnic spot for Kingstonians eager for a break from the city. The Wag Water River flows through Castleton parallel to the botanical gardens, adding to the serenity and pristine beauty of the area.
Famous For
Castleton Botanical Gardens, ideal location for a day's outing and picnics. Be sure to stop to look at the more than 25 varieties of palm trees, some of which are over 100 years old!

 
Travel Agent Locator
  

Did you know?

Postage Stamps: British stamps were first used in the colonies of Jamaica on May 8, 1858. Jamaica gained its own stamps in 1860 with values having different colours from one – six pence and one shilling which bore the head of Queen Victoria, the reigning monarch. There was also the introduction of the half-penny stamp (stamp cut diagonally). The first pictorial stamp was in1900, unpopular at first, then reissued in black and red the next year.
 
+ Contact Us    + Site Map    + Terms of Use    + Privacy Policy    + Press Room    + JTB Information Portal   
+ VisitJamaica.com    Copyright© 2011 by the JTB