The building style of the great house has been dubbed ‘Jamaican-Georgian’ with its formal symmetrical lines. This Georgian style was adapted from those picturesque English homes of old, popular in the eighteenth century and probably got its name as a derivative of the epoch when four kings name George reigned supreme. Devon House however has slight deviation to accommodate our lovely tropical climate which allows for not only breezy ventilation on a sunny day, but adequate lighting. To date, the popularity of the Jamaican-Georgian style of architecture has been utilised in all types of buildings from public offices to regular humble dwellings. A single stairway leads upstairs and the ornate woodwork bears fancy jalousie panels and intricate carvings, befitting the home of a man of means. The home has had a few private owners before ending up in the protection of the government and English architect Tom Concannon undertook the restoration and instilled a semblance of what life was like in a Jamaican great house. Today there are many of the original features dating back to its 1880s era, including an impressive ballroom that has an ornate English chandelier, and the ceiling of the mansion done in the impressive Wedgwood fashion. The house is furnished with an eclectic fusion of Jamaican, Caribbean, English and French antiques plus a few reproductions, reminiscent of our ‘out of many, one people’ motto. Now dressed with offices, kiosks and courtyard shops added on over time for visitors’ convenience, the original home plan consisted of east and west verandah and porches on the ground floor, as well as dining room, living room, main entrance hall and gentlemen game room, which means that Stiebel may have been one to entertain frequently. The upper chambers were definitively the family’s domain and held dressing areas, ladies’ sewing room, young ladies room, bath, master bedroom, Chippendale study and sitting room. The church had a significant role to play with the history of Devon Penn, as in their effort to introduce religion to the people of Jamaica, the British government brought down ministers attached to the Anglican Church. The ‘glebe’ or land attached to the parish church of St. Andrew was assigned to Reverend John Zellers in May 1667, some 600 acres of prime real estate. The glebe land stretched from the site of the St. Andrew Parish Church, north to Sandy Gully, encompassing Old Church Road and including the grounds of the present Kings House. To the south it bordered Trafalgar Penn, now occupied by the British High Commission. During his tenure, Zellers ordered the construction of a church. Years later, a rectory was constructed on lands now believed to be part of the foundation of Devon House, thus a few historians believe the history of the Devon House surroundings began before George built his dream home in 1881. George may have incorporated brick work and external walls that were present before he sought to build the magnificent structure we know and love today.
Partial sources: devonhousejamaica & The National Library of Jamaica.