A Storied Hill: The History of Richmond Hill

The Richmond Hill Club is situated on an historic site, immediately beside the Caribbean's tourism capital, Montego Bay. The pavilion towers two hundred and fifty feet above sea level and has hosted guests and residents in a storied heritage stretching back to the 18th century.

The Dewar family

Richmond Hill was once home to the Dewar family, purveyors of the scotch whisky and residents of a grand estate on Coke Avenue. Their eye for timeless elegance led the family from Glasgow, Scotland to one of the finest lookout points in the trading mecca of Montego Bay. The family would later envision Dewar's oak cask, double-aged whisky, in 1846: a Scotch that stands alone in its class.

The Richmond Hill Inn

In the 20th century the Hill again became the island home of a family of tastemakers. At the advent of international tourism, Stephanie Chin curated the luxurious retreat known as The Richmond Hill Inn. World travellers gathered to watch the sun set on the Caribbean Sea and dine on Mrs Chin's famed marlin and curried lobster, caught on deep-sea fishing journeys from the bay. The great house was filled with the collections of the family, and mid-century travellers enjoyed an experience of complete Jamaican hospitality.

An artist's hill

Amongst Jamaica's most celebrated fine artists, Barrington Watson, CD, frequented Richmond Hill. Watson was one of a set of artists, musicians and chefs who crafted a cultural moment atop the hill. The hill became his studio, and beneath the arches of the Inn the elder Watson would reside and contemplate masterpieces. For his contribution to Jamaica's art history, Watson was awarded the Order of Distinction, the Order of Jamaica and, in 2000, the Musgrave Medal.

The next chapter

As the hubbub of artists, actors and politicians faded, the pavilion remained a lookout spot atop the hill for generations of travellers who found a constant view of the horizon. It was there that the development team first met with the proprietors of the land, once again looking out at the expansive bay and envisioning the dawn of the next chapter of life at Richmond Hill.

The Richmond Hill Club is the culmination of stories from the hillside: a residence at the heart of Jamaica's fine-art history, inspired by a past of global travellers who found stay in the horizon over the bay. The Club at Richmond Hill is a community of peerless hillside homes with uninterrupted views across the Caribbean Sea.