Mona, Kingston

History

 

In the shadow of the John Crow Mountains that mark the northern boundary of Kingston’s corporate area is the community of Mona, a generally quiet suburban neighbourhood with wide, tree-lined streets. The area is named for the expansive Mona Sugar estate, which once held stone aqueducts that supplied water to plantations and later to the city of Kingston. The Mona Reservoir has since replaced the old aqueduct system and today is a main source of water for the Kingston metropolitan region. The reservoir is a popular venue for the heath conscious, who usually congregate at sunrise and sunset to run, walk or jog the 1.7 miles around its perimetres. Within the environs of Mona are two of the region’s largest and most prestigious tertiary institutions – the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Technology. As a result, the area is culturally diverse, hosting students and faculty who hail from all over the Caribbean and beyond.

 

Famous For

 

The University of Technology (formerly CAST – the College of Arts, Sciences and Technology) offers the Caribbean’s premier architecture and hospitality training programmes, and houses Kingston’s largest sculpture garden. The UWI Mona campus is a rather picturesque one, featuring modern halls and buildings interspersed with the relics of stone aqueducts. UWI (pronounced you-wee by students) also always has an interesting lecture, conference, theatrical production or dance scheduled, most of which are open to the general public.

 

Don't Miss

 

On the Mona Campus of UWI is the University Chapel with its gardens. The stone blocks used in the construction of the University Chapel originally formed an old great house in the parish of Trelawny. When the once stately mansion was abandoned and began to crumble, the remaining blocks were painstakingly removed and carted to Kingston where they were reassembled on the campus. This feat was undertaken at the request of the then chancellor of the University, Princess Alice, aunt of Queen Elizabeth II. For many Kingstonians without any connection to UWI, the chapel is a popular place for weddings, as the bold architecture set against the cool multicoloured mountains makes for a very romantic, almost fairy-tale backdrop.