J. Wray and Nephew Building, 24 Port Royal Street

There are so many buildings of great character and architectural value in downtown Kingston. Many are rotting away, slowly but surely. I wrote about the beautiful old Wesley Church on Tower Street (which could easily become a concert hall, or maybe even converted to apartments, shops etc). My fellow blogger Susan Goffe is taking a closer look at some great old buildings downtown. I find it hard to believe that there is “no registered title” for this lovely building. J. Wray and Nephew, over to you…?

Right Steps & Poui Trees

If you are walking or driving on Port Royal Street in downtown Kingston, you may notice this old, locked up building that sits between Church Street and Temple Lane.

It is the old J. Wray and Nephew building, at 24 Port Royal Street.

Here it is on Google Maps:

If you stand at the intersection of Port Royal Street and Church Street, looking down towards the harbour, you can see the overhead crosswalk from the Jamaica Conference Centre to the multistorey parking garage.And this is what the building looks like when you are standing across from it on Church Street.An address given in 1975 by then Managing Director of J. Wray and Nephew, Mr. B. E. Latibeaudiere, at the official opening of their new office complex on Spanish Town Road, gives some information about the building on Port Royal Street.

John Wray, a Scottish wheelwright from St Ann…

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