Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Closed 2019

Harmony Hall was a mid-nineteenth century mansion dating from 1886 that was originally the “great house” of a small pimento plantation and later a Methodist rectory. It was acquired in 1980 by Annabella Proudlock who, with a group of friends, spent a year restoring it to its former grandeur before opening it as a commercial gallery specializing in Jamaican arts and crafts. It was declared a national monument by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust in 2003. Annabella Proudlock died in 2015 and Harmony Hall closed in 2019. The house has since reopened as a restaurant and a boutique. The painting is based on an uncredited photograph.

This was a wonderful place to connect to the community, both to the community of native Jamaican artists and that of the foreign artists who made it their home. There was a café serving delicious food and every week there was an opening that served as a real gathering for the community. Auldlyn W. & E.T.W.