Kingston Parish Church

Kingston Parish Church was erected around 1911 on the foundations of the original church, which was destroyed in the 1907 earthquake.  The present church is similar to its predecessor, though the earlier church did not have a tower.  This clock tower was added after World War 1 in memory of those who had died in the war.  It is said that the clock tower gave rise to the saying that describes true Kingstonians ‘born under the clock’, that is, those born within site of the Church’s clock tower. 

Among the interesting monuments in the church are those to Vice-Admiral John Benbow (1653-1702), an English naval officer based at Port Royal who died in Kingston, and John Wolmer (died 1729), a wealthy Kingston goldsmith who left money in his will to found a school.  The church’s altar is adorned with gifts from many Jamaican families who have lived and served the church in the past, including the statue of St Mary, a gift from the Chinese community and the statue of St Thomas, a gift from the Syrian community.