51 KÚYAboard that manages the trust and property,
comprising former friends including Joe Matalon
and The Honourable P.J. Patterson, ON, PC, QC
will oversee the preservation of the estate and
it’s use as Barrington wished as a centre for the
arts, comprising a mixture of archival resource,
exhibition, education and recreation in St Thomas.
Orange Park is located just under an hour from
the town of Yallahs, St Thomas was a productive
parish during the plantation economy, and the
site of major turning points in Jamaican and British
colonial history, such as the Morant Bay Rebellion
(staged in the parish capital). The parish is also the
birthplace of one of Jamaica’s first named national
heroes Paul Bogle. Yet despite it’s rich history, St
Thomas is still the poorest parish of Jamaica.The planned development of the estate into
an arts attraction and restaurant is expected to
take over three phases and is hoped will provide
an economic boost to this under-developed
part of the island attracting the Kingston elite,
tourists, and offering a new form of recreation for
locals themselves. The plans include a seasonal
programme of concerts, art exhibitions, culinary
events in the courtyard restaurant and of course,
a well-curated archival display of Barrington’s life
and work.Barrington’s legacy as an artist is undisputed. His
masterful style is used as a point of reference in
the canon of Jamaican art and his works remain
a prized trophy amongst art collectors. The
retrospective granted to him by the National
Gallery in 2012 was organised thematically in
order to more adequately represent “an artist of
great consistency of thought and idea.” As an artist
whose work can be characterised in this sense, it
is this concern and care with history and heritage
that can be felt in the detail of Orange Park, a site
that is poised to provide a welcome cultural oasis
in an under-appreciated and history rich parish. ∆The master bedroom