Dream House | Secluded five-acre estate offers solitude and solace

Point Nemo is a spot in the vast Pacific Ocean whose geographic coordinates make it the most remote location on earth. Positioned in the middle of nowhere, it’s authoritatively called “the oceanic pole of inaccessibility!”

Tristan da Cunha, a tiny island in the south Atlantic Ocean, is known as the most isolated point in the entire world inhabited by humans, with a population of 260 people.

This week’s unknown house is not as far removed from the rest of the world as these places mentioned above, but it’s worlds apart from your typical dream house, where you become lost in an unparalleled setting that seems almost unreal.

Search in earnest, and you will come to realise it is near impossible to find this address of mystery, completely hidden away from public scrutiny for 79 years. A dense forest surrounds it on a five-acre estate with 500 feet of seashore frontage. A part of the actual house fearlessly stands right in the azure waters, creating an interconnectivity of domestic architecture and water in their colossal glory – as you have never seen before!

Come, my friends, our exploration takes us by the spring water pool and the natural, clear seawater swimming area. There is a boat jetty and an elevated wood cottage accommodating the fully equipped gym.

Relax or be entertained on the multiple, extensive porches, wrap-around verandahs, sundecks, balconies and fountain courtyard garden at various levels.

The adventure continues unabated on the inside with six air-conditioned, ceiling fan-cooled bedrooms with their bathrooms. There are separate formal living and dining rooms and an island kitchen showing off chef-grade appliances. All these rooms offer various infinite, fabulous views that leave you dumbstruck from sunrise to sunset.

The 6,000 square foot residence is finished to high standards, with wood shingle roofs, hardwood and ceramic tile floors. Furnishing is classy with English antique pieces of the highest quality workmanship, along with one-of-a-kind hand-painted artworks.

The building was initially constructed back in 1942 for Arthur and Nora Jackson, with the architect being the same one who conceived the Tower Isle Hotel, now renamed Couples Tower Isle. Arthur was the owner of the renowned Bowden Estates Ltd in St Thomas.

In 2001, Alexander Jackson and his wife Amy purchased the property, updating and transforming it. Alexander is a demolition contractor based in the United States, famed nationwide as an industry leader.

This dream house at the centre of solitude and solace refreshes as it heals mind, body and soul with its seclusion, and yet astonishingly, in our very midst unseen and unheard of – until now! Just one mile east of downtown Ocho Rios, alone in a crowd.

Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barry-rattray@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.