Dream House | Coastal Belmont Castle a modern-day Jamaican architectural marvel

Very few ‘out of this world’ dwellings have achieved the exalted status of being judged ‘the most beautiful house in the world!’. The imposing Dracula Palace, which actually exists in Transylvania, Romania, reputed as the one-time home of the terrifying vampire Count Dracula, of legendary and fictional fame, tops the list, according to many.

But aesthetics in architecture, as in all forms of artistic expression, is highly subjective to each viewer, as we all perceive and appreciate beauty differently. This place today, here in Belmont, Westmoreland, is a stunner for your eyes to behold, just within the realm of possibility of being the most beautiful property on the island. But, my friends, you be the judge.

The coastal, stone-built castle, heavily fortified by sea walls, stands defensively against attack from the invading forces of strong wave action and the threat of storms and hurricanes; with added protection and privacy from 10 feet high, roadside, rock border walls. True to original castle form, it incorporates battlements all around (low walls at top of building with spaces in between for guns and arrows to be fired in historical times); along with its own tower.

We hurriedly escape inside to satisfy our deepest desires in romanticised, uninhabited spaces that extol all the virtues of living in a modern-day castle. A rapturous welcome receives us in five bedtime rooms that keep a constant watch of the sea through arched window openings; along with five bizarre bathrooms built of glass blocks and stone walls; and skylit showers bathing the immediate area in sunlight. One hundred-year-old antique furniture graces the dynamic interaction of sleeping, living, an dining zones, leading out to porches of relaxation. An outdoor kitchen and a bar, under a thatched roof, faces an elaborate man-made waterfall that thrills as it spills at seafront. Simply awe-inspiring!

Our hosts for the day are Lori, a designer and creative director, and her hubby, Philip Walker, with a career in landscape construction and horticultural maintenance. The construction of the stronghold challenged their creative energies. Philip journeyed to Jamaica on a vacation 30 years ago for three days, but youth and the thrill of adventure had him staying for a month and a half. He became hooked on the island, and one day he would unite in wedlock at a church in Black River, deepening the love affair between himself and the mystique of our tropical paradise.

Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barryrattray1@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.