SCOTS KIRK

43a Duke Street

The historic Presbyterian St. Andrew Scots Kirk, is a National Monument. Originally constructed to a design by James Delaney, it was the main Presbyterian Church in Jamaica and was known as “the backra church” as the congregation consisted mainly of white Scottish residents of Kingston. It is octagonal in shape with a gallery that runs all around, surrounded by a dozen Corinthians pillars which also support the roof. The Church was opened for public worship on April 4, 1819.

In 1853, Scots Kirk’s Rev John Radcliffe opened the Collegiate School for boys, which became a well-respected school until its closure in 1902 on the death of its second principal, William Morrison.
Scots Kirk was destroyed in the 1907 earthquake, but subsequently rebuilt to the original design, but seven feet shorter. In 1939 the nearby St. Andrew Kirk collapsed and the congregations of the two churches joined to form the St. Andrew Scots Kirk. The church is home to the renowned choral group, the St. Andrew Singers.

BITU

98-100 Duke Street

The Bustamante Industrial Trade Union, a multi-sector union formed in 1938, has been located at 98-100 Duke Street since at least 1952 when the Gleaner newspaper carried a call for members to attend a meeting at the BITU Hall there. Previously, as early as 1939 the registered office was 61 ½ Duke Street. The BITU was founded in 1938, in a split with the Jamaica Workers & Tradesmen’s Union.

GORDON HOUSE

81 Duke Street

Gordon House, named in honour of Jamaican National Hero George William Gordon, is the official seat of Jamaica’s Parliament. The building was inaugurated for this purpose in 1960, two years before Jamaica became an independent country.

MORAVIAN CHURCH

The Church of the Redeemer, at the corner of Duke Street and North Street is the oldest Moravian Church building in the city of Kingston. An older church building on Hanover Street was destroyed in the 1907 earthquake and fire. The Church of the Redeemer was opened in 1918. Lady Gladys Bustamante wrote in her memoir that she was attending this church when she first met her future husband.