Hope Aqueduct

The Hope Estate was named after its first owner, Major Richard Hope – one of the officers in Cromwell’s army that took Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655. Later, the property fell into the hands of Roger Elletson, whose family owned it for some time. In 1752, a private bill was passed “to enable Thomas Hope Elletson, Esquire to take sufficient quantity of water for turning mills for grinding sugar, out of the Hope River.” Work commenced on this soon after the passing of the bill. Near the end of the aqueduct is a plaque inscribed: Hope Aqueduct A.D. 1758

The brick structure, which is really a channel supported by columns with arches between them, runs north to south and is still used today by the Water Commission. The Hope Aqueduct was declared a national monument by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust on January 6, 2005.