Shaw Park Hotel

The road from Grove leads directly down to the rear of the hotel so this was my main view of it. The dairy where my father worked was the first building from this entrance . It was at the south west corner and about a mile or so from Grove. There were no cows there but the milk from the milk pens was brought here where it was bottled and they made cream and butter and I think ice cream also, The road then winds down through the hotel facilities. First you cross over a bridge and on the left was a Power House for generating electricity for the hotel (That must have been a rarity then). Next came the ice house on the left. It not only made ice but provided clod storage for meats and other provisions for the hotel. Across from it and on the right was the kitchen. There must have been a laundry area too but I cannot recall where it was situated. Once you got pass the kitchen you came to the rear of the main guest area. I recall it as being a two story structure, with white stucco on the outside. My research now tells me that it was the original Great House of a plantation. The guest house faced what is now the Botanical Garden area.

That area was even more beautiful then than it appears today. The main entrance road was lined with these towering palm trees that were surrounded by acres of meticulous manicured lawns. The palm trees were what you would first notice as you entered. The lawn area itself was on two levels. The top was expansive and heavily manicured. On the fringes of the lawn area closest to the hotel were numerous flowers that were always in bloom. On he other side of the garden, away from the hotel was the terraced side that was fenced in by Roth iron fencing. It overlooked the lower garden level, but most memorable was the view. From there one had the most spectacular view of Ocho Rios bay and its surroundings vicinities and a vast look of the expansive Caribbean Sea extending to the horizon.

Steps from this terraced level lead down to the second level. Where there was a pool and the rivers. The pool was made by damming the river so it was free flowing but was deep enough to allow diving as I remembered a diving board being attached. I remembered white wooden lounge chairs surrounding the pool.

While I was growing up the hotel added another wing, a modern brick and mortar structure that contrasted hugely from the other structures. That was a two story building just outside and to the south west side of what is now the Botanical Garden entrance.

The hotel had two Chevrolet station wagons. They were shiny dark green with an embossed wooden façade on the outside (I do not know they were made of wood then or just plastic as they are today). These vehicles were the life blood of the hotel as they were constantly going and coming.

I remembered the holidays at the hotels as especially exciting times. The food was sumptuous and plentiful then. I particularly remembered giant size turkey leg (it must have been America’s Thanksgiving celebration) that seemed half as big as I was then and Christmas and New Year brought more ice cream than you could eat and unusual other goodies.

But more important than the holidays were the people. Some names that I remembered were Mr. Wilmott, he managed the hotel infrastructure and its maintenance; Ms. Pottenger, she had clerical duties but was always particularly nice to me; Mr. Swarez, I think he was one of the drivers; then there was Claude and Mr. Brown and about four or five other milk men, these were the people I most interacted with. The hotel and the Estate were owned by either the Stuarts (Colonel Stuart’ father) or the Pringles. This I am not sure but these were the names of the people with power and influence over the hotel and my father’s (and grand father’s employment) for a lot of years.

While I never enjoyed the amenities of a guest the hotel it played a vital part in my life while growing up at Grove. Foremost, it provided a livelihood for my father and thus the means of existence for us. Secondly, it introduced me to another world and the things associated with that world. But mostly for me today I appreciated the people, the associations and protection that they gave me was a vital part in forming who I am today. I always felt loved at Grove. And it was not just the love of my mother and father or my dog, or because I was an only child, or because I was most times the only child among a bunch of grown-ups, it was more than that. It was a sense of protectiveness and the goodwill you feel from being recognized, liked and protected by everyone, from the lowly milk men to the hotel owners.

Growing up in Grove was a special time and the hotel provided a special nurturing, for even though I was alone most of the time I never felt really alone.