The oldest building in the Cayman Islands: a 1780 stone great house on a bluff above the sea, where the decision to create an elected assembly was made in 1831.
Islanders call it the Castle: three storeys of quarried stone and mahogany verandas that have survived hurricanes, fires and two centuries of salt air. Built by slave labour in 1780 for the Eden family, it is the islands\u2019 oldest standing structure and their most important historic site.
In 1831 a meeting here resolved to create an elected assembly, the beginning of Caymanian democracy. Four years later, the proclamation ending slavery in the islands was read from these steps. The multimedia theatre tells both stories properly before you walk the rooms yourself.
The grounds are half the reward: manicured gardens running to a limestone bluff over the Caribbean, with the crashing ironshore below. Pair it with Spotts Beach five minutes away for a turtle snorkel, or the Bodden Town heritage trail continuing east.
It is the oldest building in the Cayman Islands and the birthplace of Caymanian democracy: the 1831 decision to form an elected assembly was made here.
About two hours covers the multimedia presentation, the house and the clifftop grounds. Combine it with Spotts Beach for a full half day.
Ready-made George Town shore plans with honest timings, everything walkable from the tender.