Port Royal: From Pirate City to Sleepy Village

Let’s talk about the Wickedest City of the West during her glory days, shall we? Nowadays, Port Royal is a sleepy fishing village located fifteen minutes away from Kingston’s international airport. There are still tourists who believe that Port Royal is a fictional place even after watching Pirates of the Caribbean. This article covers the rise and fall of Port Royal, how to plan a visit to the present-day town, the Giddy House and Fort Charles Maritime Museum. If you’re staying in another end of the island besides Kingston, consider booking a tour through Get Your Guide (includes transport).

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How to Find Port Royal

Welcome to the community of Port Royal

If you’re taking the bus, the one to get from North Parade in Downtown is JUTC route 98 and you’re getting off at the final stop. Driving to Port Royal is easy via car as well– just follow GPS. The Fort Charles museum tour is available every day from 9am–5pm at a cost of US$15 and $8 for foreigners and JA$1500 and $1000 for locals, adult and child prices respectively, as of 2023. Local adults are required to present a valid local ID. Discounts are available for local primary and secondary school children as well as teachers and tertiary students with ID. Guided tours of the town are also available at an additional cost. Pay at a small booth to the left of the entrance then you’ll be gestured to these white buildings pictured below to begin. Walk-ins are welcome and in fact, if you prefer wandering the fort without a guide, that’s allowed too!

The Fort Charles museum (entrance on the other side)

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How Port Royal Went From World’s Wickedest City to a Sleepy Fishing Village

After centuries of being buried underwater, you’d never guess what’s this Taino artifact! Hint: it’s a common kitchen tool

Port Royal’s history dates back to the island’s earliest inhabitants, the Tainos, who used this area which they called Caguaya as a fishing port. When the Spanish took ownership of Jamaica, Port Royal was used as a harbour and for repairing sea vessels. However, the town came to notoriety when the British captured the island from the Spanish in 1655. The British realized the strategic relevance of Port Royal and quickly went about setting up fortifications to prevent invasion by other European powers. For the rest of the 17th century, Port Royal was Jamaica’s unofficial capital and home to the real pirates of the Caribbean. One in every four buildings was said to be a bar or brothel where the buccaneers would spend their spoils on wine and women. Piracy was a lucrative business, so much so that Port Royal was not only the wickedest city but also the richest city of the western world. Its location along the Kingston Harbour, the world’s seventh deepest natural harbour, made it a good commercial centre as well where merchants traded slaves, sugar and logwood.

The watch which stopped at 11:43am, allowing historians to know the time of the 1692 quake

As it grew richer, Port Royal’s notoriety for excess and debauchery grew, earning it the name ‘Sodom of the New World.’ Thus, when a massive earthquake and tsunami struck on  June 7, 1692 which sunk most of the city underwater and killed approximately 2,000 people, the local clergy described the catastrophe as God’s punishment. Subsequent disease outbreaks claimed an estimated 2,000 additional lives in the ensuing months. Attempts at rebuilding the city were met with fires, hurricanes and another earthquake in 1907. Hence, Port Royal’s popularity gradually faded.

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Present-Day Port Royal

Fort Charles, Port Royal

Much of the city is preserved a few metres under water, along with several hundred sunken ships. The sunken city of Port Royal is one of the world’s most important underwater sites, earning it a place on Jamaica’s UNESCO World Heritage Site’s tentative list for inscription alongside the Seville Heritage Park. Exciting work to make this dream a reality is underway through local stakeholders with overseas expert input. On land, Port Royal is a sleepy fishing village today which has maintained much of its beauty, heritage and independence. Its residents are very proud and welcoming of tourists. The community is small, laid-back, close-knit and untouched by crime.

Fort Charles

A model of Fort Charles

The Port Royal tour starts at the Fort Charles Maritime Museum. My informed and jovial guide Jahmawni did a superb job of bringing the tour and colourful past of his community to life. Fort Charles is Jamaica’s oldest fort, constructed in 1656. It was originally named Fort Cromwell but got renamed in 1662 to honour King of England Charles II. When built, the fort was almost completely surrounded by water, but the area around it eventually silted up. This fort was one of six built to guard the Kingston Harbour but was the only one to survive the 1692 earthquake. Damaged, it was reconstructed in 1699 by Colonel Christian Lilly, chief engineer of Jamaica.

The cannonballs and explosives used at Fort Charles

Museum display of unearthed artifacts

British naval weapons

Old syringes & needles for treating venereal disease

Strong brick walls which outlasted the 1692 quake

Overlooking the fort

Beautiful cacti complimenting the Fort

Another look at the cannons

Upstairs Fort Charles

Look at how peaceful Fort Charles is today

Another look at Fort Charles

Fort Charles, Port Royal

Fort Charles’s cannons

Shady seats under the guango tree

Massive guango tree which has been around for over 200 years

Sign showing the point from which Jamaica’s lines of latitude & longitude were calculated

Entrance to Fort Charles’ battery, the storehouse for heavy artillery

Artillery from the battery

Two Fort Charles’ cannons

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The Giddy House at Port Royal

Tree-lined walk to the Giddy House

Built in 1888 to store Fort Charles’ artillery, this ordinary building was jolted to its present precarious position during the 1907 earthquake. The limestone incorporated into its structure makes it porous and semi-permeable, letting in and filtering sea water to create a tiny freshwater pool in the corner. The building wreaks havoc on the senses, but is it really a trip to Port Royal without speed-walking through the Giddy House? Ask someone to take a photo of you from the side– I assure you I haven’t edited the photo & was standing perfectly upright, or at least trying to.

The Giddy House lean which inspired Michael Jackson to create the Smooth Criminal after his visit

The Giddy House

The Giddy House

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Other Noteworthy Port Royal Landmarks

These places weren’t included in my Fort Charles tour but I explored them on my own.

St. Peter’s Anglican Church

St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Port Royal

The original church was destroyed by the 1692 earthquake, rebuilt shortly after then destroyed again by fire in 1703. A plaque outside the church records that it was rebuilt between 1725-1726 and since then has undergone much restoration. Its walls are now cement-covered, hiding the original brick wall, but the original black and white tiles can still be seen inside the aisles of the Church.

St. Peter’s Church bells

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The Old Naval Cemetery

The Old Naval Cemetery, Port Royal

This cemetery serves as the final resting place for soldiers and sailors who died during the 1800s and prior at Port Royal, many of yellow fever. Some Port Royal residents say it’s haunted but I only saw a peaceful expanse with somber crosses, tombstones and epitaphs.

Entrance to the Old Naval Cemetery

Inside the Old Naval Cemetery

Another view of inside the cemetery

The Plumb Point Lighthouse

The Plumb Point Lighthouse, Port Royal

Constructed in 1853, the Plumb Point Lighthouse is still active & stands on the Palisadoes peninsula near the entrance of the Kingston Harbour. The tower stands at 70 feet (21m) tall & is built of stone and cast iron. It flashes a brief white light every 8 seconds and is visible as far as 25 miles away at night.

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Wrap Up

Elle overlooking the Fort

Present-day Port Royal bears no similarity to its 17th century reputation. This is great considering that Port Royal is now a popular field trip spot for schoolchildren. Nonetheless, its history is very exciting and what remains of the town today is definitely worth a look. Check out the Jamaican travel blogger who inspired my visit: The Swiss Freis.

‘Til next time! ✌🏽

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