Police Station

Montego Bay & Northwest Coast


The oddly cute historic police station was constructed in 1814. The prison here once contained a treadmill: a huge wooden cylinder with steps on the outside. Shackled above the mill, slaves had to keep treading the steps as the cylinder turned. If they faltered, the revolving steps battered their bodies and legs. The ancient lockups are still in use and the station is not open to visitors.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Montego Bay & Northwest Coast attractions

1. Fort Balcarres

0.16 MILES

Hidden behind the primary school are the ruins of Fort Balcarres, built in 1811 to defend the harbour. A couple of cannons are left standing, as well as…

2. St Peter’s Anglican Church

0.21 MILES

The oldest extant building in town (and the parish's oldest church) is St Peter’s Anglican Church, built in 1796 and topped with a tower in 1842. It lies…

3. Barrett House

0.25 MILES

At the top of Market St, opposite Scotiabank, is the ruin of Barrett House, missing its top floor. Built in 1799, it's hard to believe now that this used…

4. Baptist Manse

0.27 MILES

The restored Baptist Manse (not open to visitors), dating back to 1798, was formerly the residence of nonconformist Baptist preacher William Knibb, who…

5. Jewish Cemetery

0.27 MILES

Established in the early 19th century, Falmouth's Jewish cemetery lay abandoned in recent decades before being restored, and contains the graves of the…

6. William Knibb Baptist Memorial Church

0.3 MILES

On July 31, 1838, slaves gathered outside this church for an all-night vigil, awaiting midnight and then the dawn of full freedom (to quote the emancipist…

7. Courthouse

0.31 MILES

One block east of Water Sq is Seaboard St and the grandiose, yellow Georgian courthouse in Palladian style, fronted by a double curling staircase and…

8. Water Square

0.34 MILES

The best place to orient yourself is Water Sq, at the east end of Duke St. Named for an old circular stone reservoir dating from 1798, the square …

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "jamaica/falmouth/attractions/police-station/a/poi-sig/1417832/1314546",
      "destination": "Montego-Bay-&-Northwest-Coast",
      "continent": "Caribbean",
      "country": "Jamaica",
      "region": "Montego-Bay-&-Northwest-Coast",
      "position": "superzone"
    }