Jamaica Sandy Bay Hanover

Jamaica Sandy Bay Hanover Jamaica has a number of small communities Each with its own individual uniqueness and Sandy Bay is one of them. If you are going to or from Negril one of the tourist resort in the western region this district is on the way to or from Montego Bay, Montego Bay is another major resort on the island that boasts one of the Island’s two international airports, Sangster’s International).

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Favorite shopping spot for Author Soy Criada

Sea View Bar and grocery

Sandy Bay Weather Report

 Jamaica  Sandy Bay Hanover Public amenities

Post Office, Library, Courthouse, Police Station, Health Clinic, recreation center, Library -(close. new one coming soon) Hardware, Bars, Car /Bus park, Housing Scheme, Factory (Sandy Bay Sweet Company is now closed and up for sale) Hotel, Tours, Schools, Churches, Beach,, Natural Health center and health shops,

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Places to Worship


Though a very small community, there are as many as five churches located here. Whether you worship on Saturday or on Sunday there is a place where you can go to worship. There is the Seventh Day Adventist, the Methodist, the Church of God, the Christian Fellowship, and the Fletcher’s Grove Baptist.
The Fletcher’s Grove Baptist church has at its back a monument erected and dedicated to the man who swapped his land to the church with the understanding that this church would educate the people in this free village. The church was named as a mark of respect and appreciation for him.
 

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Schools in  Jamaica Sandy BayHanover

This village now boasts two government schools, a basic school, and a Primary School. The latter originally started as a church school. The Seventh Day Adventist Church now has a basic school attached. The Church Of God Church operates a well-recognized Day Care Centre.
Situated between Sandy Bay and Hopewell is a fairly new high school also run by the Jamaica Government, sometimes referred to as Hopewell High, or Sandy Bay High

Despite the challenges of closer of physical classes and online classes due covid19 the Pandemic 

2021 saw students achieving top grades on their pep examination.

Twelve-year-old Thenarda Dawes and 11-year-old Nathan Billings, both of Sandy Bay, Hanover, have proven themselves to be ambitious youngsters with big dreams, having established themselves as Sandy Bay Primary School’s top-performing girl and boy in the recent Primary Exit Profile examination.

Read more: Jamaica-gleaner.com :Sandy-bay-primary's-top-boy-and-girl-shine-ambition #GLNR  Features

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Economy

The people of Sandy Bay Jamaica are basically lower or lower middle class. There is however a number of skilled workmen capable of building world-class houses and pools, masons, plumbers, carpenters, tilers, electricians, and cabinet makers.
The district was originally a farming community and fishing but the people are moving away to be more skills orientated. Many individuals work at hotels. the factory or the tours in the area.

Recently a factory was operated by two multinational companies that make foundation garments some of which you may be wearing right at this moment as you are reading this article. (Jockey International). Hanes Jamaica Limited and Jockey international. Due to economical reasons, they have moved on. The plant is still there and is up for rental or sale.

New update: the Jockey Factory is now still operating as a factory for the making of candies Now called Sandy Bay Sweets factory. 

  The Sandy Bay Candy Factory is closed. Reason not viable.. The people of Sandy bay are. badly in need of employment. There is a 2000-capacity factory up for rental. Someone, please help us.

 

The clinic is undergoing major repair. Clinic well is held at Lucea or Hopewell from Monday, Nov. 19,2012 until further notice. The clinic is now up and running. and still is 2021  involved  with administering the COVID 19 vaccine

The factory is now opened as a call center  employing individuals from all over Hanover even St James

  

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Safety

It boasts a Police Station and a Court House that service many adjoining communities such as Montpelier and Barbican Hopewell. This is a great achievement for such a small district that is a little over a mile in length. The majority of serious crimes committed here were done by outsiders. It is known for its unsolved murders. Recently there has been an upscale in crimes which is believed to be related to the Lotto scammers.

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Real Estate

If you are interested in real estate in the area the place to seek out is the Tryall Gardens housing scheme there is always someone advertising a lot for sale or rental. 

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Fun stuff

Sports
This area is well known for its football. The famous ‘Hanover Masters football team has its origin in Sandy Bay, many of the founding members came from this area. If you are passing through one afternoon, especially on a Sunday and your tour driver slows to a snail's pace it may just be one of the regular football matches in progress which usually draws large gatherings.
The new addition to sports in Sandy Bay Is the Volley Ball Court Here you can chill out by the sea, drink a beer eat some roast or fried fish, while other family members engage in a game of volleyball, all this happens right before the Tryall Housing Scheme.

  Jamaica Sandy Bay Valrie's Bar and  Restaurant

Talk about great foods and drink .lovely hang out  for both local a visitors, a clean rest room adequate  parking, a really nice hang out, and safe

Fisher man paradise

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Garnet's Place now Called Fisherman's Paradise on the sea is another hangout to get your beer-fried codfish and such food as conch soup.. Or just relax in the mangroves and take a nap to the gentle tide as it ebbs and flows.
 As you settle your nerves with  Honey and warm milk. Have you ever tried it honey and milk after a stressful, nerve-racking day?.

You can get the honey Right before Garnet's place we can offer you the best honey you ever tasted from our Sandy Bay Hives guaranteed to give you the best results when making products requiring honey.
2019 the honey business is now located in the plaza nearby the recreation center


Far End  Juice Bar and Grill is the right place to get a beer and some jerk food while enjoying the cool sea breeze. Look out for your country's flag and the juice bar sign or just ask for Myra. As you go through.
 Kara's cool spot now opened a real groovy place. Writers and Authors will enjoy the spot. Get your cool coconut water and fresh fruits. Check it out you can get the place to rent for parties for the day. a real  roots Jamaican hang out

 Jamaica Sandy Bay Tryall Hotel and Golf Club 

Are you a professional golfer?  may just be the place to be. It is renowned to be one of the best golf courses in the world and was once the home of Johnny Walker and Mazda world famous golf tournaments.

Tryall great house

So you said you are a horseback riding fan or you have hopes of getting on a horse someday

Chukka Blue Adventures Tours Sandy Bay.

.Here is your chance to ride a horse in the sea? You will get to try this at  Get out into the waters, turn your head landwards. a “Magnificent” sight, this is Sandy Bay from the vantage point of the sea.
could it be that you are thinking that a sea bike would provide much more fun, Well Chukka Adventures Tours is the place to begin experiencing the fish and reefs. You can peruse the land while looking and listening to the rivers rippling; smell the wildflowers as bees and hummingbirds compete for their nectar. Listen keenly and you will be entertained by a symphony of birds twittering in the background against the curtain of lush wildlife and the gentle rippling of the white river.
If you are a night person and like relaxing under the stars then the Sandy Bay hip Strip is the place on weekends.

Pachi Bar and Grill
Meet Bagan and Pachi they will give you free Jamaican soup dishes all you have to do is to buy their drinks and relax to the beat of the music. They sell great fried Jamaican Escoveitch Fish

 Sand Bay has lost some of its illustrious sons and daughters  Bagan 2012, Romey watson2019 great ladies mechanic  Gean Binta Breeze,2021 Garnet 2021, Mark, 2023 the coolest taxi man from zion,
 Guys we really do miss you.Thanks for all  that you have contributed to this little seaside village you will always be remembered
Bagan we still miss you man. Nov,12 2022
 Patchieis still going solo but the place is still perfect . Community members play volleyball and do workout exercises on the spot. Go join them, especially on Sunday mornings

 One of Jamaica's greatest poets has now joined Bagan, Gean Binta2021 Breeze and Garnet 2021owner of Garnet's where Binta spent most of her time relaxing while having a cold beer.

Our Revivalist Miss Palma 2021 who used to host a very good harvest and a spiritual advisor to many is no longer with us either.

 

Sandy Bay Cemetery.is now full and is closed,  community members are now buried in Hopewell burial ground 

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Meet two of Jamaica's Great daughters
Sandy Bay is the home of the international poet of merit and writer Juliet Christie Murray,
(Soy Criada). Read about Jamaica and it's a way of life in her books. Purchase them from the links to the right from Amazon.com     Journey to Enlightenment 
Jamaica is full of Powerful Jamaican women Are you one of them. Learn how to become one of them. Writings from Jamaica Sandy Bay 

A place like this must be an inspiration to many. Did you know that this district is the home of the world-renowned actress, author, poet, play writer Gean Binta Breeze? Read her book! On the Edge of an Island, the verandah poems, and others.
Search the box below to read up on Binta Breeze
or watch her performing live Gean Binta Breeze

These two writers will reveal to you the real Jamaica. They can surely let you laugh, cry, and sometimes even get angry with their skillful mastery of words. They can also inspire you to great heights to become all that you can, or ever wanted to be. You can do a search right here on the site to know more about them

 Jah Cure

This great singer who is heading to become a superstar is from Montpelier Sandy Bay. Purchase his music from the banner to the side of this page. 2021 Jah Cure you let us feel really sad as Jamaicans  You did not manage to control your baser side. You did however make the international headline way beyond your music blowing out your own flames. 

What has Sandy Bay to offer in the near future?. Keep in touch with this site. We will be giving you some interesting historical and geographical lowdowns on the district soon Yes it is worthwhile taking this trip to Jamaica. You will get an experience to remember.
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Natural Healing

JICM Wellness  Centre 

Massage in progress

Sandy Bay Has become the place for Natural healing. Recently opened  Sept 2011
JICM WELLNESS CENTRE  At Taylor"s Ave just as you enter or leave Sandy Bay. the second right turn.Telephone 18763781354.

This is a fairly small center that gives very personalized services. They offer to counsel and teach protocols on diet and meal planning, weight reduction, nutritional herbs, hydrotherapy, massage therapy, blood, and colon cleansing. They teach Healthy lifestyles by encouraging and educating individuals to use of the natural health laws all aimed at preventing and reversing lifestyle diseases.
New update Sept 2015

JICM Wellness Centre  is now situated on Main Street Sandy Bay in front of Fisherman's Stop and Beside Devon House Ice cream and sports bar They still offer the same services as before but have upgraded to some additional ones. The center is now on Taylors' Avenue
and offers natural health counseling, products, and services. such as:
Body Detox, Full Body Scan, Foot detox, therapeutic massages Natural herbs and lots more. They will bring the services to your organization call 18763781354 to learn more. When the coming of the COVID


 The vision of Health Life Style Centre,
Is another natural health establishment situated in the square  at Mariannaz's They offer steam baths, massage  herbal detox, and natural health herbs and product This business is no longer operating  
 
Spiritual Healing
Sandy bay is a very diverse place. Ask for  Miss Palmer one of the revival leaders.  have been keeping prayer and fasting every Wednesday. Many from all walks of life drop by for a few minutes or some spend the whole day. Some individuals drop in to sell herbs and nutritional products. It is amazing the number of individuals who visit for prayer and spiritual healing. The invited Bishop has his hands filled trying to solve problems such as healing diseases, driving away demons, and removing witchcraft. [23.7.13]

2022 Sandy Bay now has an official Car rental company and a funeral parlor.

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History
Traveling from Hopewell to Lucea Sandy Bay lies between the Blue Hole and Tryall plantation properties. Originally it was the area from the post office to a little below the New Testament church of God. It was said to be one of the free villages and slave met there especially on Sundays to trade their products.
This village was just a big sand dune brought in from a hurricane. There is not much flat land as the land rises sharply from the sea to the hill. Over time the district evolved taking in a part of Tryall and Blue hole Properties. Though so small it has amenities that many bigger districts do not have.
Commendation must be given to the late Senator Austin Taylor who worked relentlessly with his team to build the foundation. Some of the early families are the Magan, Walcott, Kerr, Seaton, Hall, Bowen, Wainwright, Nelson, Murray, Reid, Johnson Daley, and grants. Many of their descendants are still living in the district.
When you visit Sandy Bay you will hear some names referring to places and may wonder where are these places.I decided to do research by talking to the elderly who lived in the district since childhood.

The Blue Hole
 river was the first place of interest known as one of the shortest or the shortest rivers in Jamaica rising out of the ground a few chains from the sea on the Blue Hole property.
It is said that the Blue Hole River had seven mystic holes and each was enclosed by bushes and Job Tears grass ,and identified by a coconut tree to ensure the safety of the people and their children. A few of these holes were used to make fish ponds in the 1980’s some of these ponds are now dry but a few still remain. Although found on the Blue Hole property the river belongs to the community of Sandy Bay it was bought and paid for by prominent citizens.
It is said that after emancipation the village slaves bought it for the village as it was the only source of water and the property owners wanted to control it. As was mentioned earlier the village was one of the free villages given to slaves. 

Blue Hole hole
found at the river head is said to be very deep , very blue, bottomless and dangerous. a number of individuals lost their lives their as late as 2013

Police hole
This hole was so named because a policeman drowned in it. This was seen least dangerous of the holes. The death was seen as mysterious because the hole was shallow.

Gold table Hole
It is told that in this hole a golden table came up and expose itself for 3 days. People tried pulling it out but could not. The owner of the property tied seven oxen to two of the exposed legs in an effort to reprieve it but the oxen all went under. People swear that it really happened however this story is similar to a number of stories from other parishes.

Mermaid Hole.
One of the persons interviewed said as a young man and his friend who he called by name went to the river and saw a beautiful lady sitting on a rock combining her hair and making strange sounds. He crept up to her and frightened her, she jumped off into the river leaving her comb. He took it home determined not to return it until he got something from her.
In the night he had a fever and he saw her in his dreams she told him to bring back the comb. He held the comb for 3 days but was ill for the 3 days. On the 3rd night she came back and told him she would kill him if he did not take it back to the river. He took it the next day. The night she came and tell him she would have given him something but because he was disobedient she would not. 

The relater of the story said he too went to see the lady but as he got near the river he tripped on a piece of wire and fell .When he got up he saw the ripples in the water indicative that someone just jumped in it. He was alone no one else was there.

Boiling hole
was an active hole situated before Taylor’ Drive about ½ a chain from the shore ‘that boiled sometimes spewing water and sand above sea level. It is, said to have claimed lives.
Sink Hole There- are numerous of these and some still are in the community . One is still on the high level road behind the dwelling of a citizen .
Special places of interest.

Turn pike
is that area near the second to last road out of Sandy Bay. In this area there used to be a paddock for horse cows goats etc. In the same area people used to take bananas to be loaded on trucks and taken to be shipped in the Lucea harbor. The turn pike was like a needle that the animals went through. In this place cows were washed before milking. 

Letter Tree- 
Two birch trees were near the now Valerie’s seafood restaurant one was for Sandy bay and one for Barbican they had holes and letters were usually left in these tree by lovers from both communities. No one would take the letter not addressed to them. Sometimes the letters of lovers were left under big stones in the area.

Pound
This was situated somewhere before the recreation. Because it was an agriculture and fishing village many times strayed animal were caught and impounded thus the place was called pound. Before it was used as pound there was a house used as a hospital for cholera and small pox victims. A doctor used to visit and treat patients. After these were brought under control the place was used as a pound for stray animals.

Bread fruit tree 
Was near by the S.D.A. church just a little below and on the opposite side. People from adjoining districts such as Hopewell, Montpelier, Retirement, Barbican, Cove, and Jericho, came on Saturdays to sell their produce like a market. This bread fruit tree was special it was very big, and stout with branches stretching wide and far but not going up it was a welcoming shade.

Bar head
This is the area by Dave Wint’s supermarket and the former Lollipop; or the now Mariana's Place in this area there was once a gas station. At times about March and April each year the sea would recede from the land leaving a vast area of dry land. When it recedes two so call lakes remained.
They were named Girl White and Boy White. Boys would bathe in one and girls bathe in other they never mixed. This phenomenon was not something one could study because some times the tide would go for a few hours and then return. It was unwise to go far out if one could not swim. All that land was sometimes flooded to waist height. When dried it was used for all types of recreation especially cricket at certain times in the year. 

Sandy Bay,
 formerly said to be built on a sand dune or bank, was once destroyed by a tidal wave in 1944. The sea came in and claimed a lot of the land for days canoes were used to move about. A man made reef of rocks and wired was built starting from the Post office up to the end of the housing scheme, to build back the beach and break the flow of the tide. Speaking to someone else she said that Sandy Bay has had numerous tidal waves in the past.

Rising -
From a little below the Sandy Bay cemetery the road gentle rose until it steeped right around the corner between turn pike and the cemetery now called Miss Gwen‘s corner.

All along this area was a wall but at the corner it was 2 feet wide. On this wall in the corner men would sit and looking over into the deep below. The area had lots of fish. Within 30 minutes a farmer would catch enough fish to take with him to his bush for lunch. It is said that a strange fisher came to the area to live and he made such fine fishing nets that caught thousand of fish two small to be eaten. After doing this for a number of years the fish colonies were depleted. The community still suffers this loss of this man's abuse.
Olive tree coming in from Montego bay this was the area at the first road Turning into the Tryall housing Scheme Many people usually use it as a halt to rest before entering the district.

Disclaimer: The information does not claim accuracy but is here for information only and was obtained from elderly citizens in the community.
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Roads and lanes in Sandy Bay Some of the lanes and roads got their names in interesting ways some from people and some because of activities that took place near them. Well Lane The lane in front of the Sandy Bay Seventh Day Adventist Church Is called Well lane. It got its name because a water well was in the area that supplied the district with drinking water. The well itself was called Cousin Sue Well because it was in the yard where a lady called Cousin Sue lived. Later when the district got piped water this well was dumped with stones and covered with earth.

The then police station which was nearby used to get water from this well for both policemen and jailers alike .The property that the first station was built on is said to have taken up a section of land that is now belonging to three individuals and covers three blocks. At the far end nearer to Montego Bay was a barracks that was used to house prisoners but seemed to have been built to house soldiers protecting the area many years ago. Some remains of the building are still standing
Solas Lane
Is the lane to the east of The New Testament Church of God? It got its name from the market that operated at the bread fruits tree on the land situated between Well lane and Solas Lane

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Some roads in Sandy Bay.
Names in brackets are the names that are no longer used.

Church Lane/ station lane
Mt.Pelier road
Magans Drive-(Bar Head Lane)
Well lane,
Solas Lane
High Level Road-(Pound top Road)
Turn pike Road
Taylors Avenue–(Rising road)
Mamie Heights
Freedom Street
Author;Juliet Christie Murray.
Contributors: Mr. Dudley McKenzie,
Olga Murray,
Keith Hall
.Mrs. Phyllis Hall
Fitzroy Seaton.

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Author;Juliet Christie Murray.

Contributors: Mr. Dudley McKenzie,
Olga Murray,
Keith Hall.Mrs. Phyllis Hall
Fitzroy Seaton.
Reuben Murray
George Murray
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Other interesting things to know about Jamaica

History Of Hanover

 Jamaica culture

Jamaica historical sites
 
reggae Music

Special yearly events

Traditional dance

Sandy Bay writers

traditional dance 

The maroons of Jamaica

Festival in Jamaica

Talk Jamaican

Link to us

Sandy Bay Local Stops

 Check out the food

take a video tour of Jamaica 

Real estate sandy Bay

 drape making Course from a Jamaican decorator on line
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