Trench Town Rock

Lore & Background

Trench Town derives its name from Trench Pen, a 400-acre tract once used for livestock by Daniel Power Trench, an Irish immigrant of the 18th century. The family abandoned the land in the late 19th century. By the 1930s, it had become a squatter settlement for rural migrants until the colonial government's Central Housing Authority developed it into a model township. Approximately 200 acres were used to create Trench Town, featuring one- and two-storey 'knog' buildings built around central courtyards with communal cooking and bathroom facilities. These became known as the famous Government Yards. The architecture utilized a rural Caribbean vernacular style with hip roofs and wide verandas. While bread and milk were delivered door-to-door in the 1950s and 60s, the area later faced instability due to political violence between the People's National Party and Jamaica Labour Party in the early 1970s.

In Their Own Story

In the Government Yard on First Street, Bob Marley lived among neighbors who shared communal facilities. The community produced vast numbers of musicians alongside top business, political, sports, and religious leaders. The area was a planned community with a hierarchical grid of streets and central sewage systems. However, in the early 1970s, violence erupted between the lower part of Trench Town below Seventh Street, which supported the JLP, and its northern neighbor Arnett Gardens, a PNP stronghold. This conflict destroyed two blocks of Government Yards between Fifth Street and Seventh Streets. Despite this turmoil, traditional organizations like Boys Town and Joy Town continued to contribute to resident welfare, while new groups formed to increase literacy and encourage development.

Reader's Guide

Visitors can now see the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum, a National Heritage Site presenting the unique history of the area. The site includes Vin Lawrence Park, locally called simply 'the park', and the Trenchtown Reading Centre. Other main sights include the Trench Town Peace and Justice Centre. The neighborhood remains home to communities such as Wilton Gardens, Federal Gardens, Arnett Gardens, Havana, and Buckers. It is also the location of two Premier League football clubs: Arnett Gardens and Boys' Town. For those interested in music history, the area was the birthplace of rocksteady and reggae, hosting artists like Alton Ellis, Joe Higgs, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Delroy Wilson. The Trench Town Development Association works to encourage government spending and development in the area.

Did You Know?

• Trench Town was developed from approximately 200 acres of Trench Pen, with the remaining land becoming Rose Town.
• The Government Yards were built using 'knog' construction, a method where timber frames are in-filled with brick or rubble and covered with wire mesh and plaster.
• In the 1950s and 1960s, bread and milk were delivered door-to-door to residences in Trench Town.
• The road connecting the JLP-supporting lower Trench Town and PNP-stronghold Arnett Gardens was Seventh Street, which became a frontline during 1970s political violence.
• Rastafari elder Mortimo 'Kumi' Planno lived in Trench Town alongside numerous reggae artists.