Richard AmmonNoel Coward, the multi-talented British playwright, actor, songwriter raconteur, first visited Jamaica in 1944 on a two week holiday. The and peace of mind he found in Jamaica caused him to refer to it as his "dream island" and he vowed to return one day. Four years later he rented fellow author Ian Fleming’s estate, Goldeneye, located on the north shore of Jamaica. During a six-week stay at Goldeneye Coward purchased eight shoreline acres commanded a fine view of the sea. Inspired by the view of the surrounding Caribbean, Coward named his sanctuary ‘Blue Harbour‘.
Due to his popularity he was frequently visited by the gliterati of the age (1950s and 60s), including Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother. For a retreat, he purchased another beautiful tract of land located on a lush hillside one thousand feet above Blue Harbour and named it ‘Firefly‘. He divided his time between the bustling social life at Blue Harbour and the peaceful solitude of Firefly, where he would write and paint and enjoy his "room with a view.
After all those delightful years in Jamaica, Noel Coward died there on March 26, 1973 and was buried at his beloved Firefly.
His grave overlooks Blue Harbour and his memory lives on
Read the story about gay Jamaica
