Emancipation Park

As Kingston’s population mushroomed, many merchants who previously lived above their business places in central Kingston relocated to the upper circles of the Liguanea Plain now known as “uptown”. The earthquake of 1907, further encouraged migration from Downtown Kingston to St. Andrew – Kingston now being divided into two parishes (Kingston and St. Andrew) because of its immense growth. As the business activities and persons who were then considered being from the “upper crust of the society” shifted to St. Andrew, there was now a need for social and sporting activities uptown.

This major shift saw 85 acres of land including the long stretch of land from Knutsford Boulevard to Oxford Road being developed as the Knutsford Park Race Course where horseracing and polo matches were held. The racecourse was later bought out by a conglomerate of businessmen who envisioned this site as a “city built within a city”, hence the name New Kingston.