This once grand estate situated in the parish of St. David’s traces its beginnings back to the late 1700’s when the property known then as Grand Bacaye Estate, was purchased by Sir William Johnstone of Dumfrieshire, Scotland. One can only suppose that Sir Williams’ love for his ancestral home Westerhall in the Scottish lowlands, led him to the decision to change the name of his newly acquired property, also to Westerhall.

The estate, at that time planted in Sugar Cane, Cocoa and Limes, consisted of 951 acres, a sizeable property by Grenadian standards.

Being the younger son of a nobleman meant that Sir William was virtually penniless and history records that he learnt lessons of thrift at an early age which, lasted through out his life. He attended law school, was called to the bar and went on to become an eminent advocate before turning to politics.

Sir William contracted a good marriage when, on November 10^th 1760; he married heiress and cousin of the First Earl of Bath, Francis Pulteney. In 1767, when his wife came into her enormous inheritance, he agreed to add her name to his own and was henceforth known as Sir William Johnston Pulteney. This name change led to him being featured in a poem by Bobby Burns.

‘What Whig but wails at good Sir James

Friend, patron, benefactor?

Not Pulteney’s wealth can Pulteney save!

And Hopetown falls, the generous, brave!

And Stuart bold as Hector’

Robert Burns – Second Epistle to Robert Graham of Fintoray, 1791.

Sir William was a member of several successive British parliaments, standing for Cromartyshire from 1768 to 1774, then Shrewsbury from March 1775 to May 1805. In the world of business he was most astute, using his power and enormous fortune liberally and wisely both in public life and the management of his vast estates. He at no time abused his power and in Parliament had a reputation for scrupulous honesty and integrity, according to Sir John Sinclair, well known parliamentarian, and architect of ‘The Statistical Account of Scotland’.

‘He never gave a vote in Parliament without a through conviction that it was right; and men of that description deservedly acquire a great influence in a popular assembly. He was a quiet man of plain, unadorned language and strong personality whose opinion was always received in the House with respectful attention.’

Pulteney’s demeanor was considered ‘austere, serious and socially concerned.’ In 1788, he exchanged correspondence with James Johnstone of Galabank concerning the possibility and wisdom of abolishing slavery, without injury to trade or navigation. In April of 1800, he introduced a bill in Parliament to abolish ‘bull baiting’ – the first attempt to secure legislation to protect animals from cruelty.

Besides purchasing Westerhall Estate, Sir William went into a land development deal in Western New York State, involving 1.2 million acres, where today numerous English and Scottish names may still be found.

Next door to John O’Groats, the Northern most part of Scotland, is a place called Wick which, in these present times, a distillery operated along traditional lines produces a high grade whiskey called ‘Old Pulteney’. The name can be traced back to the Johnstone/Pulteney connection. The Old Pulteney distillery was established in what, was a fisheries complex constructed by Sir William Johnston Pulteney.

1862 saw the installation of sugar cane processing machinery at Westerhall. Most of this machinery, consisting of, two Water wheels, two Cane Mills, one Centrifuge, two Small Steam Engines and two Boilers, purchased from the firm W & A Mc Onie in Glasgow, can still be viewed at the estate. Water to power the wheels was brought to the site via a canal from the St. Louis River approximately two miles away. This water ran one wheel, was collected in a dam, and later used again to run the second wheel. It was also used in the condensation tank during the rum distillation process.

(As an aside, the Mc Onie Company later expanded their operations from production of this type of machinery, by purchasing exclusive rights to manufacture Diesel engines in the UK from its inventor Dr. Rudolf Diesel, and in fact, made the third Diesel engine ever built. This engine has been preserved and can be viewed at the Science Museum in South Kensington, London. Mc Onie engines were installed in warships for the first time in the Royal Navy fleet as auxiliary power. The company continuously evolved with a large number of name changes over the years, eventually becoming Hawker Siddeley.)

Westerhall was sold on 21 November 1836 by Sir Frederick George Johnstone, Sir William’s heir, to ‘Mr. John Allan Powell of Lincolns Inn, Middlesex, Lewis Hoyes Esquire of the Island of Grenada, one of His Majesty’s West Indian or Caribbee Islands in America, and Thomas Browne of Snell Hall in the said Island.’

The estate was apparently sold by these gentlemen to Messrs. Felix Preudhomme and David Gibbs. On 26 April 1876 Westerhall again changed hands, this time sold by the Commissioners for Sale of Encumbered Estates in the West Indies, to Mr. Jonas Browne of 36 Mincing Lane, London for £2,500. On the same day Mr. Browne purchased two other estates in Grenada, namely Morne Delice and Bailies Bacolet.

The next proof of sale of the estate found is recorded as taking place in 1900, when it was sold by Mrs. Elizabeth Wells of Hampstead Estate also in St. David’s to William Alexander Whiteman Ross for the grand sum of £1000.

Mr. Ross made a down payment on the property but never finalized the deal. The estate was duly sold by the Registrar for the outstanding balance to Mrs. Ellice Emily Branch in 1912. Mrs. Branch, who lived in the UK in Pinner, Middlesex, put the estate into the hands of Mr. John Arthur Branch of True Blue Estate with a very comprehensive Power of Attorney who eventually sold Westerhall to Mr. Arthur Keith Wells in 1944.

In 1965 the estate was purchased by Mr. George Williams and Mr. John Otway and became Westerhall Estate Ltd. The shareholding of the Company has remained in the immediate Williams/Wells family since.

After more than a century of use, the waterwheels were decommissioned in the early 1970’s being replaced by a small diesel powered mill, which operated until 1988, when Westerhall purchased Morne Delice sugar mill. All grinding of cane and boiling of cane juice was then conducted at Morne Delice with the syrup being transported to Westerhall for fermentation and distilling.

Today rum is blended and aged in wooden casks and bottled for sale both locally and overseas. The estate produces five rums two of which are exported to the United States.

A subsidiary company, Island Ice Ltd. produces and distributes party ice, a pre requisite for life in the tropics, from a recently commissioned ice house, purpose designed to maximize ice production ensuring its availability at all times.

It is interesting to note that one previous owner of Westerhall, Mrs. Elizabeth Wells, was the wife of Dr. William Wells, one time Speaker of the House of Assembly, who struggled tooth and nail to prevent Grenada becoming a Colony of Great Britain, Grenada having at that time, a constitution similar to that of Barbados. Alas this was not to be, and Grenada became a Colony during the reign of Queen Victoria. Dr. Wells wrote a number of very plain language letters in the St. George’s Chronicle newspaper, and campaigned extensively, but his efforts were subsequently undone by others, who eventually came to him for advice when the enormity of the ‘taxation without representation’ began to take effect.

Work to create a heritage park at Westerhall, and to open up the Estate to tourism is ongoing. The grounds have been cut and beautified, and will eventually be entirely fenced in and water brought back via the canal for irrigation and other purposes. The antique machinery is being refurbished for display purposes and tours are conducted. In addition a museum featuring the artifacts of the Cynthia Hughes Collection, which was kindly donated to the project by her husband, the late, Mr. Alister Hughes, Grenada’s most esteemed journalist, is in operation and features a comprehensive display of memorabilia of early Grenada days. Included is the first taxi to operate on the island, a Willys Overland Model 79, which was purchased in Panama by Mr. Arnold Williamson and shipped to Grenada, around 1916. Also featured are objects salvaged from the Bianca C, a cruise liner, which in 1961, burnt in the outer harbour of St. George’s, was towed out to sea and sunk, by the Royal Navy, and is today a popular dive site.

The development of the heritage park is ongoing; nevertheless, a visit to Grenada is enhanced by a tour of the estate rounded off by a taste of their products.

(Mc Onie engines were installed in warships for the first time in the Royal Navy fleet as auxiliary power.)

(Mrs. Elizabeth Wells was the wife of Dr. William Wells, one time Speaker of the House of Assembly, who struggled tooth and nail to prevent Grenada becoming a Colony of Great Britain.)

(In 1965 the estate was purchased by Mr. George Williams and Mr. John Otway.)