Kingston Jamaica Webcam – Watch the Half Way Tree Clock

The Kingston Jamaica Webcam looks across Half Way Tree, the busy uptown square where four main roads meet at a clock tower built in 1913. The tower stands close on the right of the frame, and beyond it a row of shops, food signs and covered vendor stalls runs down one of the roads leading off the square. Buses and taxis keep the junction moving from early morning, and the street lights keep the scene readable after dark, when the stalls sit under blue tarpaulins. The operator, See Jamaica, streams it around the clock. Three more of its Kingston cameras sit in the tabs above the player: the Half Way Tree Transport Centre junction, the Devon House intersection and West Parade downtown.

About Half Way Tree and Kingston

Half Way Tree is the parish capital of St Andrew and the point where Constant Spring Road, Hagley Park Road, Half Way Tree Road and Hope Road converge. The name comes from a large cotton tree that once stood here, roughly halfway along the old route between Kingston and the rural parishes, where travelers stopped to rest. The clock tower now marks the spot. Jamaicans paid for it by public subscription, and the Victorian-style tower, about 10 meters (33 feet) tall, went up in 1913 in honor of King Edward VII. The National Works Agency estimates that around 250,000 people pass through the area each day from Monday to Saturday, and the district’s shopping centers include Mall Plaza, Tropical Plaza and the Pavilion Mall.

Kingston itself was founded on 22 July 1692, after the earthquake that destroyed Port Royal across the harbor, and it replaced Spanish Town as Jamaica’s capital in 1872. Its natural harbor is ranked the seventh largest in the world, sheltered by the Palisadoes, the sand spit that links Port Royal and Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island. The city sits just 9 meters (30 feet) above sea level with the Blue Mountains behind it, and its metropolitan area holds about 1.19 million people.

The Transport Centre camera looks over a broad Half Way Tree junction with zebra crossings and a bank on the far corner. The Devon House camera watches a signalled intersection beside a fenced lawn near the historic mansion. The Downtown camera belongs to the old city: it looks along West Parade, the western side of St William Grant Park, where vendors set up among the buses and shoppers. Known locally as the Parade, the 6.3 acre (2.5 hectare) park held a fort with guns facing the harbor in 1694, became Victoria Park in 1870 and was later renamed for the labor leader St William Grant.

Weather and Climate in Kingston

Kingston has a tropical wet-and-dry climate and stays warm all year. January brings average highs around 30 C (87 F) and lows near 21 C (70 F). By April highs reach 31 C (88 F), and July peaks at about 33 C (91 F) by day and 26 C (79 F) at night. October still averages 32 C (90 F) with lows of 25 C (77 F). Rainfall totals about 813 millimeters (32 inches) a year.

The dry season runs from December to April, when the sky above the clock tower is often clear. The wet season runs from May to November and overlaps the Atlantic hurricane season. October is the wettest month, averaging 177 millimeters (7 inches), and a shining road with umbrellas crowding the bus stops is the quickest sign of rain on the camera.

Things to Do Near Half Way Tree

Devon House is the obvious first stop, within 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) of the clock tower. George Stiebel, described as Jamaica’s first millionaire of color, built the mansion in 1881 with a fortune made in Venezuela. The government bought the property in 1965 to save it from demolition, and it now runs as a house museum and National Heritage Site. On Hope Road, one of the four roads that meet at the clock, the Bob Marley Museum stands at number 56.

Downtown, the Parade is the hub where three of the city’s main roads begin. The Ward Theatre, built in 1911, stands on North Parade, and the white Kingston Parish Church faces the park’s southeast corner, rebuilt after the 1907 earthquake destroyed the earlier church. South Parade is packed with vendor stalls and is nicknamed Ben Dung Plaza, because shoppers have to bend down to buy goods laid out on the ground. Across the harbor, the Palisadoes lead past the airport to Port Royal.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Other Jamaican cameras on the site cover Sam Sharpe Square in Montego Bay, the Clarendon town of May Pen and Ocho Rios on the north coast.

• Montego Bay Webcam
• May Pen Webcam
• Ocho Rios Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the Kingston Jamaica Webcam?

The main view is the Half Way Tree clock tower, close on the right, with shops, food signs and vendor stalls along the road beyond it and buses and taxis passing through the junction. The tabs switch to the Transport Centre junction, the Devon House intersection and West Parade downtown. The streets are lit, so the views stay readable after dark.

Where is Half Way Tree in Kingston?

Half Way Tree is in uptown Kingston, north of the downtown waterfront, and it is the parish capital of St Andrew. The clock tower stands at the junction of Constant Spring Road, Hagley Park Road, Half Way Tree Road and Hope Road.

Is there a live camera at the Half Way Tree Transport Centre?

Yes. The Transport Centre tab above the player shows a wide junction at Half Way Tree with pedestrian crossings and a bank on the far corner, streamed by See Jamaica.

Is there a webcam in downtown Kingston, Jamaica?

Yes. The Downtown West Parade tab looks along West Parade beside St William Grant Park, the square known as the Parade, with street vendors and buses filling the road by day.

Does the Kingston Jamaica Webcam show the waterfront, beach or airport?

No. All four cameras are inland street views. Kingston Harbour and Norman Manley International Airport lie out of sight to the south, and none of the views includes a beach.

Is the Half Way Tree live cam part of JamaicaEye?

No. See Jamaica runs these cameras as a private stream and states that it is not associated with JamaicaEye.

What is the weather like in Kingston, Jamaica?

Hot all year. Average highs run from about 30 C (87 F) in January to 33 C (91 F) in July, with January lows near 21 C (70 F). The dry season lasts from December to April, and the wet season from May to November.

What is the weather like in Kingston in October?

October is the wettest month, with about 177 millimeters (7 inches) of rain on average, and it falls in the middle of hurricane season. Highs still average 32 C (90 F), with lows around 25 C (77 F).

Source: See Jamaica