John Leyden’s three sons (who were Jamaican born, not English, and not white, as many have said) inherited the property. It was the sons who had the electricity installed. The Leydens were racehorse breeders. It is said that the stables at Waterloo were tiled and cooled by electric fans. After the Leydens, the house was owned by the Iver (formerly Isaacs) family, then the Levy family, who operated Waterloo as a guest house. Dr. Ferdinand Stewart, great-grandfather of the present owners, bought the property in 1939. The Stewart family has therefore been in possession of Waterloo longer than any of its previous owners. Mrs. Lynette Stewart, wife of Dr. Ferdinand Stewart, operated a private school of renown at Waterloo for many years. The school was named Black River High School. The year of construction of the present house is uncertain. Some say it was built in 1819, others say it was built in the 1860s or 1870s.
The inclusion of Waterloo in Mary Hook’s will does suggest that there was a dwelling house here in the early 1800s, but whether this is the same house we know and love today, we can’t say for sure. But we can be certain that this lovely property by the sea has carried a proud name in Black River for the last 200 years! Waterloo has been designated a Heritage building by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.