The hire car the hotel found for me is noteworthy in it’s own right, especially the fact that there are two of them on the island with consecutive number plates. Didn’t meet the owner, don’t know if they are owned by the same person. The car, some may describe it as the ultimate hairdressers car, was a Ford StreetKa. A convertible designed and built by Pininfarina in Italy – the credentials were emblazoned somewhere. Given it was registered in 2007 and they were only made until 2005, maybe it was a good deal. Reasonably nimble with a 1.6 l engine, but the turning circle seemed excessive, particularly due to the large number of hairpin bends on the the island’s roads. The GBP2,000 insurance excess certainly focussed the mind on the super narrow and twisty roads, but not much traffic thankfully.
Wouldn’t have been my first choice, if I had a choice, but it did what was asked of it.
First stop was just out of Jamestown, looking down on Briars Pavilion which was Napoleon’s first home for a few weeks when he was exiled to St Helena in 1815 after his defeat at Waterloo. He later moved to Longwood House for the remaining 6 years of his life. Living in the interior he found most things about the place disagreeable as it was cold and wet with seemingly constant rain. One thing he did like was the island’s coffee, commenting it was the best he’d ever tasted. It was from Green Tipped Bourbon Arabica coffee seeds imported from Mocha in Yemen nearly one hundred years prior. With his endorsement it became sought after in Paris at the time and if you are so inclined, you can source it today for GBP60/100g in Harrods. I did visit Longwood, but it was, if not raining, certainly a heavy drizzle and the house, as with all tourist attractions as I discovered, closed at lunchtime on a Saturday and all of Sunday – should have dome a bit more homework.
Briars Pavilion, which must have existed for a little time at least before Napoleon’s arrival in 1815
From Briars I drove the short distance as the crow flies, but a convoluted route over the steep country to one of the relatively few flattish places, Plantation House, the Governor’s official residence. The grounds are home to a number of giant Seychelles tortoises, including Jonathan, hatched in 1832 and brought to the island in 1882 with a few others.
The Governor’s modest residence with Jonathan in the foreground.
From Plantation House I had to go and visit ‘Scotland’, a small area of the island which, one assumes, has a Scottish link in it’s history.
Signpost at a junction in ‘Scotland’.
Having realised that many things close on Saturday afternoon, I headed back to Jamestown mid-afternoon. I had put GBP20 of petrol in the Ka earlier in the day and it was back down to the 1/2 full level it was supplied with. The petrol station was indeed closed, but opened for an hour later. By the time I’d had a lovely St Helena Coffee and a late bite for lunch, it wasn’t worth driving any further as I’d have to retrace many roads already covered to get to anywhere new. Still plenty to see in Jamestown on foot.
The entry from James Bay shorefront into Jamestown was fortified with a substantial wall and moat. The modern gate is rather symbolic, it would have been much more substantial one or two hundred years ago, probably with a drawbridge over the moat.
Looking into Main Street Jamestown through the main gate.
HM Prison just on the right through the gate and adjacent to the Police Station.
The public library viewed from the Castle Gardens
The Mantis St Helena is the modern hotel in town with rooms in the heritage East India Company buildings on the street and with a contemporary extension at the rear
The grand old dame in Jamestown is the Consulate Hotel. There are many luxurious plantation house options out of town and many more self catering options
Looking down Main Street from the Consulate Hotel