Then & Now

The history of St Helena is as old as seafaring itself, and the architecture in the main street of Jamestown hasn’t changed much in more than a century. To get building materials to this remote island in the South Atlantic is no easy task – the closest big harbour is Cape Town, 3 100 km to the south-east. A Portuguese navigator discovered the island in 1502. For centuries thereafter, the British East India Company used it as a refreshment station. There have always been a few permanent residents on the island, but the original houses built for them were very basic. Jamestown as it looks now started to develop in the early 1800s, during the rise of British Imperialism. The first buildings, dating from about 1840, were made from wood and didn’t last long. The wood – and a termite infestation – came from a slave ship travelling from Brazil, which was intercepted and taken apart in the harbour. Subsequent houses were built in a Georgian style using stone and cast iron. St Helena is a volcanic island and the landscape doesn’t lend itself to human habitation. Jamestown is in a relatively level valley – one of the few places on the island suitable for development. It’s a long, thin town, only about three streets wide. Main Street runs from the harbour wall up into the valley. Both photos were taken in the middle of Main Street facing north towards the sea. Let’s walk down the street, along the pavement on the right.

The Consulate Hotel with its beautiful iron railing on the front veranda was once known as the Royal Hotel. The origin of its current name is unclear, but it’s apt: St Helena played a prominent role in the whaling industry during the 1700s and countries like Denmark, Norway, France, the USA and the Netherlands all had diplomats stationed on the island. In one of the bedrooms on the top floor, the lintel above the window was made from the mast of an old trade ship. The yellow office building has been owned by the Solomon family for decades. (If St Helena were Dallas, the Solomons would be the Ewings.) In 1790, the first Solomon, Saul, fell ill and was left for dead on the island by a British ship travelling to India. The young man recovered and became a prominent local businessman, with interests in shipping and whaling – and the island’s newspaper. Saul’s descendants bought the Royal Hotel in the late 19th century and renamed it. Likewise, the light blue building has been the residence of the Corker family for generations. The current owner, Tracey Corker, runs a general dealer