St Helena 2009 - Jamestown

Jamestown is the capital - and the only town - on St Helena. It is built in a narrow valley on the north of the island where the bay is protected from the SE winds. There's no harbour so all ships and yachts have to moor in the bay and use a small boat to come ashore.

At the far end of the wharf is the 'port'.

There's parking alonside the sea front but it's not advised to leave your car there at high tide....

Behind the wharf is the swimming pool, Mule Yard, tennis court and a couple of cafes, which are backed by high, fortified walls (with a road across the top of the wall). There's a single gateway which leads to the main square surrounded by the castle, St James' church (the oldest Anglican Church in the Southern Hemisphere) and houses.

The only gate from the wharf into the town.

The Royal Mail Ship St Helena moored in James Bay.

The entrance to the Castle which is where many of the government offices are.

Inside the Castle is the room where the island parliament holds its meetings.

The Castle Gardens are beside the Castle. There are walkways amongst the flower beds - and several topiary bushes featuring some unusual designs.

Behind the main street there are plenty of alleyways with houses built on every available space.

A small stream (The Run) that goes through the town is a narrow channel which was paved with stone in the 1850s and disappears under houses in some places.

The house below belongs to Maureen. We had a very enjoyable afternoon with her family.

Jacobs Ladder.

The straight line up Ladder Hill used to be an inclined plane which was used to gets goods and supplies up and down the hill.

The rails have now been replaced by a ladder which has 699 steps and is 600 feet high.

It took us 20 minutes to walk up the 'ladder' - and 12 minutes to walk back down.

This is the islanders' quick way down the ladder, as demonstrated by Basil George......

There's a small prison in Jamestown with room for only a few prisoners.

There's very little crime on the island - people look at you strangely if you lock your car when parking and many even leave the keys in the ignition!

All crimes, however small, are reported every week in the island newspapers -most tend to be traffic violations.

Voyages between Cape Town and St Helena
St Helena - exploring the island
St Helena - Jamestown
St Helena - forts and defences
St Helena's Day
St Helena - boat trip
St Helena - Napoleon
St Helena - birds
St Helena - plants
 
Diary - Word document.

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