Longwood House
Encyclopedia
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
, from 10 December 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821. It is situated on a windswept plain some 4 miles (6 km) from Jamestown
Jamestown, Saint Helena
Jamestown is the capital and historic chief settlement of the island of Saint Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean. Located on the island's north-western coast, it is the island's port, with facilities for unloading goods delivered to the island, and the centre of the island's road and...
. Formerly the summer residence of the Lieutenant Governor, it was converted for the use of Napoleon in 1815. The British Government recognized its inadequacy as a home for the former Emperor and his entourage, and by the time of his death had built a new house for him nearby, which he never occupied. In February 1818, Governor Sir Hudson Lowe
Hudson Lowe
Sir Hudson Lowe KCB, GCMG was an Anglo-Irish soldier and colonial administrator who is best known for his time as Governor of St Helena where he was the "gaoler" of Napoleon Bonaparte.-Early life and career:...
proposed to Lord Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst KG PC was a British politician.-Background and education:Lord Bathurst was the elder son of Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst, by his wife Tryphena, daughter of Thomas Scawen...
to move Napoleon to Rosemary Hall, a house that became available and was located in a more hospitable part of the island, sheltered from the winds and shadowy, as Napoleon had preferred. But the recent revelations of General Gourgaud in London brought Lord Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst KG PC was a British politician.-Background and education:Lord Bathurst was the elder son of Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst, by his wife Tryphena, daughter of Thomas Scawen...
to the opinion that it was safer to keep Napoleon at Longwood, where an escape was harder to undertake. So the building of the new house only began in October 1818, three years after Napoleon's arrival to the island.
After Napoleon's death, Longwood House reverted to the East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and later to the Crown, and was used for agricultural purposes. Reports of its neglect reached Napoleon III, who from 1854 negotiated with the British Government for its transfer to France. In 1858 it was transferred to the French Government along with the Valley of the Tomb for a sum of £7,100. Since then they have been under the control of the French Foreign Ministry and a French Government representative has lived on the island and has been responsible for managing both properties.
In 1959 a third property, the Briars, where Napoleon spent the first two months while Longwood was being prepared, was given to the French Government by Dame Mabel Brookes
Mabel Brookes
Dame Mabel Brookes, DBE was an Australian community worker, activist, socialite, writer, memoirist and humanitarian....
.
As a result of the depredations of termites, the French Government
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
considered demolishing the building in the 1940s. New Longwood and the Balcombe's house at the Briars were both demolished at this time, but Longwood House was saved, and it has been restored by recent French curators. The stone steps at the front are the only part of the original fabric to survive.
In 2008, Michel Dancoisne-Martineau donated the land surrounding the Pavilion at the Briars to the French Republic. Two years earlier, he donated the heart-shaped waterfall valley to the Saint Helena National Trust.
The house is now a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
owned by the French government. It is one of two museums on the island, the other being the Museum of Saint Helena.
See also
- Napoleon I of France#Exile on Saint Helena
- LongwoodLongwood, Saint HelenaLongwood is a settlement and a district of the British island of Saint Helena, where Napoleon was exiled from 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821. France owns the land around Napoleon's original grave, but the United Kingdom retains full sovereignty....
- Briars