#MC53
Ca. 1845
Pencil and watercolour on cardboard, ca. 14x22 cm (5 ½ x 8 ¾ in). Captioned in ink "S’ Helena" in the right upper corner; ink caption "View of James’ Town, St. Helena" and signature on verso. Recently matted and with a couple of minor stains on the upper margin, otherwise a very good sketch.
The drawing shows a panorama of Jamestown and James Bay with its steep cliffs; three navy vessels are seen in the foreground. The spire of Saint James’ Church is also seen.
"Jamestown is the capital and historic chief settlement of the island of Saint Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean. It was founded when English colonists settled on the island in 1659; St Helena is the second-oldest remaining British territory, after Bermuda. The town is built on igneous rock in a small enclave, sandwiched between steep cliffs (that form James Valley) that are unsuitable for building. The town is therefore rather long, thin and densely populated, with tightly knit, long and winding streets. Shrubs and trees decorate some of the street corners. The surrounding terrain is rough and steep, and rockfalls are an occurrence, sometimes damaging buildings" (Wikipedia).
"Saint James' Church in Jamestown is the oldest Anglican Church in the southern hemisphere (built in 1774). The present sketch shows the church after alterations made in 1843, with a high spire. Nowadays the church doesn’t have it as the spire was taken down in 1980 for safety reasons" (Wikipedia).
