No trip to St Helena is complete without a visit to Longwood House, the house where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled and died. We had of course visited in 1982, and now I was going back.

I had managed to locate some very old photographs in an album found somewhere amongst my father’s belongings and therefore had some images of our visit. My middle brother, nine at the time, texted me while I was there in January 2026 to say he remembered the walls being olive green, which I was happy to report back to him that they were.

A taxi took me to Longwood House, on a hot sunny day, and I was excited and curious. The climate in Longwood is dry, hot and still. The ocean cannot be seen. Longwood House belongs to the French government, but is maintained by the islanders under decree.

The entrance to Longwood House was not obvious, and I had to ask the taxi driver, a Saint, how to gain access. He pointed to a small wooden gate and told me to go in through there. I did. It took me into the garden, where there was no obvious path leading up to the house. In fact, I was walking on grass, unsure whether I was allowed to walk amongst the plants and flowers, but did indeed have to step between them to get across the lawn to the entrance, where two Saints were standing, watching me approach.

“I’m here for the tour,” I said. I’d booked in advance. “Sure, you can pay me here,” said the woman. Cash only. I then asked if we had to wait for other people to arrive for the tour, to which she responded, “No, the tour is completed alone, but you can pay extra for the audio tour if you wish.” I willingly paid extra for the little gadget and earphones and was extremely glad that I had audio recordings to accompany me and explain the various exhibits, maps, diary entries, rooms, furniture, clothing, paintings, portraits, and last will of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The House is small, not what you’d expect for an emperor. I went from room to room, left alone to explore, imagining how Napoleon and his fellow exiled lieutenants and companions must have felt, so far away from anywhere, knowing they would never return home.

the green
The green outside the property
The out houses
The outhouses
The gardens
Longwood House gardens
Green everywhere
Green walls everywhere, as my middle brother remembered
His will
His will
His bath
His bath
the view from inside out
His views outside
His deathbed
His deathbed
H famous garb
His famous overcoat and hat
His games
His games table
his death bed
His death bed
the flowers
The flower garden I had to walk through
On the alls
On the walls outside the property
me and the donkey
Me and my youngest brother on the donkey on the lawns at Longwood House in 1982.
All of us
Me, my mother and my two youngest brothers in the gardens of Longwood House in 1982
Me and my brother
Me and my oldest brother outside the entrance to Longwood House in 1982
My mother at the entrance
My mother and the entrance to Longwood House in 1982