There is little doubt that the Canary Islands owe much of
their thriving tourism industry to British travellers, scientists, artists and
photographers of the 19th century. Their interesting articles, beautiful
watercolours, pioneering photography and illustrated booklets published back in
the United Kingdom became the islands’ original promotional instruments.
Front cover of Madeira and the Canary Islands
But it was Alfred Samler Brown and his traveller’s
guidebook Brown’s Madeira, Canary Islands
and Azores which possibly did most to begin the flow of enthusiastic and
well-prepared holidaymakers. These grey-blue little books very soon became
an essential companion for anyone travelling to the islands from the 1890s
until the outbreak of the Second World War.
Although he travelled far and wide, Samler Brown was particularly
admired and respected by the local population in the Canaries. He was
frequently mentioned in the local press. El
Diario de Tenerife recognised not only his work but the gratitude felt by
the local authorities for his spreading the good word about the islands. Such
was this appreciation that King Alfonso XIII decorated him for exporting knowledge about the islands.
King Alfonso XIII was only 20 years old when he visited Puerto de la Cruz in1906
Alfred Samler Brown’s guidebooks were much more than just
a simple handbook for travellers. He spent long periods on the islands and was extremely
methodical and precise, going into fine detail about culture, traditions
and history. He was also entirely reliable with information
about distances, prices, population, accommodation and even meteorological
statistics. In Brown’s Madeira, Canary
Islands and Azores travellers could find all sorts of interesting and
valuable information and the book received excellent reviews in publications
like The Field.
In 1932 The British
Medical Journal, which had already quoted so many British doctors and
scientists acclaiming the Canary Islands as a health resort, his little book
was described as one of the most
scientific and accurate guidebooks ever written, full of facts and free from
embroidery. For example, he recorded that between 1890 and 1897 rain fell
in Puerto de la Cruz for an average of 6.8 days during February and 59.6 days
during the whole year. He might sympathise with all those winter visitors to
Tenerife who have found the beginning of 2014 so unusually wet and English.
As far as the Canary Islands were concerned Alfred Samler
Brown was evidently most fond of Tenerife and distinguished the island above
Grand Canary, calling it, by virtue of its height, the meteorological centre of
this part of the world. However,
understanding the eternal rivalry that existed between the political inhabitants
of the two islands, both believing they were naturally superior to the other,
the author pointed out that his observations were purely scientific.
Santa Cruz from the sea - note the snow-covered mountains in the background
Image courtesy of Fotografía Alemana
Samler Brown was one of a very few British travellers to
have actually been pleasant about the capital, Santa Cruz, which he described
as a picturesque and pleasant town, filled with beautiful balconies, fresh
patios and curious corners. In fact he lived with his wife Helen on quite a
large property which he bought close to the fishing village of San Andrés.
Calle La Marina, Santa Cruz in 1913
Nevertheless,
like most early travellers who arrived on the island of Tenerife long before
the southern beach resorts were opened to mass tourism, he highly recommended a
stay in Port Orotava, today known as Puerto de la Cruz. His guidebook described
the town as probably the best-known health resort in the world. Samler Brown never
hid the fact that he had originally come to the islands to improve his own
ill health and always said he owed his recovery to his first sojourn in the Orotava
Valley. Puerto, he said, was a rather pretty place, especially around the mole,
where colourful fishing boats and groups
of old houses and balconies offer some capital opportunities to the artist.
Indeed many old local houses boast paintings of scenes in Puerto de la Cruz
signed by British travellers and artists such as Ella Du Cane in the early part
of the 20th century.
A street in Puerto Orotava - Ella Du Cane
In those long ago days the speed at which one
went about one’s business did not have the ghastly stress-productive importance
it has today. The day was spent in a rather leisurely manner. Consequently people
were very easy going and had plenty of time to be polite and generous.
Permission would always be granted to anyone wishing to paint a scene from the
privacy of someone’s balcony.
Samler Brown was a pioneer in terms of travel books, being
one of the first to introduce advertisements into his guidebook. A number of
pages were taken up by steamship companies such as the Blue Funel Line which
sailed from Glasgow and London to South Africa and Australia, the Yeoward Line which
offered cruises to the Canaries on their fruit and banana boats to and from
Liverpool or the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company providing health and pleasure cruises via Morocco and the Canaries as far as
New York, Uruguay or Argentina.
Cruises to Morocco, the Canaries and Madeira took a leisurely 23 days
His guidebooks were also filled with
advertisements from other nationalities and they were sold not only in Britain
but in Paris, New York, Berlin, Nice and even Cape Town. Local companies in
Tenerife, like Thomas M. Reid and Company in Port Orotava advertised themselves
as bankers and general merchants, while hotels like the Victoria in La Orotava
or the Monopol in the port took whole pages advertising their particular qualities.
Reid's failed to keep with the times and succumbed after 100 years of enterprise and service
The Monopol, for example, called itself a first class family hotel and the only
one in the valley with hot and cold water laid on to bedrooms. Luckily it still
flourishes today as a reminder of how charming the old Puerto de la Cruz was
and still is.
Puerto today, still picturesque and charming
By the time he died in 1935 his guidebook had reached its
14th edition. It was that essential companion for the intrepid
traveller of the era but it had also found a corner on the shelves of most private
libraries in the Canary Islands. Alfed Samler Brown became a distinguished and
welcome citizen whose gentle humour found its way into the hearts of all who had
the pleasure of knowing him. Perhaps he would still smile at the thought that on
21st February, 1905 he became the first person to ask the Civil
Governor of Tenerife for permission to drive his own automobile. It was the
first of many of Coventry’s Humbers to be imported to Tenerife and carried the
number plate TF3.
By John Reid Young
Author of The Skipping Verger and Other Tales
