Having been a licensed tour guide for many years in Spain’s Canary Island of Tenerife, I often stop to consider how very much the island has changed since I was a little boy growing up in the Orotava Valley.
I also ask myself to what extent those wonderful travel guide authors in the 19th and early 20th centuries were influential in converting a gentle, sleepy island into the massive tourist destination it is today.
I would say those early travellers and travel guide authors like Samuel Brown were certainly influential, of course, but I’m not sure they would be happy to accept responsibility. I also doubt very much if the subject of this post, Osbert Ward, would have claimed any credit. Although the town of Puerto de la Cruz is delightful, spilling over with cosmopolitan colour and tradition, Osbert Ward would probably have liked the charms, the Canary Island architecture and the tranquility of the old town to have remained untouched, as they were. Of course, it was still just a quaint little town of less than 6,000 inhabitants.
Born in 1856, Osbert Ward was advised to winter in the Orotava Valley to recover from lung-related health problems when he was in his twenties. He first came to the island in the early 1800s. A decade later, after wintering at the Grand English Hotel, which is how the Taoro Hotel was originally named, Osbert Ward and his wife, Eleanor Louise, decided to take up permanent residence in Puerto.
Like many other travellers from Victorian Britain, he wanted to show gratitude to his hosts, the local inhabitants in the Orotava Valley, for their renowned hospitality and generosity. He felt indebted to the place in which he recovered his health. What better way, he thought, than to spread the news about his charming valley and Puerto de la Cruz? Consequently, he set about writing a quaint, informative and observant little guidebook, The Vale of Orotava, first published in 1886.
Osbert Ward also played a full part in “British colonial” aspects, taking prominent roles in institutions like All Saints Church and the English Library. In that sense, as so many selfless residents of energetic character do today, he was always willing to do his bit for the community.
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It appears one or two members of the English-speaking community, like Osbert Ward, often appeared to possess mild eccentricities. It amused the local population. Perhaps it was because British and Irish travellers behaved so very differently on occasions, as if they were a unique breed, which they probably were! Osbert Ward's peculiar black hat never went unobserved, and local kids referred to the motorcar he owned in the 1930s as the flying bed. I would like to know why. Surely he wasn’t another Caractacus Potts!
What I am certain of is that
Osbert Ward was a true British gentleman and a stickler for detail. He was also a
perfectionist and a keen observer. This is evident from some of his observations.
For example, upon what to wear in winter months, Osbert Ward suggested visitors from the British Isles pack warm clothing one would wear in a cool English summer although, he added, they might find the climate a bit hot to begin with. As we discover ourselves today, the damp cool air coming off the Atlantic gets into our bones, even in June! Osbert Ward warned, they break out into very light clothes with, occasionally, disastrous consequences to themselves.
Riders, he recommended, should bring their own saddles, especially the ladies if they wished to be comfortable. Perhaps it is because horse-riding was very much not a thing women were expeted to do in Tenerife, and therefore saddles were not suitably designed.
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Tipping anybody for the
slightest reason was quite an established habit amongst wealthy Victorian
travellers. Osbert Ward himself was a generous tipper. Nevertheless, he warned
against over-tipping the boys who came with the horses. The effect is only
to spoil the market, as the saying is!
Wages were so low, he pointed out, that a small tip would represent quite a fortune. A man´s daily wage in the 1890s was only one and a half pesetas. Mr. Ward regretted the English visitor tended to have a habit of giving money to the children who followed their carriages begging. The result of this practice was that the urchins became a real nuisance and had been known to throw stones at people who refused to give them a coin or two! Such were the ways in the old, old days!
Like many British residents living in the Valley of Orotava, Osbert Ward lived to a ripe old age of 93. Perhaps it was a daily intake of gofio, as my father joked on his own way to his century! Osbert Ward, who was predeceased by his wife Eleanor, is buried with her in la chercha, as the English Protestant cemetery in Puerto was known to the local inhabitants. As he remarked in his book, one could not choose a more restful place to lay one´s bones in!
Mr. Ward´s guidebook, The Vale of Orotava is today considered a valuable source of interest to historians and is mentioned in nearly all bibliographies of books and articles related to early travellers to Tenerife. It is packed with gems, like this hand-drawn map.
By John Reid Young, author and Canary Island tour guide.
Books by John include:
The Skipping Verger and Other
Tales, a selection of historical, very short stories.
A Shark in the Bath and Other
Stories, a selection of longer, semi-biographical short stories.
El Hombre de La Guancha y otras
Historias, a selection of short stories in Spanish.
The Journalist, a novel described
as a political thriller.
For more
information, or if you would like to read any of my books, please click on the
images to the right of the web version of this page.
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