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The only source of light in this room was a French window giving onto a garden. In the opposite direction, a facing door lead to Napoleon’s quarters. It became the Dining Room after the arrival and installation of the billiard table in the room previously used for dining.
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Samuel Sloan, a Philadelphia architect, designed the home in 1859 for cotton planter Haller Nutt.[8] Work was halted in 1861 at the start of the American Civil War. Nutt died of pneumonia in 1864, leaving the work incomplete. Of the 32 rooms planned for the house, only nine rooms on the basement floor were completed. After the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon surrendered to the English, hoping for lenient treatment. The property includes Napoleon’s house in Longwood and “Geranium Valley” — the peaceful site where the ex-emperor wanted to be buried if his remains weren’t sent back to his beloved homeland. Next year, St. Helena plans to start weekly flight service from Johannesburg — which has only been accessible by a five-day boat journey — in what many islanders hope will result in a significant boost to the tourism sector.
Description and history
The rotunda was designed to have a system of mirrors inside the cupola to reflect sunlight down into many of the rooms. Also, the shape of the cupola was designed to pull hot air upward toward the top of the cupola, creating an updraft drawing fresh air through the lower floors. Longwood Plantation was designed in a style known as Moorish Revival, an ornate and exotic architectural style popular at that time with architects in Europe and America due to their fascination with Oriental design. Longwood has the distinction of being the largest octagonal-shaped house in America.
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Despite the hefty price tag, the upgrade wasn’t difficult to finance. As a result of the depredations of White Ants, in the 1940s the French Government considered demolishing the building. Today Longwood House and Napoleon’s original gravesite are maintained as historic sites by the French government. Much of Longwood House has been reconstructed due to the long-term effects of that deadly damp and the predations of termites.
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In this room he died; the bed was pulled out at a right angle so that people could gather round both sides. This room was added in 1815 by the carpenters from the Northumberland. Conservation issues pertaining to the house include the high humidity in the Longwood area – %, which combined with the warm climate can promote the growth of mold, damaging both the fabric of the building and the furniture and exhibits inside. It’s suitability to house Napoleon and his entourage was questioned at the time. The Government’s orders were that Napoleon should be treated as a General, and should have a house equivalent to that of an English Gentleman’s country residence. Governor Lowe pointed out in reply that only Plantation House fitted that description.
Most homes have some risk of natural disasters, and may be impacted by climate change due to rising temperatures and sea levels. There were also longhouses in South America in Colombia and parts of Brazil. Many place names in Borneo have "Long" in their name (which means river) and most of these are or once were longhouses. Officier d’Ordonnance (Orderly Officer)Room occupied by the Orderly Officer. At the time of Napoleon’s death, this was the British officer William Crokat (who kept in constant contact with Hudson Lowe on the state of the prisoner), and who would be given the job of carrying the news of Napoleon’s death to Europe.
There was no residence fit for an ex-emperor on the island, so he had to wait seven weeks for a decrepit summer house used by the East India Company to be brought up to snuff. Until then, he stayed with the Balcombe family—who had also hosted Wellington—at their home, the Briars, and fell under the spell of their French-speaking daughter, Betsy. Between games of whist and blindman’s bluff, she may have been the only person ever to box his ears and threaten him with his own sword. Long before Napoleon arrived, St. Helena had a series of notable visitors.
Bibliothèque (Library)This damp room, beyond the dining room, was where the Montholons lived until their lodgings had been built in the extension to Longwood (July 1816). Longwood Plantation is now a house museum, owned by The Pilgrimage Garden Club in Natchez. It truly is unlike any other historic home you’re ever likely to tour. I recommend going in early spring or in the fall when it’s not so hot and muggy.
Erica sits to his right, in the place usually occupied by the Countess de Montholon, one of 28 people who accompanied Napoleon to the island. Samantha Reinders, our photographer, takes the place of the Comte de Las Cases, the principal scribe of the emperor’s memoirs. Dancoisne-Martineau sits opposite James, in the place often taken by Napoleon’s comrade-in-arms, Gaspard Gourgaud. “Please, take the emperor’s seat,” says Michel Dancoisne-Martineau.
On our last morning on the island, we visited Jonathan again. We asked for answers, but in his wisdom of nearly two centuries, he said nothing. After 19 more years, and with a new young Queen Victoria on the throne, unencumbered by memories of the past, the British finally yielded to appeals for his remains to be brought home to France.
In 1955 the diaries of the leader’s valet were published, which included the description of bed-bound Napoleon months before his death. Based on the description, scientists put forward other theories as to why he died - which included arsenic poisoning. Arsenic was used as a poison during the era because it was undetectable when administered over a long period. It was noted in a later book that Napoleon’s body was found to be remarkably well preserved when moved in 1840 and arsenic is a preservative. An international campaign was conducted with the Napoleon Foundation to raise funds and it has since garnered €1.5 million, said the curator, with a smile. With the leftover money, Dancoisne-Martineau has started improving the wing of the house occupied by the ex-emperor before he died age 52, plagued by boredom and haunted by spite.
'It's all about this house': Festival brings music, fun to historic Longwood - Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper ... - Natchez Democrat
'It's all about this house': Festival brings music, fun to historic Longwood - Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper ....
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The exterior was mostly complete but the home's interior was left unfinished except for the lower level. Then you enter the dining room, with its single window, its very small dining table, and the candles which used to make it unbearably hot. In later years, after the arrival of the two priests sent by Napoleon’s mother, mass was said in this room every Sunday.
Richard Westwood-Brookes, a documents expert at Mullock Auctioneers in Shropshire, believes the item could finally solve the mystery of Napoleon’s death. Apparently Napoleon chopped up a lot of the provided furniture for firewood, seemingly to embarrass his captors by implying that not enough was being spent on his upkeep (a mere £12,000 yearly). While there were many escape plots during Napoleon’s time on St. Helena—mostly unrealistic and complicated affairs (submarines!) dreamed up by far away supporters—none came to fruition. By February 1821, the emperor began to show signs of declining health. Today, all of St Helena’s Napoleonic attractions, including Longwood House, Briars Pavilion and Napoleon’s Tomb, are owned by the French Government. When he had asked Las Cases what could be done in such a place, the aide had knowingly replied, “We shall live upon the past.
Still, others believe that obsessing on the emperor is a mistake. “The history of St. Helena is so intricate and interesting, and it’s not fully appreciated,” says Lisa Honan, the current British governor of St. Helena (and first woman to hold the job). “We don’t want the island to be known only for Napoleon.” She says this from a chair in the blue room of her official residence at the 18th-century Plantation House, only footsteps away from a portrait of Britain’s great enemy. A Portuguese captain returning from India happened upon it in 1502 and christened it “St. (To this day, the locals refer to themselves as “Saints.”) The island’s first permanent resident was a mutilated Portuguese soldier named Fernão Lopez, who exiled himself to St. Helena in 1516 and spent 30 years virtually alone.
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