Ruperts, Saint Helena
Ruperts | |
|---|---|
Village | |
View of Rupert's Bay | |
Location on Saint Helena | |
| Coordinates: 15°55′10.9″S 5°42′44.0″W / 15.919694°S 5.712222°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| British overseas territory | Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha |
| Island | Saint Helena |
| District | Jamestown |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| Area code | +44 |
Ruperts, also written as Rupert's, is a village in the island of Saint Helena, in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, an overseas territory of the in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a waterfront settlement located within the island’s Jamestown district. It features a valley settlement with infrastructure including a major commercial port, power station, and fuel installations.
History
The name likely refers to Prince Rupert of the Rhine, who used the valley as a haven in the 17th century. Dutch captain Jan van Riebeeck documented Rupert’s activity in the island.[1] In the 19th century, the valley housed thousands of Africans who were rescued from slave ships by the Royal Navy, whose mass graves were discovered during excavations.[2][3] In the early 20th century, it houses Boer prisoners of war during the Second Boer War. Later, it hosted a leper hospital till the 1950s.[1]
Geography
Ruperts belongs to the district of Jamestown.[1] The settlement is composed of Rupert's Valley in between two hills,[4] and upert's Wharf by the sea in front of Rupert's Bay.[1][5][6] The rocky shoreline with a small sandy beach transitions inland into a narrow valley, rising steeply to rugged hills. The valley is sparsely populated with and a census data showed 90 inhabitants in the village.[1] The surrounding seabed supports various biofauna, with green turtles nesting on the beach.[1][7]
Infrastructure
The valley hosts the island’s power station (diesel generators) and bulk fuel storage facilities consisting of eight large tanks. It also hosts the island’s animal quarantine station since 1999.[1] The settlement hosts a commercial port, and a wharf, which was opened in 2016 and became operational from 2020 after rock stabilization works.[8][9] The Haul Road was built for supply transport for a new planned airport, linking Jamestown to Ruperts. A narrow-gauge railway served an early 20th‑century desalination plant, which no longer exists.[1]
Gallery
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Rupert's Bay Church
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Rupert's Wharf
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Sea Rescue Service
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Rupert harbour
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Ruperts". Saint Helena Island Info. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ Andrew Pearson (2012). "Infernal Traffic: Excavation of a Liberated African Graveyard in Rupert's Valley, St Helena". Archeology data service. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Rupert's Valley, African Slave Community, a story". African American Registry. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ 8397106714 Rupert's Valley on OpenStreetMap
- ^ 7467276062 Rupert's Wharf on OpenStreetMap
- ^ "Rupert's Ridge". National Archives. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "St Helena Green Turtles attempt nesting on Rupert's Beach". UKOTA. April 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Rupert Bay Permenant Wharf". PRDW. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Update on Works at Ruperts Cargo Handling Port Facility". St. Helena Government. 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2025.