The English Library, Tenerife

A British institution in Puerto de la Cruz for over 100 years.

The English Library
Calle Irlanda 5, Parque Taoro
Puerto de la Cruz 38400
+34 922 383098

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Noblesse Oblige

4th March 2016 by Ken Fisher

Lady Goodenough with two of her four daughters. Picture from the National Portrait Gallery
Lady Goodenough with two of her four daughters. Picture from the National Portrait Gallery

BEFORE WE CONTINUE on the trail of the development of the Orotava Library it will be necessary to pause for a moment to consider the structure of these early days. The membership consisted of between 23 and 25 people, as, to qualify for membership, the applicant had to reside in the Orotava Valley.

In addition to the members, subscribers (temporary members) were welcome. Initially, this was to accommodate visitors and guests staying at the Hotel Taoro but was extended to anyone residing for a short period in the valley. Subscribers were subject to a different tariff. Their number could range from 30 to 40 visitors per annum.

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Filed Under: Ken Fisher

How Green was my Valley

4th January 2016 by Ken Fisher

The eccentric Osbert, with his homburg hat and long overcoat, is pictured at the christening of a Library member in 1938. Osbert was 82 by then.
The eccentric Osbert, with his homburg hat and long overcoat, is pictured at the christening of a Library member in 1938. Osbert was 82 by then.

AFTER SAYING goodbye to the Rev Humphreys and his charming wife, Edith, the committee moved fast and Mr Osbert Ward, who was elected Librarian at the formation of the Orotava Library, duly became the new President. He took the seat at the 1908 AGM.

Osbert and his wife, Eleanor, had settled in the Orotava Valley at the turn of the century after first spending a few winters at the Hotel Taoro. The Valley had won its battle with Guimar for the health visitors and Osbert was so delighted and excited with his new life that he wrote a guide book called The Vale of Orotava which was published by Russell and Co., Paternoster Row, London in 1903. As this was the year that the Library was built, Osbert was up to date with his information. Here’s what he has to say about the terms of subscription:

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Filed Under: Ken Fisher

Library lady gate-crashed General Franco’s lunch party

4th January 2016 by Ken Fisher

edith_young

FOLLOWING ON from my recent article, Love in a Warm Climate I was pleased to receive this email from Nicholas Drake after he read my whimsical remarks about his great aunt Edith Drake gate-crashing General Franco’s lunch party at the Hotel Taoro.

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Filed Under: Ken Fisher

Love in a warm climate

23rd October 2015 by Ken Fisher

A wedding party at El Robado.
The picture above shows a wedding party taken at El Robado. Colonel Wethered is sitting in the centre wearing his top hat. I hoped that I’d discovered the wedding of the Rev Arthur Humphreys and Miss Edith Drake but the groom appears to be too robust a gentleman to be Arthur. It’s a pity because the bride seems to have fallen asleep, and that suits my idea of Edith to a T. However, I’m sure Edith is there somewhere.

ONE OF THE most rewarding items historians can come across is a diary or letter penned by a character who figures prominently in the story.

In my previous article I recounted that Colonel Owen Peel Wethered booked into the Grand Hotel Taoro whenever he was visiting Tenerife. He kept a close eye on how the construction of his villa was progressing. We know for certain that on one occasion he brought with him his niece, Miss Edith Drake, his sister’s daughter, who had just turned 28 years old. How do we know this? Well, she wrote a charming letter home to her mother after arriving in Tenerife.

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Filed Under: Ken Fisher

A Tale of Two Citizens

17th September 2015 by Ken Fisher


FORMER Library president Ken Fisher has spent more hours then he cares to remember down the years researching the history of The English Library in particular and more generally the British community in Tenerife. He kicks off what will be a series of regular articles by introducing you to the founders of the library back in the 19th century.

Mary Boreham.
Mary Boreham.

WALTER AND MARY Boreham arrived in Tenerife in 1890. Walter was an English lawyer terminally ill with tuberculosis. Wife Mary nee Dabney, was the niece of a former US Consul to the island.

They had arrived in the Orotava Valley at an exciting time as the Grand Hotel Taoro was under construction, designed especially for health tourism and boasting that the sanitary arrangements were carried out by certificated English plumbers.

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Filed Under: Ken Fisher

PARA NUESTROS AMIGOS CANARIOS

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LA BIBLIOTECA Inglesa del Puerto de la Cruz se construyó en 1903 y desde entonces ha sido punto de reunión para la comunidad británica.
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HOW TO CONTACT US

By phone: (00 34) 922 383 098

By email: englishlibrarytenerife@gmail.com

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Annual membership: 40€
Temporary/visitor membership: From 12€
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