Ruperts, Saint Helena

Ruperts
Village
View of Rupert's Bay
Location on Saint Helena
Coordinates: 15°55′10.9″S5°42′44.0″W / 15.919694°S 5.712222°W / -15.919694; -5.712222
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

See also: History of Saint Helena

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

See also: Geography of Saint Helena

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

• 
  Rupert's Bay Church
• 
  Rupert's Wharf
• 
  Sea Rescue Service
• 
  Rupert harbour

See also

• Jacob's Ladder (Saint Helena)
• List of towns in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

References

1. "Ruperts". Saint Helena Island Info. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
2. Andrew Pearson (2012). "Infernal Traffic: Excavation of a Liberated African Graveyard in Rupert's Valley, St Helena". Archeology data service. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
3. "Rupert's Valley, African Slave Community, a story". African American Registry. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
4. 8397106714 Rupert's Valley on OpenStreetMap
5. 7467276062 Rupert's Wharf on OpenStreetMap
6. "Rupert's Ridge". National Archives. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
7. "St Helena Green Turtles attempt nesting on Rupert's Beach". UKOTA. April 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
8. "Rupert Bay Permanent Wharf". PRDW. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
9. "Update on Works at Ruperts Cargo Handling Port Facility". St. Helena Government. 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2025.