Life in Zanzibar

Almost as soon as she arrived in Zanzibar Helen was assigned a flat in a new development called Paradise Mansions - 'Paradise' for no better reason than that the man who supervised its building was a Mr Paradise. Helen had the ground-floor flat behind her in the picture, while the one above was taken by Bunch Jones, a teacher at the Arab girls' school who was to become a life-long friend. They were then joined in the other two flats by the first woman doctor and the female curator of the museum. The four were known as the Angels in Paradise.

Helen had a servant, Haji. Haji collected her food from the English Club, a five minute walk away, in billycans, four-tier aluminium dishes in a frame, the food costing her Shs 125 (£6 and five shillings, or £6.25 in today's numbers) a month. Haji also brought tea to her office at mid-morning and, at 5.30, used the wood burning Dover stove to boil water in a four-gallon petrol tin, which he carried upstairs and emptied into the bath when she called for it.

This is the interior of Helen's flat, with the sitting room in the foreground and the dining room behind. Most of the furniture was either government issue or items which she looked after while the owners were away on leave. At right is an Arab chest which belonged, coincidentally, to a Mr Wilson, and to the left of the armchair is a Pemba stool similar to the ones I still have.

This is the view Helen enjoyed from her flat, looking out across the approach to Zanzibar's port.

Paradise Mansions has been demolished but the site is empty - to the right of the '1'. Helen's office was in the Beit al Ajaib, marked '2'.

Some idea of her early life in Zanzibar is given in this extract from her the diary which she started on the ship out and maintained for the first few weeks of the seven years she lived in Zanzibar:

21st October, 1935. Monday morning and the commencement of my third week. Bunch drove me to the office again and I had a very busy morning with Mr. Vaughan's work (Attorney General). My desk hotching with cockroaches so made arrangements for its cleansing. Back for lunch, then sewing and reading. Tea with Bunch and off to the golf again. Played 7 holes with Miss Dalzell and Miss Dunlop. Played one hole not so badly but not much good yet! Got a lift back from Bunch who had collected two commercial blokes. Had a drink with her and sat and talked till 7.30. Had a bath and changed and entertained Bunch to dinner. Went for a walk and at the post office were picked up by the Wheatleys and taken for a run. A lovely night, quite cool after a very hot day. Saw through what used to be the Sultan's cavalry stables, now have five horses in them. Huge place, partly turned into a school. Had a very pleasant walk home and eventually got to bed not so very long after 11 - the earliest so far!