Witness the arrival and journey around the island through the lens of British photographer George Graham Toler:
Upon arriving at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, travellers were required to remain on board until the health officer came aboard to ask a few questions and fill out the health form, without which disembarkation was not allowed. To streamline this process, English hotel agents acted as interpreters for the health authorities, assisting with the paperwork and transporting luggage to the hotel by boat.
Independent travellers had to take one of the boats approaching the steamship, paying one peseta for the transfer to the pier. However, if more than five people boarded, the fare was only 75 cents. Children under 12 paid half the fare. For nighttime disembarkation, the transfer cost was 1.25 pesetas. Each trunk or suitcase carriage incurred a charge of 50 cents (half a peseta).
Upon reaching the pier, we were greeted by a multitude of children vying to be the first to carry our luggage to the hotel. The absence of customs control at this port brought immense relief. The sick travellers and those heading to Mount Teide stayed the night in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where three lodging options awaited: the English Hotel on Comenge Street No. 11 (San Francisco), owned by Mr. Camacho; the French Inn on Constitution Square (La Candelaria), favoured for its good food and lower prices; and the Spanish Inn on Constitution Square (now La Candelaria).
We journeyed to the La Orotava Valley by omnibus, a 12-seat carriage pulled by four mules or horses. Its main station was located behind the vegetable market or old market hall, next to the Theatre. Locally, it was known as the hourly carriage, despite only having two daily departures.
George Graham Toler | | ED / José Manuel Ledesma Alonso
The interior of the carriage was reserved for ladies, while men travelled on the bench beside the coachman, resting their feet on the guard rod – a sturdy bar to hold the harness straps. In extreme cases, the carriage’s roof also served as seating for passengers’ laps.
The journey was picturesque yet not without risk. It took about six hours to complete, with stops at all the existing post stations for travellers and the coachman to rest while the servants changed the draft animals.
The first mandatory stop was at La Cuesta, followed by the Fielato de La Laguna, where passengers could eat and explore the city. The third stop was in Tacoronte, and the fourth and final stop was at Doña María’s Inn in La Matanza, where we enjoyed an excellent meal paired with a magnificent wine from the area.
For those whose ships’ schedules required them to return to Santa Cruz, they departed having seen Mount Teide in all its splendour. Meanwhile, those of us seeking the healing climate continued to the Ramal station, where we took the stagecoach to Puerto de la Orotava (Puerto de La Cruz). Recently, the Camacho company introduced carriages for four people with all comforts catering to discerning and affluent travellers.
George Graham Toler (London, 1850 – Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, 1929), the only child of a wealthy English family, arrived in Tenerife at 39 to recover from his lung disease. His choice was influenced by Alfred Samler Brown’s Guide for Foreigners, which listed suitable places for curing such ailments. Living naturally first in Madre del Agua (Granadilla) and then in Cañada de la Grieta (Teide), he quickly regained his health. In gratitude, he built the Altavista refuge at 3,270 metres altitude, donating it to the La Orotava Town Council on May 30, 1926. After overcoming his respiratory issues and accompanied by a mule carrying his camera, Toler toured the entire island, capturing its nature and landscapes. He produced 94 photographic prints and 36 glass plate negatives, sent to London where his agent, Chas D. Doar, created the first Tenerife postcards, serving as unique tourism promotion. His camera also immortalised King Alfonso XIII’s arrival at Santa Cruz port in 1906.
He later resided at Hespérides Hotel in La Orotava, where he met young aristocrat María del Carmen Monteverde y Lugo. Their marriage, a union between a 42-year-old Protestant and a 17-year-old Catholic, required Toler to make a sworn statement before a notary renouncing his former faith and being baptised at the main parish church, Our Lady of the Conception in La Orotava.
