Colonial Black and White houses: 5 Gallop Road Atbara House

 Took a wak around the beautiful Gallop Extension of the Botanic Gardens. The first building which caught my eye was Atbara House, at No 5 Gallop Road. 

I first was aware of this house some 20 years ago, when it housed the French Embassy. It was left in a dilapidated state for some years. It was reopened in 2018 fully restored to its original grandeur. It now houses the Arboretum, where it contains exhibits to showcase the biodiversity of our island. 

Known as the Atbara House, it was built in 1898, and the architect, Regent Alfred John Bidwell, who adapted the design of the traditional Victorian House to suit our local climate. 

The house sits a few feet above ground, and features high ceilings. This allows air circulation to help cool the rooms in the days before electric fans much less air conditioning.

Tomorrow, I continue to No 7 Gallop Road, a house known as the Inverturret, which now houses an art gallery with artworks of the flora.

The series is photographed with the Fujifilm GFX 50S II with Hasselblad HCD 4/28 via the H Adapter G.