Last week, whilst many people in England were getting excited about the first snow of winter, I was heading south to visit the wonderful island of Madeira. Madeira is a Portuguese island off the coast of North Africa and has a lovely sub-tropical climate, which meant that there were lots of colourful plants and trees in flower – and there was also a lot of rain! However, that didn’t dampen the mood as I’d wanted to visit the island for over 40 years since my grandparents first went there when I was a child. I imagine the main town, Funchal, has changed quite a bit since that time but we still found it to be an enchanting place of historical buildings and glorious botanical gardens.
Madeira has a very rich and fascinating history which we explored at the Madeira History Story museum, a fun interactive whizz 
through the story of the island from its volcanic beginnings to the current day. It was “officially” discovered in 1420 but myths of islands in the Atlantic Ocean had been around for thousands of years before it was formally claimed by Portugal. Having a stopping off point in Madeira contributed hugely to the success of the Portuguese maritime commercial empire as they traded with Africa and India. In 1478, Christopher Columbus came to Madeira as a merchant, transporting sugar via Madeira to European ports. But the most famous name in Madeira’s history is probably Zarco, captain of the western half of the island, who was the equivalent of a feudal lord with the power to administer justice and lease land for farming.
Naturally the history of an island like Madeira has to feature pirate attacks and the island came under threat from, successively, French, British, Dutch and Algerian privateers from the 16th century onwards. One particularly bad attack in 1566 resulted in the whole island being burned and looted. The following year, fortifications were built to improve defence. My favourite was the fort of Sao Tiago, which is a fabulous place to explore, with its dungeons and spiral stairs and wonderful roof top battlements. It has a great view of the sea!
It was sugar that made Madeira famous and this was followed by the Madeira wine that was so popular in the Regency period and is still a big export today. I had to try the Madeira, of course, in the style of a Regency heroine! I also tried a variation called Malmsey, because I’d always been fascinated by the fact that Shakespeare claimed that George Plantagenet, brother of King Edward IV, had been drowned in a butt of malmsey wine. It’s very sweet and wouldn’t have been a nice way to go! One intrepid heroine who did write about her adventures in Madeira was Isabella De Franca, and English woman married to a Madeiran merchant. She kept a record of her stay there in 1853, recording her delight at the stunning scenery, her interest in the clothes and customs and her observations of high society.
Apropos of Madeira wine, Captain Cook and the crew of the Endeavour anchored off Funchal in 1768 on their way to Tahiti to record 
the transit of Venus. They took on board 3,300 gallons of wine for the voyage! Another recipient of a bottle of the famous grape was Napoleon whose ship stopped in Madeira in 1815 on the way to exile in St Helena. Napoleon requested fruit and books and was also given a cask of the 1792 vintage but as his doctors had told him he couldn’t drink alcohol this was never opened. It was returned to the island and Winston Churchill and his guests drank it in 1950! What isn’t recorded is whether it still tasted good or not!
The links between Britain and Madeira strengthened as a result of the wine trade during the 18th and 19th centuries and there was a big British community on the island. Troops were stationed there during the Peninsular Wars in order to thwart French invasion. One of the most important merchants of the 18th century was William Bolton, who exported wine and citrus preserves to the British colonies in the West Indies and North America. His commercial correspondence is featured in the museum and shines a light on his business transactions, his skill at networking and also social life on the island.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Funchal merchants built themselves two different types of properties. There was the 
“quinta,” a country estate, many of which survive and these days are surrounded by botanical gardens. There was also the sumptuous town houses in Funchal which are often tall and narrow with ship-spotting towers that enabled the occupants to view the movement of shipping from the comfort of their home!
Madeira was early to embrace tourism with the first visitors from northern Europe travelling there from the 18th century onwards to enjoy the warm climate and supposed therapeutic benefits for treating tuberculosis. Before the first hotels were built, visitors would rent a quinta and live in style! The dramatic landscape of Madeira also fitted into the “romantic” ideals of exotic and rugged landscapes and its relative proximity to Europe made it both convenient and fashionable. The iconic Madeiran hotel is Reid’s, built in 1891 and it is still the most famous place to stay on the island, hosting a list of famous, aristocratic and celebrity guests ever since it opened. We stayed at the slightly less famous but no less fabulous Quinta da Casa Branca, centred around a 19th century quinta and in its own botanical gardens. However, the epitome of the palatial quinta must surely be at Monte, a village on the hills high above Funchal. It’s accessed by cable car from the town below and you can visit the 18th century church and walk in the stunning botanical gardens. The quickest route down is probably by the famous “toboggan run” where you hop in a wicker basket and are steered downhill by two runners in traditional dress whose job it is to stop the basket from crashing! We didn't participate in but it was fun to watch.
Madeira just overflows with ideas for a historical novelist, whether it is pirate attacks, Regency tourism or the peninsular wars. I was busy jotting notes on a few timeslip ideas even as I strolled beneath the dragon trees. There's definitely a book in the offing and it would be bliss to rent a little gazebo overlooking the town and settle down to write in situ!
If you were a Regency heroine (or hero!) looking to travel to a romantic location, where would you go?
