Stanley Things to Do Tips by MikeAtSea

This is most likely the arrival point of the majority of visitors, since Stanley is on the itinerary of cruise ships and expedition vessels traversing the South Atlantic Ocean. Security controls can be found here and sometimes the first sighting of wildlife is possible, such as seals, dolphins and plenty of birds nesting on the end of the pier.

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Next to the Public Jetty one can find a small plaque. This plaque commemorates the first Royal visit by Prince Alfred the Duke of Edinburgh in 1871. The current Duke of Edinburgh visited the island in 1991.

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These buildings directly behind the jetty were built by the Dean family who were important local traders in 1887. The buildings were named to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Unusual for Stanley since they are typical English 19th century brick terrace houses, however they are roofed Falkland style with corrugated iron, since the English slate was too heavy to transport to the Island.

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Consecrated in 1892 to a typically late Victorian English design, but like the neighbouring Jubilee Villas was roofed in corrugated iron. Christ Church replaced the Holy Trinity Church, which stood on the same site but was destroyed through heavy rain and a peat slide.

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Inside the church just above the door where one enters the main church one can find a memorial dedicated to the losses during the Falkland War in 1982. The flags of the various armed forces are displayed.

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These four jawbones from blue whales were erected as an arch in 1933 as a gift to the community from the Falkland Island Company, to commemorate a century of continuous British government. In the last few years these jawbones have been coated to protect them from further deterioration due to the weather. The bones arrived first on the island in 1922 from the South Shetland Islands.

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Just behind Whalebone Arch one can find Church House. The house was built in the beginning of the 20th century to house the Assistant Colonial Chaplain. During World War I the building was used as communications centre for the South Atlantic, later the house was a school hostel for children.

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This area was originally the headquarters of Dean and Sons who during the 19th century were the main trading rivals with the present owners, the Falkland Islands Company. Ship repair was a major source of income to the islands in the 1800’s. The rival Falkland Islands Company workshop was to the East of the public jetty. In 1889 Dean and the Falkland Islands Company amalgamated.

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Located in the harbour in front of the Capstan Gift Shop one can find two green wreck buoys that mark the site of the submerged remains of an American built square rigger. It was the last surviving example of the North Atlantic “packet” ships. These ran freight, mail and passenger service between North America and Europe. It was sunk by the Falkland Island Museum in 2003.

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This large elaborate brick building was constructed for the Falkland Islands Company colonial manager in 1878. Even though bricks were rarely used local buildings due to the high costs of importing them. Stanley House today is used as a hostel for camp children attending school in Stanley.

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