Jardim da Serra

At the northern end of the parish (freguesia) of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos (‘the narrows of Câmara de Lobos’) lies the charming and delightful spot known as Jardim da Serra (‘upland garden’). The pleasantness and beauty of the place justify the name. It consists largely of a picturesque valley set deep among rugged mountains and surrounded by dense, luxuriant vegetation. It is unquestionably one of the most enchanting spots in Madeira, and from its heights some of the broadest and most astonishing panoramas of the whole island can be seen. On the Pico dos Bodes (‘billy-goats’ peak’) and the Boca dos Namorados (‘lovers’ pass’), which overlook it, we are above all enraptured by the sight of the abyss of the Curral das Freiras (‘nuns’ fold’) and the mountains that surround it. As we have already noted, this is one of the places in Madeira where nature appears at its most grandiose and striking, because of the great height and fanciful shapes of the mountains, the steepness and sheer drop of the slopes, the ravines scattered everywhere and the rugged, wild character of the landscape. All this gives the whole such grandeur and majesty, and such extraordinary and enchanting beauty, that even the least prepared and least sensitive traveller is astonished and spellbound on beholding this scene of so many incomparable wonders. And it is from the heights of Jardim da Serra that these astonishing panoramic views can best be observed, drawing a considerable number of Portuguese and foreign visitors to the spot.

It was surely the charm of these natural beauties and the delightful pleasantness of the place that led the English consul Henrique Veitch to build a fine country house in this locality (sítio). He was buried close by, in a mausoleum that stands there in the midst of the mountains (see Veitch).

It was in this locality that the cultivation of tea was first attempted here in Madeira, in the early 19th century, under the direction of H. Veitch, who, it is said somewhere, managed ‘to offer a genuine Madeira tea, which was much appreciated by all his guests’. We believe that not a single specimen of Thea sinensis now survives there. We know that recently (1921) the learned farmer Augusto César de Gouveia tried planting tea on his properties at Fajã da Ovelha (‘the ewe’s flat’) with the greatest success, obtaining an excellent product that rivals the best tea imported here from England. It seems to us that, besides the attempts at Jardim da Serra and Fajã da Ovelha, others were made on this island to grow the plant.