Upon a rocky outcrop on Bulago Island in the Koome Archipelago in Lake Victoria stands a house that appears to have grown out of the landscape. Its arches frame the lake. Timber and stone bring the surrounding forest and rocky terrain into the living spaces, while flowers soften the hard edges of the site.
This is the home of Alison Porteous, 66, a former war camerawoman who has lived on the island for decades. Fondly known as Ali, Porteous built the house about 30 years ago, turning a rocky piece of land overlooking the lake into a home shaped by childhood memories, travel, art and a deep attachment to the natural environment.
It was not a conventional building project. The island had no easy access to the materials and infrastructure available on the mainland. Porteous had to improvise, using what the island could provide and transporting other materials by boat. The result is a house that does not appear to compete with its surroundings. Instead, rock, trees, timber, water and architecture seem to belong to the same composition.
Growing up in the United Kingdom, she accompanied her parents as they renovated old houses they had acquired. Those experiences stayed with her and later shaped how she approached her own home on Bulago. The influence is perhaps most visible in the arches. They recur around the windows and porches, giving the house a distinctive character and a sense of age. But the arches were not simply added as decoration.
Porteous had to think about how they would be built and how they would carry their own weight. The porches and windows were aligned to create a rhythm across the building. What looks like a simple architectural detail is therefore also part of the structure. The arches soften the ruggedness of the rocks and forest around the house. They give the building a softer, almost timeless appearance, allowing it to sit comfortably within the landscape.
Building from the island
One of the most interesting aspects of the house is the way its construction responds to its location. Porteous says she made the bricks and blocks using materials available on the island, including sand and earth from termite hills. Some of the timber came from trees that had fallen naturally in the forest rather than trees deliberately cut for construction.
The approach gave the house a strong sense of place. Its wooden floors sit alongside stone tiles and slate. Rough surfaces are not completely hidden or polished away. Instead, the materials retain some of the character of the environment they came from. The house consequently feels less like a structure imposed on the island and more like an extension of it.
‘When we came it was just bush, bush, bush. We lived in British army tents for about three years and had to learn how to build and run a lodge on an island,’ she recalls. ‘We made the bricks from termite hills and built the resort with no machinery and, of course, without mains electricity so everything runs on solar power.’
The view as architecture
If the arches give the house its character, its position gives it its greatest luxury. The property sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking Lake Victoria. From the main terrace, the lake becomes part of the view from the house, while forest surrounds the property. A swimming pool curves into the cliff top, reinforcing the relationship between the building and its setting. There is little need for elaborate decoration when the landscape itself provides the backdrop. For Porteous, some of the most valuable moments are also the simplest.
‘Watching the full moon rise as the sun sets takes precedence over everything,’ she says. ‘I’m happy to live quite frugally, growing my own fruit and vegetables where I can. I’m mostly vegetarian but eat like a queen thanks to the pearl of Africa’s lush abundance.’
A home that became a retreat
What began as a private home was later developed into the One Minute South villa, named after Bulago’s position just south of the Equator. For years, the property was also a family home. Porteous raised her two children on Bulago. They have since moved abroad to pursue their careers, leaving the house quieter than it once was. Today, company comes from staff, occasional guests and animals, including dogs, a horse, a donkey and two camels. The changing family circumstances have altered the way the house is experienced. A three-bedroom home on a large property can feel very different when children who once filled its rooms are grown and living elsewhere.
The property covers about 20 acres and has been used as an exclusive retreat for private stays, family gatherings, weddings, honeymoons and other occasions. Yet its origins remain important. Before it became a destination for guests, it was simply Ali’s home. That distinction helps explain why the property does not feel like a conventional hotel. Its identity comes from the accumulated details of a lived-in house: furniture, art, animals, gardens, family memories and objects gathered over decades.
A gallery without walls
Art is another defining feature. Sculptures occupy spaces around the house, becoming part of the experience rather than simply serving as decoration. Two pieces in the dining area are particularly striking; a wooden representation of President Museveni and another showing a man playing a trumpet. The collection gives the house another layer of personality.
A conventional show house might be designed to impress visitors through carefully coordinated finishes. Porteous’ house feels different. The objects appear to have accumulated naturally over the years, each carrying a story or memory. The result is almost a private gallery, but one without gallery walls.
The art continues outdoors. Flowers grow among the rocks, sculptures and monuments form intricate sites, while the forest forms a backdrop to the gardens. Birds add movement to the quiet surroundings. The landscape is therefore not simply something to look at through the windows. It is part of everyday life.
Living with the wild
Island living also comes with realities that do not appear in property brochures. Porteous has lost dogs to crocodiles and snakes. She describes having to protect her dogs from monitor lizards and other wildlife encountered during walks.
‘Dogs are instinctive hunters, so every day when we are out walking, I have to be ready for the dogs to catch the scent of something,’ she says.
A life built around independence
Much of the house’s appeal comes from its independence from the systems of urban life. Solar power provides energy. Water, food and other basic needs have to be considered differently from how they would be in Kampala. Porteous says she lives on relatively little money.
‘I live off very little money. We run everything on solar and do not have heating bills,’ she says.
It is a reminder that luxury is not always measured by expensive finishes, large appliances or proximity to urban conveniences. For this house, the luxury is privacy, space, water, forest and the freedom to live differently.