Guernsey – The Channel Island with a long history
There’s a holiday island between Britain and France that was never designed for the motor car, because of its treacherous narrow, winding roads. But, as features editor, John Newton, found out - the authorities have come up with a novel way to protect the locals from errant tourist drivers. It’s the law on the Channel Island of Guernsey for hire car companies to put a large letter ‘H’ plastic sign at the rear of all vehicles. And it doesn’t mean ‘Hire’. To the likely embarrassment of unsuspecting visitors, it stands for ‘Horror’ car – one that poses a threat to locals because the drivers probably don’t know the road hazards and rules. While not exactly welcoming, it’s worked a treat in curbing accidents on the island. It’s not the first time the people of Guernsey have laid down the law: In WW11, they supported the removal of all road signs before the Germans arrived, because they believed the invaders would get lost. But this didn’t stop the island becoming the only British land to be seized during the war. Stories of war and peace abound on this quirky, yet extraordinarily stunning island with its picture postcard beaches and pristine countryside that draw summer holidaymakers in their thousands – mainly from the UK. Yet during the WW2 years, when Guernsey was occupied from 1940-45 by German forces, the Channel Islands had more fortifications than on the Normandy Coast of France. Today, Guernsey displays the dark days of German rule at a museum owned and operated by a man who began collecting spent bullets in local fields when he was a schoolboy. From 1966, Richard Heaume has gradually built up an extensive collection of original Occupation items and documents, including many rare pieces such as a communication limber salvaged from one of the many tunnels used after the war to dispose of unwanted materials. The museum’s Occupation Street re-creates shop frontages depicting a street in the capital – St Peter Port – between 1940-45. You can also visit the Guernsey Underground Hospital and Ammunition Store – the largest structural reminder of the Occupation existing in the Channel Islands, where a maze of tunnels extend over an area of nearly 7000 square metres (75,000 square feet). The story of Guernsey’s Occupation during WW2 featured in the best-selling book - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ – and subsequent movie. You can follow the Island Occupation Trail and explore German military defence sites referred to in the story. History abounds in St Peter Port, where there are guided tours of the 13th Century Castle Cornet, which houses five museums, where – among other things - you can see displays through the sieges of the Hundred Years’ War, the English Civil War and the uneasy years of conflict with France. Among the historical objects on display at the Norman castle is the Guernsey Falcon, an artillery piece cast in the mid-14th Century. In 1921, it was a gift by the British War Office to the US town of Plymouth to mark 400 years of the voyage of the Pilgrim Fathers on the ‘Mayflower’ – but 64 years later its return to Guernsey was negotiated and it’s now displayed in a replica carriage. On Christmas Day 1982, a local diver discovered the wreck of a 3rd Century Gallo-Roman trading vessel while diving for scallop in St Peter Port harbour. The un-named ship caught fire and sank in the harbour about AD280. It was later nick-named ‘Asterix’ after an offhand comment by a schoolboy. Timbers from the vessel were sent for conservation and more than 140 treated timbers were returned to Guernsey and can be seen through a viewing window at Rocquaine, opposite Fort Grey. Guernsey Museums have plans to re-assemble the ship and put it on display. According to tour guide, Sylvia Brouard, the ship is the largest, most intact sea-going vessel of its antiquity found outside the Mediterranean. ”As a whole, it is unique,” she said. Finds on board were Roman pottery, fishhooks, iron nails, tiles, wooden bowls and spatula and 80 coins from AD117, but mostly from 260-280 AD. At St Peter Port, you’ll also find the Candie Gardens and Museum, which features the story of Guernsey, including its folklore and the island’s own language; the Bailiwick of Guernsey Millennium Tapestry, which illustrates 1000 years of history in 10 embroidered panels – one for each parish depicting a century; and Hauteville House, the former home of the famous writer, Victor Hugo, during his exile from Paris. Guernsey was Hugo’s hideaway home for 15 years and where he wrote some of his greatest works, including ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Les Travailleurs de la Mer’ (Toilers of the Sea) – the latter being dedicated to the people of Guernsey. Today, the restored Hauteville House, which is now maintained by the City of Paris and houses the Victor Hugo Museum, is where Hugo worked, standing up, at a desk looking towards his beloved France. Every week, he fed the island’s poor and hungry children. But of all Guernsey’s history and heritage, its top drawcard is the exquisite Little Chapel, a scaled replica of the famous Basilica at Lourdes, in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. Situated in the capital in the parish of St Andre de la Pommeraye, it was built as a labour of love by Brother Deodat-Antoine, who belonged to an Order of Brothers founded in France in 1680. It took three attempts by the monk to build the tiny grotto – but he never saw it completed, having returned to France where he died in 1951. Only 4.8 metres by 2.7 metres (16 feet by 9 feet), it’s one of the world’s smallest chapels and is beautifully adorned with pieces of broken china and ormer shells sent by people from all over the island – and even from overseas. Before leaving the island, a tipple or two of Pomme D’or – Channel Island cider brandy – is the way to go. It’s made from organic Rocquette cider produced on site in the picturesque Fauxquets Valley in the heart of the Guernsey countryside. It had long been an aspiration of the Meller family to produce a Channel Island cider brandy. They planted their first apple trees in 1998 and now have 5500 different varieties. Today, the Rocquette Cider Company produces 400,000 litres of various varieties of draught cider a year, with some products achieving international acclaim. Place to stay: Owned by the same family for more than 40 years, the 34-room the Best Western Hotel de Havelet is perched on a steep hill and boasts incredible views over the harbour and Castle Cornet as far as neighbouring islands. A gracious Georgian property nestled among a pristine sheltered garden and flower covered terraces, it’s located just a short walk from the town centre of St Peter Port. The four-star hotel’s two excellent restaurants each has a historical past. One called ‘Wellington Boot’ is due to a local legend which tells of a liaison between the Duke of Wellington and Henrietta La Marchant, while the other restaurant – ‘Copenhagen Bar and Grill’ - is named after Duke’s favourite warhorse. Open all-year round, Hotel de Havelet has an indoor pool, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi, with French doors leading out to a covered terrace with sun loungers. Email: stay@dehaveletguernsey.com www.dehaveletguernsey.com It was a Guernseyman who led the charge alongside Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile; a Guernseyman who defended Canada against America; and a Guernseyman who introduced coffee to the western world. Driving in Guernsey is different: Many roads are narrow lanes, with high hedges or granite walls. Drivers must be on alert to meet horses, cattle, cyclists and pedestrians – and other drivers who may be just as lost as you! And, according to the island’s Traffic & Highway Services, there are special rules: Not all the signs will be familiar to visiting motorists. Among other things, some junctions have ‘filter in turn’ on a sign and painted on the road. Approach them with care, as these junctions - in all directions – have equal priority. Drivers must only enter the junction in turn with other vehicles. There also usually box junctions, so you must not enter the box until your exit is clear. Maximum speed limit is 56kph (35mph) and there are lower speed limits in some areas. In many cases, a much lower speed is necessary for safe driving. |
All public parking in Guernsey is free, but most on-road parking and car parks in principal shopping areas are marked as disc zones. Vehicles parked at night must show lights unless they are parked in a disc zone or approved parking place, while vehicles are prohibited from some streets in the centre of St Peter Port, such as the Hight Street, without a permit.
As early as the 16th century, apple growing production has thrived in Guernsey, with cider exported in large quantities to the UK and Europe.
Just a short ferry ride away from Guernsey is tiny Herm Island – just two-point four kilometres (one-and-a-half miles) long and less than one kilometre (half-a-mile) wide. It’s a car-free holiday island with golden beaches, spectacular scenery and natural beauty. And it’s a favourite with locals from neighbouring islands – Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey and Sark.
Its famous Shell Beach is rich in tiny shells which range in colours from fuchsia pink to gold, and can be found in abundance unequalled anywhere else in the British Isles.
www.visitguernsey.com and #thatislandfeeling
Words and images: John Newton
Images
1. Horror car
2. 13C Castle Cornet
3. Cider apples galore
4. Gorgeous Little Chapel
5. Golden Guernsey goat
6. WW2 relic
7.: Guernsey cow
8. Neighbours: church and pub
9. Car-free Herm Island
As early as the 16th century, apple growing production has thrived in Guernsey, with cider exported in large quantities to the UK and Europe.
Just a short ferry ride away from Guernsey is tiny Herm Island – just two-point four kilometres (one-and-a-half miles) long and less than one kilometre (half-a-mile) wide. It’s a car-free holiday island with golden beaches, spectacular scenery and natural beauty. And it’s a favourite with locals from neighbouring islands – Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey and Sark.
Its famous Shell Beach is rich in tiny shells which range in colours from fuchsia pink to gold, and can be found in abundance unequalled anywhere else in the British Isles.
www.visitguernsey.com and #thatislandfeeling
Words and images: John Newton
Images
1. Horror car
2. 13C Castle Cornet
3. Cider apples galore
4. Gorgeous Little Chapel
5. Golden Guernsey goat
6. WW2 relic
7.: Guernsey cow
8. Neighbours: church and pub
9. Car-free Herm Island