Monday 30 December 2013

Friday 27 December 2013

Sunday 1 December 2013

Looking out towards France

Looking out from the foreshore at St Catherine's the coast of France is visible on the horizon. In between can just be seen Les Écréhous , a groups of islands and rocks situated six miles off Jersey and eight miles off France. They form part of the Bailiwick of Jersey and are administratively part of the Parish of St Martin. All but the three largest are submerged at high tide. There are no permanent residents on the islands and there is no fresh water there. Due to erosion, they are now much smaller than they may have been within historic times. Maîtr'Île is the largest of the islets and measures approximately 300 metres in length. There are a small number of fishermen's huts, some used as holiday residences, on the largest islets, and one official building, a customs house, on La Marmotchié.

For more information see Les Écréhous: a Toponymy.

A contribution to the Looking Out theme at City Daily Photo

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Point le Grouine


On the beach at St Brelade's Bay looking past Point le Grouine towards Ouaisne Bay.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday and Waterworld Wednesday.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

Maison des Landes Hotel


Maison des Landes is a charitable trust set-up by the Lions Club of Jersey to provide holidays specifically for the disabled.

See their website for more information.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

Wednesday 2 October 2013

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Path on Les Landes


A pathway on the heathland at Les Landes. There appears to be four puddles but the front one is actually a dead rabbit. The only tracks in the mud appear to be made by horses' hooves.

For Our World Tuesday and the CDPB theme the beauty of decay.

Friday 31 May 2013

Two Flamingoes


In the pond at Lion Park, St Lawrence.

[Note for pedants: flamingos or flamingoes?; either plural form is acceptable]

For Weekend Reflections.

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Seaweed under the sea wall


Seaweed gathered under the sea wall at St Brelade's Bay.

Seaweed contains all the trace elements and plant nutrients necessary for healthy crops, in addition the alginates in Brown seaweeds (Phaeophyta) are reputed to be an excellent soil conditioner. In Jersey the special flavour of their new potatoes is thought to derive from the seaweed they spread on their fields locally known as Vraic (Wrack). The seaweed is also thought to suppress Eelworm in the potato crop and has been collected and spread by the Jersey farmers since the 12th century, when every farmer had the right to collect seaweed from the beach.

For ABC Wednesday.

Sunday 5 May 2013

Tuesday 30 April 2013

Wednesday 24 April 2013

Old Station Café at Millbrook


On Victoria Avenue. The station was on a railway line which ran from La Corbiére to Gorey between 1885 and 1935.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

St George's Church



St George's is the daughter church of the parish church of St Ouen. St George's was built in the north of the parish in 1880 and is situated next door to the parish primary school, Les Landes.

A contribution to the CDPB St George's Day theme and Our World Tuesday.

Friday 19 April 2013

Charing Cross


The Toad is a monument erected at Charing Cross in 2004, as part of the commemoration of the octocentenary of Jersey's status of Crown Dependency, and in memory of the presence on the site between 1698 and 1812 of the island's prison. The monument, created by Gordon Young, consists of a 9-foot tall column of polished Jersey granite into which is carved extracts from the Code Le Geyt of 1698 concerning crimes and applicable punishments. On top of the column is a Jersey crapaud - the site was originally marsh land, and the numerous toad colonies in the area are the source of the nickname commonly applied to Jersey people.

In front of The Toad is the motorbike belonging to Vladimir Yarets, a native of Minsk (Belarus). He is aiming at a Guinness Book world record to be the first deaf person to do a round the world trip on a motorbike. In 2007 he was in Auckland, New Zealand. His round-the-world trip was started on the 27th of May 2000. Latest information on Yaret's website.

For Scenic Weekends.

Monday 15 April 2013

Saturday 13 April 2013

Bergerac's Roadster


Bergerac's Triumph Roadster used in the TV series which ran for 87 episodes in the 80s and early 90s is currently on display at Jersey Goldsmiths. The Roadster has an aluminium and ash body on a shortened chassis. Power comes from a standard ohv 1776cc engine supplied by Jaguar. Top speed was 70 mph but it took over 30 seconds to reach sixty.

Larger view on Sithenah.

Friday 12 April 2013

St Catherine's Breakwater


St. Catherine's Breakwater is all that exists of a projected "refuge" harbour for the Royal Navy. It was intended to be used as a forward base in the event of a blockade of the French coast. The harbour was designed during the period of Anglo-French rivalry during the 1840s, and work began on the North breakwater in 1847. It was finished in 1855, by which time Britain and France were fighting as allies against the Russians, and the planned Southern breakwater was never completed.

The breakwater provides shelter from south-westerly to north winds. The bottom of the harbour is mud and sand, and there is a landing slip at the base of the breakwater. It is now used mainly by leisure craft as a quiet anchorage. Fishermen use the long breakwater for catching conger eels, mackerel and bass.

See Ports and Harbours of the UK for more information.

Thursday 11 April 2013

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Monday 8 April 2013

Lewis's Tower


Lewis's Tower stands on the site where, during the Prince of Nassau's attempeted invasion in 1779, Rector du Parq had placed his cannon to attack the French forces as they tried to land. In 1787 a more permanent structure was built to house three 24-pounder cannon. It was replaced in 1835 by a true Mortello tower named in honour of Col. G G Lewis, the commanding officer of the Royal Engineers. During the Occupation the Germans built a concrete extension at its base to house a searchlight.

The tower is available as a holiday let. Split over three levels, it provides basic stone hut accommodation with electricity and lighting but is not connected to any other utilities. It can accommodate up to ten people overnight in sleeping bags although only three day beds are provided.

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Lion Park Lake


Freshwater lake used by the Lion Park Boat Club for sailing remote control boats.

For ABC Wednesday and Water World Wednesday.

Tuesday 2 April 2013

La Rue Freule


The sign opposite La Hauteure indicates the end of the Green Lane status of La Rue Freule.

For Our World Tuesday.

Saturday 23 March 2013

Les Landes


The heathland of Les Landes from the car park at Grosnez Point. On the right is a German observation tower. On the left is the racecourse.

For Scenic Weekends.

Tuesday 19 March 2013

La Route de La Liberation



The main west-east route through St Helier uses an underpass to avoid the Castle Street roundabout.

For Our World Tuesday.

Saturday 16 March 2013

Friday 22 February 2013

Low tide in Gorey Harbour


The beach at Gorey Harbour has been used for loading cargo since at least the Middle Ages. In 1685 Dumaresq wrote that Gorey was the most ancient port of the Island and described the pier as "old and decayed". In 1815, it was decided to rebuild the decaying pier to serve the 150 or so visiting oyster-fishing boats stationed in the port during the season. The work cost £16,000 and was completed by 1817 and, in the following years, hotels, chandlers and houses were built along the pier when the land beneath the castle was sold off by the Crown.

Today the harbour has been taken over by yachts and small craft.

Read more on This is Jersey.

For Scenic Weekends

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Tuesday 5 February 2013

St Brelade's Church



The date of the present church is unknown, but it is mentioned in deeds of patronage. In AD 1035, Robert of Normandy confirmed the patronage of the church to the monastery of Montivilliers, which shows that the church was here before 1035. The chancel is the oldest part of the building. The original building extended some six feet into the nave. It was then only a small monastic chapel. Early in the 12th century it became a parish church, so additions were made; and in the 14th-15th centuries, the roof was raised some two-and-a-half feet higher to a Gothic pitch. Information from Wikipedia

Church website.

For Our World Tuesday.

Saturday 2 February 2013

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Command Bunker at Noirmont Point


Here we see the top of an underground German Command Bunker which extends to a depth of 40ft on two floors. It was the Command Post (Leitstand) for the naval coastal artillery battery Lothringen located here.

One of four built to a similar design in the Channel Islands, the bunker was surmounted by a range-finder and two periscopes to determine the direction and speed of sea targets. Sealed up for safety reasons shortly after the war, the bunker escaped the scrap-drive of the early 1950s, with the result that it is the only example of its type in the Islands to retain the impressive 7 inch-thick armoured cupolas. The bunker has been restored to a very high standard and provides a unique insight into the sheer scale and thoroughness of German military engineering.

See the Channel Islands Occupation Society website for more details.

For ABC Wednesday

Monday 28 January 2013

Entrance to Lewis's Tower


Lewis's Tower stands on the site where, during the Prince of Nassau's attempeted invasion in 1779, Rector du Parq had placed his cannon to attack the French forces as they tried to land. In 1787 a more permanent structure was built to house three 24-pounder cannon. It was replaced in 1835 by a true Mortello tower named in honour of Col. G G Lewis, the commanding officer of the Royal Engineers. During the Occupation the Germans built a concrete extension at its base to house a searchlight.

The tower is available as a holiday let. Split over three levels, it provides basic stone hut accommodation with electricity and lighting but is not connected to any other utilities. It can accommodate up to ten people overnight in sleeping bags although only three day beds are provided.

A contribution to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.