This is Jersey - 1979 - Part 3

From 1979 comes this holiday guide - "This is Jersey". This is a flat brochure which is larger that the later glossy designs, and it doesn't have nearly as many pages - 16 double sided in all, including front and back covers.

It does provide a very interesting snapshot of the tourism scene in 1979, just as it was more or less at its peak, just before Bergerac launched, and before the package tour market and cheap holiday destinations abroad made Jersey's prices suddenly more expensive and the bottom fell out of the market.

Tourism is today rebuilding a new approach geared to the lifestyle of the modern tourist. It still has plenty to offer, but the old style of tourism probably won't sell today. But here's a chance to capture that flavour.

In 1979, June Gurdon took a tour of Fort Regent with Director Peter Smith talking about the history of the fort, the development of the Fort as a sport and entertainment centre.

Back then you could wander round the rose gardens, look at the old cannons, the aviary, and see the old rifle ranges which had been turned into fountains. There was a children's playground, the squash courts, table tennis rooms and archery and rifle ranges in the Gloucester Hall.

And there was also skating, the piazza with shops, aquarium, museum and stage, an art gallery with an exhibition on and holding the States Collection in 1979, the swimming pool - and a link was being built from the swimming pool to the piazza and the escalators from the car park

How much is left now? Very little remains, and the famous Jersey Aquarium mentioned here has also gone.

Go Skate was very popular back in the late 1970s. It was a kind of roller skating but with skates more like ice skates but with lots of small wheels underneath.

These are called "Inline skates", or roller blades, and were introduced in the late 1970s and for a while were the most popular type of skate. They have four or five narrower wheels all in a line, causing them to function more like ice skates in maneuverability.

The skates also require the wearer to keep their ankles straight, which can cause beginners to take longer to feel comfortable on them. Roller blades are still a favorite choice of people who skate for exercise or transportation, and roller hockey has also become a sport in its own right.

Other attractions in 1979: activities advertised include: the swimming pools, the avaries and gardens, live entertainments such as the Wild West Show, Titania's Palace, the Dolls Museum, the Postal Museum, the Henry VIII costume exhibition, shopping facilities, the Museum of World Sea Shells, a giant chess and draughts board, a Go-Skate skating rink, an aquarium, a funfair, Bonaparte's restaurant and disco club, an indoor ski slope, sports facilities, and bars and restaurants.