This is Jersey - 1979 - Part 9

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

I remember the Go-Karts and the amusement arcade, back in the days when there were twelve pence to the shilling. Petrol affairs with wheels, I think you were strapped in and had a helmet, but health and safety would have a fit today! This opened in the 1960s and closed in the early 1990s.

The JEP archive has this extra information:

"On 9 March 1970 the world's first self-fly hoverdrome was opened at Belle Vue. The machines were a type of hovercraft that travelled six inches above the ground on a cushion of air. They were designed by Jersey-based mechanical engineer Eric Bisson, who helped to design and build the famous Cooper Norton streamliner racing car which became the first 250cc car to break the 100 mph barrier at Monza Italy in 1957."

The land was bought for housing in 1992 using compulsory purchase powers, but which gave rise to a 12 year legal battle over the value, which was settled for double the original offer in 2004. The land is now an estate for Social Rented Housing, although that term is of modern use, and back in that day, we used to call it just "States Housing".

Lots of lost tourist sites here. The Underground Hospital has of course changed name to Jersey War Tunnels, but the St Peter's Bunker and Motor Museum is no more, nor the Strawberry Farm. The St Peter's Bunker, I assume was a real bunker and is still there, but no longer a museum. The Motor Museum was actually rather fun to go round, and I think I had a free tour as the father of a school friend of mine was at the entrance ticket office.

The Strawberry Farm: as well as Strawberries, the owner tried to make it an interesting venue for tourists. There were small models of Jersey Round Towers in a garden area, glass blowers from Venice, leather makers from somewhere (I can't remember where), but a number of the outbuildings fell foul of planning, and he had to remove them. We did his accounts, and when the farm was running, we used to get the odd punnets of fresh strawberries to enjoy in the office. After he had taken down the buildings, he sold up, and it became the Living Legend, another tourist venue, and that's gone as well! Curiously the Jersey Round Tower was still present in the garden. It's probably gone now.


The JEP has this to say about the Fantastic Gardens - later renamed the Fantastic Tropical Gardens:

"Nestled in St Peter's Valley, the gardens were run by the Parkin family and included family attractions such as a parrot show, different 'countries' from around the world to visit, as well as food stalls and giant models of dinosaurs."

"The venue was especially popular for children's parties, and many fondly remember running around the park as children trying to collect as many stamps in their 'passport' from stations in the various countries."

"Many of the parrots from the attraction were former residents of Fort Regent. More than 30 different species were moved to the gardens after the closure of the aviary at the Fort in 1988 following concerns about their health. Part of the problem was their exposure to the cold winters, but to combat that Gary Parkin, the owner of the Fantastic Tropical Gardens, agreed to move the birds into his own home during the winter."

It was closed in the 1990s, and replaced with housing.

Apparently these strange items in an advert in the brochure were a vitamin supplement. I traced these details

Terivite capsules (30, £1.95) a vitamin food 
supplement by Willow Retail Proprietaries 
Ltd. Described as a balanced mixture of 
vitamins and mineral concentrates

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This was another rather nice tourism venue which I think later did out door BBQ food. I remember ending up there at  the end of a scavenger hunt, and the food was rather nice. It was simple fair, but at good prices.