Fort Regent in the 1970s - Part 3

I managed to get hold of this brochure which was printed in 1977. It is both sad and amazing when you see everything the Fort had to offer. Over the next month, I shall be posting extracts from this brochure which shows the incredible diversity of Fort Regent, and an optimism that has been sadly lost along with most of the features described in this brochure.

Fort Regent in the 1970s - Part 3

Did you know that Jersey was the first place in the British Isles to have a pillar box? And did you know that the Jersey Postal Service is entirely independent of that of the U.K.? Those are just two of the facts you can discover when you visit Fort Regent's Postal Museum.

This fascinating exhibition features material from Post Office archives to tell the story of the Islands postal history from the appointment of Jersey's first postmaster in 1794 up to the present day.

The story is told with the help of models, maps and pictures- On display are postmen's uniforms, equipment and even letter boxes. Jersey was the first place in Britain to have pillar boxes.

Some were in use in France and had been seen by the celebrated novelist Anthony Trollope who was also a Post Office Surveyor for the South West District which included the Channel Islands. He suggested to the British Postmaster General that they were a good idea and should be introduced to Britain. So seven were erected experimentally - four in St. Helier and three in Guernsey.

Unfortunately none of the original boxes have survived.

From the period of the German Occupation you can see stamps, moving messages sent via the Red Cross from Jersey people, military and civilian letters, mail from islanders held in German prison camps as prisoners of war and internees and even letters from all over Europe to slave workers. Plus many other rare and interesting items.

Jersey achieved postal independence in 1969 and since then the world famous stamp issues have illustrated the history, archaeology, flora and fauna of the Island.

On display, too, for those interested in the technicalities of philately, are the various stages in the production of the stamp - from the artist's original drawing through to the finished design.

All the current stamp issues are available from a sales counter so instead of taking home the usual stick of rock why not take with you a packet of Jersey stamps as a present that will actually increase in value. Eager philatelists can ensure, too, that their letters and cards will receive the special Postal Museum "cachet" in addition to their usual cancellation.

There is no extra charge for admission to this museum.

In the year 1509 the slim eighteen-year-old King Henry VIII of England displayed no sign, gave no hint of the monster he would become. There was no augury of the appalling series of divorces, beheadings and imprisonments to be suffered by his nearest and dearest.


The year 1509 was also the starting point for the incredibly successful BBC TV series "The Six Wives of Henry VIII", seen, praised, and critically acclaimed in more than fifty countries the world over.

See how Henry's various Queens all influenced contemporary fashion in their own way. Catherine of Aragon, for example, brought a Spanish style to the English Court which showed especially in the long pointed sleeves and rather stiff farthingale. Ann of Cleves preferred the higher waistline favoured by German fashion.

To enhance the display even further many of the costumes will be shown on full figure models complete with heads of Henry and his unlucky regal consorts.

If Keith Michel's virtuoso performance as Henry was an acting tour de force then so was the artistry displayed by the make-up experts associated with him. So on display, too, will be a section showing how make-up aged Keith Michel from a young man to the corpulent old man on his death bed.

You'll find this exhibition of costumes from the BBC TV series, "The Six Wives of Henry VIII", complete with sound effects and music, in the elegant carpeted, Gallery just off the Piazza and, apart from the entrance charge for the whole Fort, you won't have to pay any extra.

If you feel like shopping then Fort Regent is only too happy to help you. Our shops and boutiques are able to offer you items ranging from VAT-free luxury silks, cashmeres, and costly perfumes, to cigarettes and souvenirs, paperbacks, sticky plasters for those minor cuts, and tablets for those summer heat headaches. And you can buy flowers and fruit, suntan oil, expensive and exclusive lighters, and cheap boxes of matches. All those things plus mementoes of many other of the Fort's attractions.

So, when you're planning your day make sure you leave enough time for browsing around the shops. And we don't mean window shopping. Not at Fort Regent. Here we want you to go right on inside and find out just what is on offer. You'll enjoy it.