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 5
At Fort Regent the Jersey Aquarium invites you to take part in a journey of mystery, marvel and beauty beneath the oceans, lakes and rivers of the world.
Imagine that the Jersey Aquarium is your submarine transport. We can show you what lies under the waves around the Channel Islands - the Kingdom of the Conger. Imagine that you're looking through the submarine's portholes as you peer into the thousands of gallons of brine - now the home of congers, rays and lobster.
Shoals of bream and mullet swim past us completely oblivious of our intrusion into their watery world. Grotesque fish like the rare gurnard and lumpsucker lurk evily amongst the rocks awaiting their morning meal of fresh squid. With a bit of luck you may arrive at feeding time when into the depths will descend one of the Aquarium's divers in an attempt to feed by hand the denizens of the deep.
Imagine that the Jersey Aquarium is your submarine transport. We can show you what lies under the waves around the Channel Islands - the Kingdom of the Conger. Imagine that you're looking through the submarine's portholes as you peer into the thousands of gallons of brine - now the home of congers, rays and lobster.
Shoals of bream and mullet swim past us completely oblivious of our intrusion into their watery world. Grotesque fish like the rare gurnard and lumpsucker lurk evily amongst the rocks awaiting their morning meal of fresh squid. With a bit of luck you may arrive at feeding time when into the depths will descend one of the Aquarium's divers in an attempt to feed by hand the denizens of the deep.
Nearby can be seen examples of life on the edge of the shore. The enormous tides of the Channel Islands means that these creatures can be under 40 feet of water one moment and just six hours later will be fighting for survival in rock pools only two inches deep. What type of life can take these conditions?
Anemones can. And so can other creatures which look like plants. They have poisonous tentacles which trap and immobilise their unwary prey and then pop it into their so-called mouths at the centre of their heads. Other creatures of the shoreline include slow moving starfish, prawns perpetually primping and preening and crabs crawling along their cleaning and scavenging routes. The now rare and beautiful Jersey sea horse can also be seen feeding on shrimps so tiny they can barely be detected.
For the technically minded you may be interested to know that the Aquarium uses 25,000 gallons of sea water to display the many forms of marine life. The largest display tank is 25 feet long and 10 feet wide and the tank windows are one inch thick to withstand the very great water pressure.
Now on to the tropical fish, dazzling but never garish, brilliant but not discordant. Specially selected for this display, the fish are sometimes grotesquely shaped and even splendidly neon-lit. Rare fish from remote oceans.
Before you depart why not call at the Aquarium souvenir shop and take home a memento of your own fantastic journey.
There is a charge to enter the Jersey Aquarium which is open every day. Welcome aboard.
Anemones can. And so can other creatures which look like plants. They have poisonous tentacles which trap and immobilise their unwary prey and then pop it into their so-called mouths at the centre of their heads. Other creatures of the shoreline include slow moving starfish, prawns perpetually primping and preening and crabs crawling along their cleaning and scavenging routes. The now rare and beautiful Jersey sea horse can also be seen feeding on shrimps so tiny they can barely be detected.
For the technically minded you may be interested to know that the Aquarium uses 25,000 gallons of sea water to display the many forms of marine life. The largest display tank is 25 feet long and 10 feet wide and the tank windows are one inch thick to withstand the very great water pressure.
Now on to the tropical fish, dazzling but never garish, brilliant but not discordant. Specially selected for this display, the fish are sometimes grotesquely shaped and even splendidly neon-lit. Rare fish from remote oceans.
Before you depart why not call at the Aquarium souvenir shop and take home a memento of your own fantastic journey.
There is a charge to enter the Jersey Aquarium which is open every day. Welcome aboard.
Surely everyone must know the phrase, "when a man is bored with a fairground he must be bored with life". Well, we certainly don't think you'll be bored with ours. Think back. Do you remember how much of a delight funfairs used to be when you were young - or, at least, younger than you are today? Whatever fairgrounds were - they were fun! And that's how we like to think of our own, our very own, Fort Regent fairground. Brash, noisy, friendly, but above all, fun.
And not only during the day. As night falls and the sky darkens, the fun goes on. Right into the star bespangled evening. And even throughout the evening, during the high season, those cable cars keep right on running.
What have we got to offer? Well, there's the big wheel, for instance. For years they've been the source of pleasurable terror and have come to symbolize funfairs to such an extent that no self-respecting fairground can be without one. Under their transatlantic name of Ferris Wheels they've been the scene stealers in countless movies. However, while we're not expecting film cameras to focus in on your fright we are expecting a few dramatic squeals and wails. However, we don't think you'll be really struck with terror - well , not for long, anyway.
Then there's the dodgem car arena. Have you noticed that they always tell you that the whole point of dodgem cars is the'actual dodging? But dodgem enthusiasts know better than that. At Fort Regent as many as twenty car loads of dodgem lovers can take to the floor at one time.
After the dodgems we hope and pray that you'll be supremely scared and that your spine will be pleasantly chilled on our ghost train. You'll love it. It's horrific. We are confident that you'll find it so frightening that you'll be back for more just as soon as you can. We dare you not to scream at those ghastly apparitions. We challenge you not to shudder at those unknown loathsome things that brush against you. We want your body to recoil in fear, your flesh to creep, your teeth to chatter and your blood to run cold. You'll have a marvellous time. Especially if you take a partner.
You'd better take a partner with you into the mirror maze, as well. It might help you to keep your bearings. But we doubt it. Every- time you look for an exit you'll see only yourself. Down every corridor there's only you. Around every corner is only your own reflection.
After the dodgems we hope and pray that you'll be supremely scared and that your spine will be pleasantly chilled on our ghost train. You'll love it. It's horrific. We are confident that you'll find it so frightening that you'll be back for more just as soon as you can. We dare you not to scream at those ghastly apparitions. We challenge you not to shudder at those unknown loathsome things that brush against you. We want your body to recoil in fear, your flesh to creep, your teeth to chatter and your blood to run cold. You'll have a marvellous time. Especially if you take a partner.
You'd better take a partner with you into the mirror maze, as well. It might help you to keep your bearings. But we doubt it. Every- time you look for an exit you'll see only yourself. Down every corridor there's only you. Around every corner is only your own reflection.
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