Repeating the Past

Mass deportations, the removal of citizenship even from people born in the country. A generational sweep up of a community, targeting those marked out and vilified as an existential threat. Is history about to repeat itself? Not exactly, but there are parallels, and there is a gathering storm.

Repeating the Past

The clear blue sky, then a storm cloud
Darkening skies threaten the worse
First the rallies, and cheering crowd
And for the outsider comes a curse

Night darkens, and dim the lamps
The rulers decide, and take a stand
Round them all up, place in camps
For we have to protect our land

Now the hurricane unleashes force
The stranger, the alien, blown away
Mass deportations take their course
Oblivion is waiting, so they say

We have been along this bad road before
Taken by a leader whose followers adore

The Swimming Pool Boom and the Men Behind It

For a few years in the 1970s, we had a subscription to the St Brelade's Bay pool (as mentioned below) and before our dinner around 6.30, around 5.45 when the guests were heading to the dining room, we would cycle down and have the pool virtually to ourselves, and see how many laps we could do, or how far we could swim underwater. On busy summer occasions it was also nice, as the small stall there sold ice cream scoops in cones, and hot chocolate. Both delicious after a swim! My friend Nigel Miles' father David Miles was chief accountant at the Seymour Group, so we'd also have occasions when we could use that pool too, and David Seymour (now just retiring from the group), and a friend at school, was often also there. In those days, it wasn't covered in, but it still had incredibly high diving boards. I think I managed one of the slightly higher ones - I went to see the view from the top one, but slunk back down, like Mr Bean does when he goes to a high diving board! Friends of my parents (who we also knew from school), such as the Stilwels has - like the article mentioned - also had swimming pools installed. It was very much a way of showing you had arrived!

The Swimming Pool Boom and the Men Behind It
Jersey Topic 1965

There has been a quiet boom taking place in Jersey during the last five years. It has affected the way of life of residents and tourists alike and has gone on unnoticed and unhindered. It is a swimming pool boom. Five years ago a swimming pool was considered a luxury by hoteliers apd residents. Now it is reaching the stage that if you haven't a pool at the bottom of your garden you are definitely out of fashion.

There are now in Jersey about 60 pools of various shapes and sizes and it is estimated that in another five years there will be 250. Orders for next winter are pouring in to the two firms who specialise in swimming pool construction in Jersey—Channel Island Contracting Co. Ltd. (Gilliam Seahorse Pools) and Landfield Ltd.

The Gilliam 'piece de resistance'—the St. Brelades Bay Hotel pool.

The boom is part of our new and affluent society. Wealthy residents coming to Jersey and buying a home soon discover that the vagaries of the Jersey tidal system make swimming in the sea time-wasting—and it is, of course, very cold: Also the pool sets off the house and adds greatly to its market value. Hotels find that the fact that they have a pool gives them a distinct edge over those that don't, as well as providing an air of luxury for their guests at a comparatively small outlay. And let's be honest, we all like luxury.

Amongst the island's top star hotels the St. Brelades Bay was the first to see the need to provide a swimming pool for their guests. Many people regarded it as amazing that a hotel on the edge of such a magnificent beach should see it necessary to install a swimming pool. But it proved an instant success both for residents of the hotel and island people who are able to join a club on an annual subscription, which entitles them to use the pool and the fine night club attached to the hotel. Other hotels have followed suit. Not only the big ones, but the smaller ones too.

Work continues on the Merton Hotel swimming pool

Today, the hotel without a pool is a neck behind in the race to offer the best amenities. Certainly the biggest swimming pool to be built this winter was the Merton Hotel pool. This was swimming pool construction on a vast scale—the largest private enterprise pool believed to have been built in the British Isles. The pool is built to A.S.A. specifications, is of international size and has diving towers 10 metres high. The diving tank is fifteen feet deep and at the other end is a children's pool. From end to end the pool measures 204 feet.

Why did the Merton Hotel, a highly successful establishment with full bookings every year from May to October see the need to put in a pool of this vast size ? Mr. Robin Seymour, joint managing director of Seymours Ltd., said "In these days of increasing competition from the Continent and indeed within Jersey itself it is only sensible to keep moving forward. We regard the provision of a swimming pool as being another amenity to offer our guests. It is an added attraction and it keeps us up in the race".

He added : "The reason for making it so big was that when we were planning the pool we saw that to cater for over 600 people we needed a pool almost of inter-national size. We felt we might just as well spend the extra money and in fact make it international. It will now be possible for us to hold international events at the Merton".

  

The Merton swimming pool is one of the thirty being built this winter by Channel Island Contracting Co. Ltd. Man behind the company—and indeed the main figure in the Jersey swimming pool boom—is Mr. Michael Lee, an energetic 36-year-old Hampshire man. He came to Jersey in 1960 with William F. Rees & Co. engaged on Sewerage Board work. He saw the great future for swimming pools in the island and in 1962 formed his own company with a partner to specialise in swimming pool construction. He linked with Gilliam Pools of Purley, who provide all the filtration equipment for his pools, and in his first year he built ten pools; his staff was about a dozen. Last year he built twenty. This year thirty are on the go. Next year it will be fifty. And his staff has risen to nearly 100.

The company offer a complete service to the pool buyer. This includes a basic design for the pool from his design team, the construction and final landscaping and, most important, servicing and upkeep of filtration equipment. For this the company has a fleet of three radio controlled vans in constant touch with head office so that they can dash to a pool immediately anything goes wrong. Says Mr. Lee: "For hotels, the swimming pool has become an economic necessity. It means an increase in bookings, happier guests who are delighted at the luxury in the back garden and an increase in profits within the hotel as it encourages people to stay and spend their money".

He added: "As far as private homes are concerned the swimming pool is replacing the car in the one-upmanship stakes. These views were endorsed by the other firm connected with swimming pool building in Jersey, Land-field Ltd. Primarily a building company, they formed a swimming pool division two years ago headed by 20-year-old Mr. John H. Marshman and Mr. Vernon Brooks. Their first pool was in Guernsey for the States at La Valette, which was built through an associate company. This year they are building six pools in various parts of Jersey.

They have linked with Swimquip, a firm dealing with the latest American filtration equipment. Visiting Jersey last month to see the swimming pool boom at close quarters was Col. Bill McBlain Stephen, managing director of Swimquip in Britain. After looking around the island he told me: "I think it true to say that the potential in Jersey is very big, as indeed it is in Britain, where the swimming pool business has grown fantastically in the last three years. Through Landfield Swimquip we hope to serve that potential".

Already the Landfield order book is filling for next year. Amongst their schemes is an exciting project for a hotel roof-top pool. They also run a scheme with a finance company to enable people to purchase pools on an easy payment plan and this will enable small hotels and guest houses to finance this amenity without a big capital outlay initially. Says Mr. Marshman: "Swimming pools are here to stay. Interest in them is tremendous and we are getting enquiries every day".

In America at the present moment is a director of Landfield Ltd., visiting California on a three week round trip studying the latest methods of filtration and pool construction. What is the cost of a pool? For a reasonably sized one in the garden from £1,500 upwards.

But both swimming pool companies offer a range of portable pools for those who just want a little one. These sell from about £200. The fashion in swimming pools in Jersey has also brought about increased business in garden furniture. In Jersey last month was Mr. F. W. Odell, a director of L. E. Gant Ltd., manufacturers of Elegant and Leisure Garden furniture. His company's leisure chairs will be very evident around pools in the island this year. So there it is. Are you in fashion ? Have you got a swimming pool at the bottom of your garden ?

War Zone

For today's poem, which is about war and remembrance, I decided on an acrostic for a change. Sharp eyed readers will spot the words it spells out.

War Zone

At times, the world seems always at war
There high above, the sound of rockets roar

The bombs are falling, breaking houses apart
Here are the dying, the ceasing beating heart
Every day, Von Clausewitz writes his art

Gone are the times of plenty, times of peace
Onward goes the battles that never cease
Into darkness, thick mud of no man’s land
Now barbed wire, there a dead man’s hand
Great war and men die like the grains of sand

Death stalks here, black knight upon a horse
Onwards riding, onwards a deadly course
Who can survive where his shadow fell
None can know the hour, none can tell

Onwards Christian soldiers, going to your death
Fighting the crusades, drawing your last breath

The padre on the front line, where to stand?
He can be a patriot, drum-beat of the band
Every war brings challenge, a lie of the land

Seek just war, to stop a madman’s genocide
Unless good soldiers act, turning the tide
New every day will be those who have died

And of the home front, awaiting the news
Now hear of the slaughter of so many Jews
Defiance on beaches, to save not to lose

In ancient of days, the sword and the spear
Now comes the time of the nuclear fear

The poppy is worn, to remember the dead
Here is the silence, and softly we tread
Each wreath laid so slowly, symbol in red

Mourning the sons at the Somme that were lost
Oh let us never forget Normandy and the cost
Reach out to reconcile, past enemy to share
New hopes for the future, in place of despair
In the sunset of death, far from the mayhem
Now sounds the trumpet, let age not condemn
Great this sacrifice, we will remember them.

1974 - 50 Years Ago - November Part 2

1974 - 50 Years Ago - November Part 2

18. Coal goes up by 30p a hundredweight. The miner's pay rise, freight costs and general overheads have combined to push the price from £1.12 to £1.42 a bag,

19.The appointment of Fort Regent's director was announced. The top job--one of- the -highest paid in the Jersey civil service—has gone to a 29-year-old Englishman, Mr. Peter Donald Smyth.

20.Fifteen hundred explanatory pamphlets went out to Island employers this week explaining the new social security insurance system which comes into effect on January 1, Another 1,000 will follow shortly. Three of seven teenage thugs, who made vicious late-night attacks on• two men, one of them a 70-year-old—were jailed for three years by the Full Court yesterday. The other four were sent to Borstal, and the Bailiff, Sir Robert Le Masurier, warned: "Any further offences of this sort of violence will be treated in the same way."

22.—Two St. Lawrence houses which have stood empty for three years are finally to be demolished and the site redeveloped. Baycroft and Kirkstone, neighbouring properties on the landside of the Route de la Haule near Beaumont and the subject of sortie 'controversy within the;: parish, are to be pulled down and in their place will rise four' blocks comprising 21 flats .

24.-,,.When fire broke out .at- the ,Hotel Revere in Kensington Place this morning, the manager, Mr. William Carmody, took his wife. and 17. month-old baby out of their bedroom window on to the roof. They got down to the courtyard but found the doors locked—their cries for help aroused neighbours who called the Fire Service. The Carmody and other children were brought to safety by the owner. The fire started in the reception area on the ground floor, and the firemen managed to confine, it to that area, and to the bedroom immediately above.

25.—Following the collapse last week of its parent company, Triumph Investment Trust, local bank Whyte. Gasc and Co. (Channel Islands) Ltd., of Mulcaster Street, has ceased taking deposits and has had all its current 'deposits frozen. No local staff, however. have been laid off.

26.—The emergency measures announced yesterday by the British Government to combat IRA terrorism will be extended to Jersey immediately, they come into force in the UK. This was announced in the States by Defence, Committee president Deputy John Riley.

28.—-Mr. David Forster (20) killed in head-on crash on the Trodez Road; St Ouen. Austen’sCircus opens at Springfield. .

29.—Passports or similar documents advised for travel to UK following bomb incidents—Details of alteration: to New North Road published, Ronez Quarries to meet the cost.

30.--—The Finance and Economics Committee’s decision to double corporation tax next ’year to. £600 in the hope of bringing in. an extra £600,000 may force many companies to leave Jersey.

Who Pays the Ferryman?

"Trying to make things work in government is sometimes like trying to sew a button on a custard pie." (Hyman Rickover)

What will the outcome be? How will the vote go? The American Election?

No, the convoluted and mind-boggling slow decision making on a vote by Jersey's Council of Ministers to select a Ferry Operator - and make it look as if the Chief Officer didn't blow gaff on the intended firm when he voted online (and engaged one company on social media). 

If they come in favour of the Danish firm, it looks as if this was their intention all along, and they are just seeking good excuses to hide that fact. If they come in favour of Brittany Ferries, it looks as if they have given way to Guernsey.

And now, at the eleventh hour, they are thinking they can have a different operator (if they can justify it), and from Davy Jones Locker, I can hear the rattle of chains of Channel Island Ferries which metaphorically sank, apparently without trace, as no one has apparently read what happened when there were two operators. 

Maybe Kirsten Morel should borrow a copy of "Ferries of the Channel Islands: Past & Present" before the ghost of ferries past catches up with him.

The murmurings (don't expect details from the good Deputy) about "legal implications" and "legal advice needed" maybe suggest that some non-contractual but verbal "nod" had been given to the Danish firm, which is worrying. We still don't know the cost of the docking trials yet, and probably never will. If the bid is approved, it will be "commercially sensitive", if it fails, it will be available in the published States accounts (buried there in grouped figures, no doubt).

As for asking for extra details at the 11th hour, they've had at least from September, probably longer, to glean the necessary information.

And finally, we were told on Friday that a decision would be made on Monday. But of course, with this shambles, no decision has yet been made. When in 1907, there was a run on banks in the USA, JP Morgan summoned all the bankers to his residence, locked the doors, and wouldn't let them out until they had found a solution. Alas, the Minister is no J.P. Morgan. 

Meanwhile, tourists, tour operators, food companies, are all stuck in limbo, and if tourism takes a dive next year, we can know who to blame - the Minister for Economic Indecision.

The Gap in the Curtain

I pinched the title, but not the contents, of this poem from that wonderful spooky John Buchan book, which even though it has dated in some ways, is still wonderful to re-read. The poem is reflective of the Celtic festival of Samhain which passed earlier this week, and also uses a well-known hymn as the basis for its rhythmic schema.

The Gap in the Curtain

The veil so invisible
Known to the wise
In dark inaccessible
Hid from our eyes
But there ever glorious,
The parting of ways
Death comes, so victorious
The banshee we praise.

Dark wine is for tasting
The grail of the night
Drink deep, never wasting
It opens our sight
We can see the grey mountains
The borders above
And drink deep of such fountains
In mourning, we love.

The Cailleach in her glory
The goddess of night
Come let us adore thee
And open our sight
The veil we would render
And help us to see
The gap in the curtain
Where hideth does she

1974 - 50 Years Ago - November Part 1

1974 - 50 Years Ago - November Part 1

1 .Jersey resident Mr. Alan Harris announced his engagement to one of Britain’s top female tennis players, Miss Veronica Burton. Martyr mum Mrs. Michelle Perrée, the woman who refused to pay £6 in fines as a protest against “inadequate parking facilities” in the town began her mum-day jail sentence.

2.—-.-Last month 39 motorists were convicted at the Police Court for drunken driving; bringing the total for the first ten months of this year to 312, which was 42 more than in the same period last year.

4.-—It was announced that a pint of milk would go up from 8 ½ ip to 10p on December 1.

7.—The “ Jersey Evening Post’s ”' Hostess Seminar was held at the Hotel 'de France and over 600 women attended this very successful function. Guest speakers were Katie Boyle, flower display expert Julia Clements, and wonder-cook Marguerite Patten.

8.—Further damage to the reclamation site by last month’s stormy weather has forced the Dutch contractors, Ballast Nedam, to stop work on extending the outer arm or: the breakwater. Instead they will spend the winter trying .to catch up with the toe-wall and concrete cobs to give better protection to the new wall.

10 -A 606-lb. German anti-Shipping mine was safely blown up after a 40-hour drama. A giant crane, scooping the sea-bed at the La. Collette land reclamation site, had brought ashore the canister at 8.30 on Friday night.

12.—It was announced that the Establishment Committee, in conjunction with the States Postal Committee, had appointed Miss P. A. Egan to the post of Controller of Mails.

13.—Jersey's hoteliers and guest house keepers are now looking back on a season in which business turnover reached new records but high overheads cut into profits. But although unforeseen .price rises could not be offset by-raising charges mid-season,, profits have still been made, and there is no indication of • financial disasters within the hotel industry. • "

14.—Jersey's mail is to go 'metric' from September next year. The changeover will coincide with the UK Post Office's switch to grams, kilograms, millimetres and metres..

15:—The Jersey Licensed Victuallers Association are, putting 1p on tots of spirits and aperitifs, and 2p on soft drinks. The price increases are blamed on escalating costs in running a pub.

Lost Souls

This weekend I will be lighting a candle for loved ones lost, but I got to thinking about those who die alone, no family, no one to mourn. Who will light a candle for them?

Lost Souls

All Souls night, last days of Fall,
Lighting a candle, an act to recall:
Friends and family that we mourn,
Gone far from us, to distant bourne,
That tears apart life, ends in grief,
Blown off in gales, as a fallen leaf,
Vast ages past, but lives so short;
At the Grey Havens, a final port,
Before the journey, across a sea,
Memories fade, by small degree:
But names remain, the love we felt,
When in harmony together dwelt;
Yet what of those unknown, apart:
They died unloved, alone of heart;
Lost souls, graveside once so bare:
Only Priest and undertaker there;
So sad, so sad, that such came to be:
No loved ones mourn, no family;
We will call of names yet unknown:
Light a candle, make them known;
Remember them, in this our way:
When at All Souls, we come to pray.

Regional TV in 1978: Channel Television

Channel Television is the trading name of Channel Islands Communications (Television) Limited, which is a limited liability company registered in Jersey and is the programme contractor appointed by the Independent Broadcasting Authority for the Channel Islands.

Despite its small size, Channel Television produces an average of three-and-a-half hours of its own programmes each week in its studios in Jersey and Guernsey. Local news is clearly an important element and viewers in the Islands now enjoy an extra late-night bulletin as well as lunch-time news in English and a close-down bulletin and weather report in French. A weekly programme provides information about what's on and a short monthly parliamentary feature is produced. Events and topics of local interest are covered in greater depth in the twice-weekly Report at Six.

The Television Centre, ST HELIER, Jersey, Channel Islands
Tel: 0534 23451
Les Arcades, ST PETER PORT,
Guernsey, Channel Islands
Tel: 0481 23451

Directors. E D Collas (Chairman); K A Killip, OBE (Managing Director); E H Bod¬man; Harold Fielding; M Letto; G Le G Peek; A E O'D Troy; F H Walker.

Officers. Brian Turner (Operations Man¬ager); Phill Mottram Brown (Head of Sales); John Rothwell (Head of News and Features); Miss W M Fearon (Company Secretary).

Staff. The total staff of the company is 64.

Religious Advisory Committee. The Very Rev Tom Goss, Dean of Jersey (representing Anglican Church, Jersey); Rev D Mahy (Roman Catholic, Jersey); Rev Donald R Lee, MBE (Free Churches, Jersey); The Very Rev F W Cogman, Dean of Guernsey (representing Anglican Church, Guernsey); Rev B Fisher, MA (Roman Catholic Church, Guernsey); Rev K E Street (Free Church, Guernsey).

Programme Journal. Channel Television Times is published by Channel Islands Communications (Television) Ltd, and its editorial address is: Smith Street, St Peter Port, Guernsey.

Studios. JERSEY. Studio One 40 ft by 25 ft — three colour cameras equipped with ten to one zoom lenses, and normal sound facilities for television and film recording. Presentation Studio with colour camera. Two colour telecine units for 35mm, slide and 16mm projection with optical, mag¬netic and SEPMAG facilities. In addition one telecine unit equipped with `Coxbox' colour synthesiser for presentation and advertiser's slides.

GUERNSEY. Studio measuring 30 ft by 20 ft designed for live television usage and 16mm film production. A microwave link from Guernsey to Jersey provides for live television inserts from Guernsey into local programmes.

Film Facilities. Channel has two film units, one in Jersey and one in Guernsey. They are equipped with Arriflex 16 BL, Auricon 16mm Pro-600 and Bolex Reflex electrically driven hand-held-sound/silent cameras. Nagra full-track tape recorders equipped with Neopilot sync are used with the above cameras. The station is equipped with transfer facilities from Neopilot ÷ in. tape to double-headed working, using PAG magnetic film recorders. There is a pre¬view theatre equipped with a 16mm projector capable of showing COMOPT, COMMAG, SEPMAG and DUO-SEPMAG films, and a dubbing suite with commen¬tary recording booth. Channel also pro¬cesses and prints its own VNF Colour Film.

Programmes. Channel News, a ten-minute bulletin, transmitted at six o'clock on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday — a `hard news' look at the day's events, with filmed and live reports. Channel Lunchtime News, What's on Where and Weather, a twelve-minute bulletin and diary of events taking place in the Channel Islands, followed by a weather forecast and tidal information. The programme is trans-mitted live every weekday.

Report at Six, a 35-minute news and current affairs magazine, transmitted at 6p.m. on Tuesday and Friday. The programme includes full local news coverage, with an extended look at political affairs emanating from the four Channel Islands parliaments. Also included in Report at Six is 'Police File', a live five-minute insert on local crime, presented by a police officer.

Channel Late Night News and Weather, a three-minute round-up of the day's headlines, transmitted live immediately following News at Ten from ITN.

Channel News Headlines, a three-minute bulletin of local news and sports results at 6.10p.m. on Sundays.

Election Specials, Channel provides full coverage of elections for the island parliaments. These include The Hustings and Election Results. Today in the Guernsey States, a five-minute programme covering debate and the decisions made in the parliament's monthly sessions.

Reporting on the weekly meetings of the Jersey States is included in the Tuesday edition of Report at Six.

French speaking inhabitants are provided with several programmes in their own language live on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and Commentaires, a French language current affairs programme on Tuesday nights. Both programmes include a 'Bulletin Meteorologique', a French weather forecast.

Puffin's Birthday Greetings, a daily series of programmes in which Oscar Puffin, the station mascot, sends greetings to young viewers, helped by the duty announcer. On Saturday morning Oscar has his own ten-minute greetings programme, with cartoons.

Link Up, a monthly half-hour programme looking at Channel Islands' religious communities and the questions affecting them.

Jack Douglas at Home, a kitchen chat-show for men, with women in mind, hosted by the comedian and his wife, Susan, with recipes and tips from Jack's guests from the Channel Islands and the world of entertainment.

Channel Report Special, an occasional hour-long programme, designed to examine important island topics in depth. It is generally transmitted live with maxi-mum community participation, phone facilities and a studio audience.

Breakfast in the Ruins

Just past a year since conflict erupted in the Middle East and it is still not abating.

Breakfast in the Ruins

Gaza, one year on: began by a crime
Unexpected murder, hostages taken
Hamas attacks Israel: a clock’s chime
Marks hour when chaos was awaken

From hours to days, and days to weeks
Bombarding Gaza, and the children die
Occasional pauses, and highest peaks
As the turning world has gone awry

Breakfast in the ruins, early morning
Rubble around, a people displaced
Thunder clouds bring storm warning
Violence and fear are interlaced

Pray for these lands, O pray for peace
That the conflicts might one day cease

Two Appreciations from 1990 - Ken Webb and Christine White

Two appreciations from the JEP. On a personal note, Ken was the P.E. teacher at my schools Mandalay and VCP. I remember seeing him doing sports on Channel TV News. He came to work at the same accountancy firm, and we chatted over coffee and became friends.

In 1984, as a member of Mensa, Ken developed the magazine from the photocopied and stapled pages he inherited into a neat little piece of journalism, with a glossy cover, bound and stapled into a small booklet, and produced monthly by means of a photcopier and an Amstrad PCW512 - remember them? He was editor, and I was assistant editor.

Because contributions were exceedingly thin on the ground from the membership, Ken wrote additional material under his own name and the pseudonymn Charles Cabeldu, and I contributed extra essays and reviews under my own name and also the unlikely names of Matthew Shepard, Dr Gideon Fell (picnhed from the books John Dickson Car),  Una Nancy Owen (pinched from Agatha Christie's "And then there were none") and Magnus Riddolf (from a science fiction short story collection by Jack Vance)!

JEP Tuesday, 26 June, 1990

Appreciations: Mr Ken Webb

ONE of Jersey’s illustrious sons passed away last weekend.

Ken Webb was extremely well know not only in Jersey but also all over the Commonwealth for his knowledge of many sports.

Seventy-year-old Ken was educated at De La Salle College, and on leaving school he joined the staff of Lloyds Bank. In 1939 he joined the Royal Air Force, but was in Jersey on the day the Island became occupied, so he carried on working for Lloyds Bank both in Jersey and Guernsey.

Ken became engaged to Joan in 1940 and they were married in 1945. In 1946 he went into the , hotel business and in 1951 he decided to train as a schoolteacher, He then went to St Mary’s College, Oxford, and then to Loughborough. At the end of his training he commenced teaching at La Motte Street School, then moved on to Victoria College Prep.

Ken was a founder member of many clubs and organisations, including the Jersey Life Guards, the Jersey Rifle Association Supporters Club, and the Jersey Dinner Boxing Club. He was a trustee of Pisces Boxing Club, an instructor at Southhill Gymnasium, and also a world-class weightlifter.

But his ambition as a young man was the forming of the Jersey Commonwealth Games Association, which he accomplished in 1957. He then took the Jersey team to the next five Commonwealth Games as general team manager.

Ken was the editor of the Mensa magazine for the Channel Islands, and to add to his interests, he was also president of the Rozel Boatowners Association. He was responsible -for planning the course to be followed by Denize Le Pennec when she made the historic first-ever swim around Jersey.

But I feel that Ken will be remembered by many not for what he did for sport and other societies, but for the unselfish way which he always cared for, and about, others — especially youngsters who were not quite up to the standard required to pass exams. He was always available for extra tuition or if anybody needed advice of any sort; he always had time to listen to their problems, and always made time to help out no matter for whom or when.

Ken was also an accomplished musician; and played the piano, clarinet and saxophone in his younger days, and his love for jazz and classical music never left him, nor did his preciseness, politeness and consideration for others.

Joan has lost her partner of many years, and those who knew him have lost a very good friend and a true gentleman.

SJP

Appreciations: Mrs Christine White

CHRISTINE WHITE was born in Devon, and first became interested in the St John Ambulance Brigade when her father donated an ambulance to the local division. As no member was competent to drive this vehicle, Christine agreed to act as ambulance driver for the division. This led to her taking a first-aid course and becoming involved with the work of the Brigade.

After her marriage to David and the birth of her two daughters, a move to Jersey was made by the family, where her son was born.

Christine continued her work for the St John Ambulance and joined No 2 , Nursing Division, now known as Mountbatten Division.

But not satisfied with carrying out the duties of a nursing member she became a lay lecturer, and many people in the island owe their knowledge of first-aid to her. She will be sadly missed by all.

CAE

Lord of the Storm

One from the archive, from 30/05/2007, but appropriate I think given the hurricanes and storms of  late. The ancients often saw storms as the creation of gods, and in this poem, I have imagined giants invisible, walking and tearing at the land and sea.

Lord of the Storm

I walk the earth in giant strides
Sweeping all before my hands
Along my back, a storm rides
As I step over seas and lands

I walk the earth in giant strides
None can escape upon my way
Yet unseen, my presence hides
As I make trees bow and sway

I walk the earth in giant strides
The thing invisible, mighty, vast
Tearing great houses on all sides
But then I am still, all has passed

I walk the earth in giant strides
One in which nemesis abides.

1974 - 50 Years Ago - October Part 2

1974 - 50 Years Ago - October Part 2

17.--From January 1 next year, air fares between Jersey and the UK and between the Channel Islands themselves, will be increased by 7 ½ percent.

18.——J. Richardson re-elected Constable of Trinity.

19 .—States Housing Committee' may launch home design contest. Evaine, the only 12 metre racing yacht, falls at her moorings in St Aubin’s Harbour. Major Christopher Davey flies the. Army’s first hot-air balloon.

20;--Twenty-one members of the JEP Junior Club left for a week’s holiday in Majorca. They were accompanied by two representatives of the paper and several parents.

21 .-—Colour television will not be available till 1976 unless the BBC reverse a decision to withdraw from a joint operation with Channel Television.

22.—Waste heat from Sewerage Board Plant may be used to make electricity. CTV says colour on target for 1976.

23.—“Fire raiser” Terence Roy Hutchings (25), of Gorey, sentenced to 6 years jail by Royal Court :for setting fire to garages and cars. George J. Singh, business man, sues lawyers Gruchy, Gibault and Voisin for breach of duty, and claims £42,500.

24. Full Court sentences four men up to 6 years for sodomy, etc.. Housing Committee to investigate illegal occupation of property. [ In 1990, Jersey legalized homosexual sex with The Sexual Offences Law (1990)]

25.—Deputy Philip Bailhache of Grouville, and Advocate or Royal Court, is appointed Solisitor-General, the first step on the path to Bailiff. States may set up “ Building Society " to finance house loans. Death of Jersey’s oldest resident, Mrs. L. E. Voisin, aged 103 of 15 Midvale Road .Royal Court grants injunction freezing one million dollar account to Belgium Ministry of Post and Telegraphs and Telephone.

26.-Another gorilla born at Jersey Zoo.

27.—-The‘ first of two JEP parties leave for South Africa. The members of. ” JEP ” Junior Club party returned from Mallorca.

28..Outdoor tomato growers face serious losses due: to poor weather.

29.:The general secretary of the TGWU, Mr. Jack Jones, currently visiting Jersey, said that he would like to see higher wages paid in the Island, for agricultural workers and better conditions for catering workers.

30.—-The Jersey Gas Company are making a survey of appliances in Island homes, with a view to the possible introduction of natural gas.

31.—A 26 year old former estate agent, who ran a pornographic mail order business from a St. Brelade flat in June, was fined £200 today for sending pornographic literature through the post.

The Dream

The poem today bases its structure, but not its content, on a well-known hymn. Can you guess which one?

The Dream

I heard the night in whisper say
The time has come for rest
Close eyes in weariness, lay down
And enter dream so blest
In a dark place there I was
So weary, worn, and sad
And much in need of resting place,
And night’s call made me glad.

I heard the moon in whisper say
A gentle light I give
Much softer than the raging sun
Where night creatures can live
Caressed by moonbeam, deep I drank
Of her life giving stream
My eyes were opened, soul revived
And so I sang this hymn

I heard the stars in whisper say
Come blessed be the night
In a canopy of black, we rise
The constellations bright
I looked above, and I found
That tapestry so spun
And in soft starlight, I will walk
Till dreaming nights are done

1974 - 50 Years Ago - October Part 1

1974 - 50 Years Ago - October Part 1

1.—-Jersey’s “Miss Battle of Flowers” 20-year-old Sue de "Gruchy, is to visit Northern Ireland later this month and become “ Miss Ropal Hussar ”. The Hussars (Prince of Wales Own) made the invitation because the Channel Islands fall within their recruiting area. and Miss de Gruchy was delighted to accept. She will visit the Regiment, which is stationed in Ulster, from October 17 to 20.

2.--Mr. Phillip Misson,‘ Acting Viscount for the vast three years, has been appointed Viscount. Mr. Misson is 59, married with one son and lives at Trinity. He was Deputy Viscount under Mr. H. V. Benest from 1966 until the latter’s retirement in 1971. Under a new law, passed this year, the appointment is made by the Bailiff- personally.

3.——-Jersey’s new Medical Officer of Health, Dr Anthony Essex-Cater, moved into his Pier Road office this week with an impressive Public Health pedigree behind. him. Dr Essex-Cater (51) is married with four children. He said this morning that he was still “feeling his way around ” and getting used to the local setup.

4.——-Emergency legislation is :being drafted which it is hoped will be put before the Committee of Agriculture next week to enable the felling and disposal of trees infected with Dutch elm disease to begin as soon as possible.

7.—-—A subsidiary of Property Investments Channel Islands Ltd, Mandarin Investment Ltd. has purchased the premises in Bath Street formerly occupied by “Boudims motor cycle and cycle business”. It is understood that the premises will be offered on a long-term lease and will join the portfolio of CI properties held by Property Investments Channel Islands Ltd, an associated company or Slater-Walker (Jersey) Ltd.

8.--The " Jersey Evening Post ” pro-am golf tournament got off to a splendid start in bright sunshine at La Moye promptly at 9 am

9 .-—-His Excellency the Norwegian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland is paying a courtesy can to Jersey, and this morning he met the Channel Islands Consul, Mr John Huelin.

10 .——The Jersey Bulb and Flower Growers Association’s new flower Shep at the Airport was officially opened by Harbours and Airport Committee president, Deputy Bill Morvan.

11 .-—The amendment to the Children ( Jersev) Law which will permit publication of names of youths appearing at the Island’s courts once they reach the age of 17 has now received the Royal Assent.

12.—Among the winners in the October Premium Bond prize draw were six Channel Islands residents. One won £1,000. and five won 100 each.

14.——The first interviews were held for the post of Director of Fort Regent. Eleven applications have been short-listed for the post, which carries a possible salary of £7,000 on a three- to five-year contract.

15.-—-The Jersey district of the Girls Brigade has received news that Lady Fitzpatrick has agreed to be the local president during her time in Jersey.

16.—-—For the first time since he was named' as Viscount-designate, Mr Misson promulgated and published several laws which have recently received the Royal Assent, by reading them from the base of the statue of King George II in the Royal Square in the traditional manner.

Waiting for the bus

It's getting darker in the morning! Soon need the hi-vis jacket!

Waiting for the bus

A September morning, at the road side
The bus will be here any minute, I hope
I came walking fast, quickening stride
Listening to birdsong on a gentle slope

The air is cool, an Easterly breeze blows
Round the corner, the bus comes along
Passing hedgerows, scattering crows
They fly away, singing their raucous song

Passing the coastline, looking out to sea
A distant mist hides the far off islands
Beautiful archipelago I cannot see
The cliffs of Sark, the yellow sands

The days drawing in, and a later dawn
And early mornings bring forth a yawn

The Robin Hood Hotel

THE ROBIN HOOD HOTEL—Rouge Bouillion, St. Helier

By Philip Ahier

This hostelry at the corner of Val Plaisant and Trinity Hill was a sort of prison during the Bread Riots on May 17th, 1847.

These riots arose as the result of the workers making La Haule Road complaining at the high price of provisions, especially that of bread, compared with the terribly low wages they were receiving at the time, namely 2s. 0d. per day!

These workpeople gathered others from the Ship-building Yards at La Collette and those from the stores on Commercial Buildings and those working on the Pier; they arrived in the Royal Square shouting for cheap bread. The Riot Act was read outside the Royal Court House but this did not prevent the rioters from proceeding to the Town Mill in Grand Vaux which they attacked, grabbing bags of flour and loading two waggons with the commodity.

At this stage, the Constable of St. Helier (Peter Le Sueur) once again read the Riot Act outside the Robin Hood Tavern, 'as it was then known. One of the ringleaders of the rioters was arrested and lodged in the inn, but in the confusion that ensued he escaped by the back door, while the mob was trying to force open the front!

The Military was summoned from Fort Regent and closed the road leading to the Robin Hood Tavern. The carts laden with wheat and flour were 'captured', re-harnessed by horses and taken back to the Mill under military escort.

The Police arrested more rioters and lodged them in the Tavern taking precautions they did not escape!

The prisoners were later transferred to the prison in Gloucester Street and presented before the Royal Court.

A military guard was left outside the Town Mill, the Robin Hood Inn and the general vicinity for a fortnight after the riots.

On Thursday, June 3rd, 1847 fire broke out at the tavern, and before the first engine could reach it, the entire building was ablaze. It was eventually demolished, and replaced by the present building.

The accompanying crayon sketch of the Town Mill Bread Riots was made on the spot by an eye-witness, Mr. Mellish de la Taste then a young man of 24, the brother of Colonel John James de la Taste.

The sketch has an interesting history. After the death of Mr. M. de la Taste, some of his effects found their way into a second-hand shop in the early eighties of the last century.

Colonel de la Taste saw it lying between the window and some `junk' and suspected that it was his brother's drawing. He called in and asked "how much?", he was told and said he would think about it. The shop-keeper replied "better be quick about it as the Societe Jersiaise is after it". Whereupon, the Colonel put a golden sovereign and six shillings upon the counter and thus secured his brother's sketch!

While visiting Mr. M. de la Taste, Jnr., one evening some years ago, the writer noticed the drawing hanging on a wall and asked whether he could get a photographic reproduction thereof, to which Mr. de la Taste readily assented.

During the 1870's, The Robin Hood was the penny omnibus terminus. These were horse-drawn buses which travelled the town area.

The Inn has had a series of owners since it was rebuilt, until 1969, when it was purchased by the Ann Street Brewery Co. Ltd., in whose ownership it has since remained.

Mabon

A celebration of Autumn, of the Autumn equinox, of the ancient Celtic festival of Mabon, and harvest time.

Mabon

Sweet harvest, rejoice in time of year
Feasting and gratitude at nature’s gift
Time to be merry and of good cheer
Before the weather comes adrift

Sweet harvest, all is safely gathered in
Threshing machines separate the grain
And stalks and husks are thrown in bin
Before the winter storms and rain

Sweet harvest, Pomona’s apply bounty
Time for gathering for the cider making
Prepare apple and blackberry pie for me
Before the gales are trees a-shaking

Celebrate Mabon: leaves, acorns, pine cone
The waning moon, the wise old crone

The Jersey Exhibition

 From the 1970s (around 1972?) in "Jersey Illustrated" magazine.

Tony's Ramblings: Television

The Project

The highlight of my week has to be "The Project", last seen 20 years ago, and apparently (although no sources and solid evidence is available) a TV show which Alastair Campbell tried to block. Nowadays, with Rory Stewart, he is the statesmanlike voice of reason, but back during the Blair years of Labour's power, he came across as very much something of a spin doctor.

The first part, "Opposition", was first shown on 10 November 2002, with the second part "Government" shown the next night (divided into two parts), both on BBC One

The story is told through the eyes of two activists, played by then unknown actors Matthew Macfadyen and Naomie Harris and their friends. In "Opposition", Clips from TV news show the public drama being played out, but the focus is on the drama behind the scenes, looking firstly at Kinnock's failure in 1992, and the build up to the Labour victory in 1997.

"Government" shows how the idealistic hopes are lost, and how brutal the Whips can be in persuading recalcitrant MPs to vote - both physical violence, and bullying. Having read the diaries of Chris Mullen, you can see the pressures on individual MPs (although he never had physical violence threatened), and how a non-conforming MP will end their career if they don't vote for the party's measures, and how the government was constrained for two years by a promise to keep to the Tory spending limits. Here, Naomie Harris's MP Maggie (MP for Wroker) faces the threat of the Whips to keep in line.

Chief Whip: We're very pleased with you. You feel passionately about certain issues and we want to use that. So it comes down to a very simple choice. Take your name off the motion and vote with the government and you will be.....a Junior Minister in the Department of Transport after the next election. Or vote against us and your career is over. When a new hospital is awarded, it will not go to Wroker. When a bypass needs approval, it will not be given in Wroker. When Nissan want government grants to build a new factory, they will not be forthcoming for your constituency. We'll make you unelectable. It's what'll happen to you.

Given that Labour are now facing potential rebellions with a large majority but unpopular measures and keeping to spending limits - taking away the winter fuel allowance for pensioners being one - this is incredibly topical.

Sherwood Season 2

Bad blood and simmering tensions erupting into violence. Not perhaps as rooted in the past with flashbacks as the previous series, this is still compelling drama as past trauma and present conflicts bubble away beneath the surface.

Grace

Meanwhile on ITV, Grace continues with quality and murder, with twists and turns along the way. Shot mostly around Bristol and Hove, and headed by John Simm, this series shows why Peter James is a best selling crime writer. Last week had what for me was an unforseen twist at the end, very cleverly done. The friction between the political - go public with a serial killer and it may effect business and tourism - is also quite believable.

The Writing on the Wall

And finally, something completely different - Mike Read (one of the "Footage Detectives" from the wonderful Talking Pictures show of the same name) has for Talking pictures produced a fascinating documentary series on the Blue Plaques on buildings commemorating famous people, telling their story with interviews, photos, archive footage. A real gem.

Rozel in the Fall

A trip to Rozel where I haven't been for some years - parking is always difficult but easier when children are at school. I love the beach huts, the date stones, the boats in the harbour. The tea rooms have gone. The Navigator restaurant - where you could "pick your own fish course" from their tank - has gone, now apartments. But the "Hungry Man" beach cafe is still, there, still doing great food! The lady behind the counter recognised me as "Facebook friend" which was a nice surprise! 

Rozel in the Fall

The tidal water gently laps the shore
Today, last blaze of an autumn sun
Like walking through a magic door
Before the cold of winter soon begun

The Hungry Man: good food to so enjoy
Hot sausage and egg roll, tea to drink
Watch the boats afloat, ahoy, ahoy!
Time to slowly reflect, time to think

Seaside houses, with date stones old
Weathered many storms over years
And what tales might they have told
About love and hope, grief and tears

This harbour, small, but such a delight
A memory to dream about tonight

1974 - 50 Years Ago - September 2024 Part 2

 

1974 - 50 Years Ago - September 2024 Part 2

16.—Preliminiary discussions about the new extended St. Peter's Village development scheme were held at a committee meeting. and it has been agreed that priority for homes will go to natives not the parish. Burt parish secretary Mr.Frank Renault emphasized this morning that applications should not be made until a further statement is issued.

17.—The States agreed to take over the artificial insemination service for the Islands’ cattle industry at an estimated annual deficit of £7,750, despite a strong plea: by Senator Dick Shenton that they should not start rescuing lame ducks.

18.—Nurses and midwives in Jersey are to get massive. pay rises ranging from £1.65 a week for- newly recruited students to around £1,000 a year for chief nursing officers. The deal announced by the UK Government yesterday as the result of an emergency independent inquiry, will automatically be applied in Jersey.

19.—Security meeasures are being taken by the police to guard the Consul de France and his staff at the Consulate in Don Street. This follows the siege of the French Ambassador and his staff at the Embassy in The Hague from last Friday until yesterday, when they were released by the Japanese Red Army Terrorists by whom they had been held captive. Deputy John Riley said that the French Government had requested that special security arrangements be made for guarding the personnel at their embassies, legations, consular offices in countries throughout the World.

20.—-A 24 year-old woman was shot dead at a house in Miladi Farm Estate, St. Saviour. at about midnight last night and a 35-year-old man, believed to be her husband, was assisting inquiries at Police Headquarters this morning.

21.—A-top official of the Jersey Farmers Union has resigned because he says that he can no longer make any constructive contribution to the organization. The resignation. which has been accepted by the union's general council, is that of Mr. Leslie Minty full-time secretary for the past seven years. .

23.——An ex-Centenier’s son, 35-year-old Jersey-born Ian Stanley Le Brun, made a brief appearance in the dock at the Police Court this morning charged with the murder of his wife 24-year-old Mrs. Christine Chandler Le Brun (née Prosser), with a shotgun. Advocate Michael Clapham is defending, but reserved his defence. No plea was entered and the Assistant Magistrate, Sir Graeme Finlay, remanded the accused in custody for one week; .

24—Damage estimated at thousands of pounds was done when fire broke out at the premises of Auto Electric, the electrical engineers, in Byron Lane, during the night. Inside the building the stock included batteries and motors, charging and lighting equipment. The cause of the fire has yet to be established.

25.—One of Jersey’s most famous bulls Broadfields Vedas Star Lad has been sold by his owner, Mr. Alec Anthoine, for the all-time Island record price of £4,000.

26.—Hit by a lorry as she was crossing the Esplanade at about 3.15 yesterday afternoon, Miss Mabel C. Foot, a. 75 year-old visitor from Andover, Hants, died some hours later at the General Hospital, where she had been taken unconscious with a suspected skull fracture.

27.—Jersey is to send £5,000 to aid victims of the Honduras hurricane disaster.

28,—Town pilot Mike Berny, the coxswain of Jersey’s lifeboat, has been selected by the RNLI as the man who performed the bravest act of life-saving during 1973. The Institution has decided that he should receive a. special award in recognition of his courage during the rescue of the crew of six from the French yacht Bacchus on September 18 last year.

29.—An 80 year-old man was killed when a tree which he was helping to fell in his garden crashed down on top of him. He was Mr. Edmund John Huelin, of Lowland Cottage. St. Catherine's Hill. St. Martin.

30..—It was announced that stockbrokers D. Q. Henriques Seal and Co., who operate a Jersey office at Channel House in Green Street, will cease trading on ‘November 8. The Manchester-based firm confirmed weekend rumours when it informed the Council of the Stock Exchange that it would not be taking on any new business after the close on that date. But the company has promised to meet all its commitments and a. spokesman in Jersey said there would be no local redundancies.

Autumnal

I had a lovely walk on Friday with some friends through country lanes in St Ouen, that very rural of Parishes, and this gave rise to this poem.

Autumnal

Season of the year, before it grows old
Milder sunshine, punctuated heavy rain
Sometimes Indian summer, others cold
With rain lashing at the window pane

Ambling leisurely along the country lane
Sheep grazing peacefully nearby fields
Gentle turning of rooftop weather vane
Before weather breaks, to winter yields

Old country farmhouses, chimney smoke
The apples ripe, with so much windfall
Earlier sunsets, a falling twilight cloak
Shadows lengthen over roadside wall

Autumn days, both joyful and sadness
Leaves golden brown bring gladness

1974 - 50 Years Ago - September 2024 Part 1

1974 - 50 Years Ago - September 2024 Part 1

2.—-—Mountainous seas and gale-force winds lashed Jersey’s east coast this morning leaving a trail of destruction from Gorey harbour to St. Catherine’s breakwater for the second time this year. At least three valuable boats were smashed against the rocks until they were nothing more than drift wood, and several other craft suffered minor damage after dragging their moorings and pounding against harbour walls. Jersey’s new Lieut.-Governor General Sir Desmond Fitzpatrick, GCB, D80. MBE. MC., was sworn in for his five-year term of office at the Royal Court this morning.

3.——Sir Desmond- Fitzpatrick was formally introduced to the States at a special sitting of. the House. He made it clear to States Members that he intends to take an active interest in Island affairs.

4-.—-A working party under Deputy Fred Le Brocq. has recently been appointed to look into the vexed question of treatment for young offenders in Jersey.

5.—-Food prices in Jersey rose 35 per cent in the quarter ended on August 9, and although this rise was not as high as in the previous quarter, the price differential between Jersey and the, UK rose to 12.7- per cent.

6.—A DC6 belonging to Delta Air Transport burst both tyres on the port side when landing at Jersey Admort shortly before 10 o’clock this morning. Bringing 42 passengers from Antwerp for a day trip -to the Island, the plane remained on the runway for 15 minutes before taxing into one of the runway exits. Both tires started to come off the rims and replacements will have to be flown into the: Island before the plane can depart. The passengers, though unharmed, were a little shaken, and were disembarked while the plane was still on the runway.

7.—After a nightmare 12-hour battle through hurricane-force winds and " horrific " seas, the one thousand Jersey-bound passengers on British Rail’s Sarnia got within sight of St. Helier Harbour early, this afternoon, only to find that the ship’s master had ordered “about turn and back to Guernsey." The decision was made, Canptain Paul Baker said later, “ because to go any further would have but the ship at risk. As we rounded Corbiére I could see we couldn’t make it—it would have been-impossible to get the ship into harbour.”

10.—The restrictions on the use of water imposed in June—using hoses to water gardens or wash cars. topping up swimming pools. etc.— are lifted from midnight tonight. M-r. Rodney Clarke, engineer-manager of the Jersey New Waterworks Company, said this morning that the decision had been taken at the company's board meeting yesterday. But he stressed that the Island still had a water problem, with 35 million gallons less in reserve that at the same time last year.

11.—Two States Members, 9 local union officials, a director of a shipping company and a chairman of the Jersey Agricultural Marketing Federation flew to Southampton this morning in a bid to solve the problems caused by the Portsmouth dock strike—a situation described by TGWU regional officer Mr. Ernie Allen as a “ tragedy ”

13.—The Jersey and Guernsey Savings Banks have announced that they will amalgamate from November next year. The banks will become the Channel Island Trustee Savings Bank, as part of a nation-wide reorganization of Trustee Savings Banks in which 1,550 branches will be arranged into 15 regional groups . , '

14.—A dockers strike at St. Malo means that over 60 cars bound for there from Jersey will be stuck in the Island over the weekends. The cars should have left last night on the Commodore Shipping services cargo vessel Norman Commodore, but they seem certain now to stay in Jersey until Monday morning at the earliest. It is believed that the next meeting to try to resolve the dispute will be held on Monday afternoon.

Neglect

I thought I'd return to a rondel as the poetic form this week. This was occasioned by seeing several greenhouses close by just left in a ruinous state. The picture, however, is not any of those as it would be unfair to the owners.

Neglect

A tangle of twisted metal, broken glass
Decay where once the fruit was grown
Fine harvests every summer known
Now eaten by the weeds and grass

Tomatoes, fresh, tasty, such first class
Seeds with diligence each year sown
A tangle of twisted metal, broken glass
Decay where once the fruit was grown

The turning point, where storms trespass
Where the metal fractures with a groan
An old greenhouse dying with a moan
Time’s neglect, wind, rain, gales pass
A tangle of twisted metal, broken glass

La Haule Manor by Philip Ahier

La Haule Manor
By Philip Ahier

As its name indicates, it is one of the first examples of an old Manor House being converted into a Hotel.

It is situated at the corner of La Route die La Haule and Le Mont au Roux (commonly known as La Haule Hill), in the Parish of St. Brelade.

The story of the Manor and its former owners was told by historian Julia Marett in the bulletin of the Societe Jersiaise (B.S.J. XIII p. 367-368), hence that which follows is a summary of her excellent monograph to which the writer acknowledges his indebtedness for the same.

There was a homestead in the locality as far back as 1430, when its owner, Guillaume de Marest, by his will, left the Manor with its gardens, the cotils of Le Mont de La Rocque (the hill west of the present La Haule Hill) to his elder daughter, who had married a Guernseyman by the name of Perrot Nicolas.

The Manor was forfeited to the Crown in 1488, because the heir of James Nicolas (son of Perrot) had not paid his dues to, the King. Later in that year John Cowper bought the Manor, but in 1498 he sold it to Nicolas Vallepy. Later, in 1501, he also sold a piece of land near La Haule called "La Rocque" to the same Nicolas Vallepy.

In 1513 Nicolas Vallepy sold the Manor to Thomas de Marest and hence it reverted into that family once again. Le Haule Manor descended from father to son .in this de Marest family until 1644 when it passed on to Suzanne, the sister of Elie Dumaresq (the family by this time had altered the spelling of their name). She married as her second husband Elie Marett.

Some interesting features are associated with the first Manor House.

1. In 1546, and again in 1621, the ammunition required for use at St. Aubin's Fort was stored here.

2. In 1626 the plague carried off some 120 persons from St. Brelade's Parish, including Elie Dumaresq of La Haule and his daughter. The register of St. Brelade's Church mentions that five servants from the Manor House were buried in the garden at La Haule.

3. Chevalier, in his 'Journal' (p. 323), tells that Sir Peter Osborne, the Governor of Guernsey, at the request of Charles, Prince of Wales, came to Jersey with his Chaplain, the Gentleman Porter of Castle Cornet, and stayed at La Haule Manor. The present Manor House was built in 1796, by Phillip Marett, who used a great deal of material from the old house, incorporating the shaped tops of the old windows and doors in the walls. The present cellars, no doubt are part of the original older building which seems to have faced the hill. The yard by which they are approached is much lower than the level of the present house. On the entrance door are the Arms of Payne-the three trefoils. Regarding the present Manor House, a tradition has been handed down that a Russian Soldier was killed while helping to build it, and was buried in the gardens. During the German Occupation, the Manor was requisitioned for the housing of a few German officers, who left the premises in an extremely dilapidated condition.

After such bad treatment, the Manor was converted into a first class hotel in 1952, by Mr. & Mrs. Parker, who opened it in 1953. Unfortunately, Mr. Parker passed away in September of that year, but the Hotel continued to prosper under the proprietorship of Mrs. A. Parker. Since then Mrs. Parker has completely modernised and renovated the property, and today it is one of the most popular first register hotels on the island.