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.

Hobbe’s World

Hobbes, Abba, Waterloo and margarine
Free Thinking

What do you owe the state? Do you think in terms of loyalties and duties? Writing during the English civil war, Thomas Hobbes came up with an outline for the social contract between the people and the sovereign – on Free Thinking, Matthew Sweet and guests unpick his ideas and come up with a version for now. They also explore the politics of butter, margarine and scones and seek guidance about history from Abba lyrics.

This inspired this poem:

Hobbe’s World

Untamed nature: a fearful life
Existence is nasty, brutish, short
Tribalism ascendant, much strife
Warlords make savage sport

The State: control is absolute
Everything fixed in its space
Voices of dissent are mute
Determinism wipes out grace

The social contract, never free
Hobbe’s Leviathan in charge
Material destiny and tyranny
No dissidents allowed at large

In the modern world of today
Hobbe’s ghost makes many pay

La Folie Inn by Philip Ahier

La Folie Inn
By Philip Ahier

This inn is one of the six "Free Houses" in the town of St. Helier. It is owned by the States of Jersey and is administered by the Harbours and Airport Committee: it is also probably one of the oldest inns in the Town, and certainly, it has kept its original name throughout the two and a half centuries of its existence. It was termed `La Folie' as it was considered a piece of foolishness to build a house, hence a folly to do so, no matter of what type, so close to the sea, as there was every possibility that it might be overwhelmed by the waves, particularly when there was a strong south-westerly gale blowing.

The inn does not appear on a map of St. Helier compiled in 1700, but in Peter Meade's Map, prepared "pursuant to an Order of the Board of Ordnance, dated May 30th, 1737" (E. T. Nicolle, "The Town of St. Helier", p.30), there are three black rectangle's near the Town Pier not finished and very unsafe. The Town Pier was commenced in 1700.

It can: be assumed that one of these rectangles depicted the La Folie Inn, and thus it can be assumed that it was built at some date between 1700 and 1737.

There was at one time a leaden well pump which had the date 1823 embossed upon it. A tradition has been handed down that a hundred years before this date, La Folie Inn had been built, that is in 1733, which fits in well with the idea put forward: in the previous paragraph. De La Croix in his “Ville de St. Helier" says:

"In the space between Le Havre aux Anglais and the South Pier (Le Havre aux Francais) stood La Folie Inn built at the foot of a rock and which remains to this day (1850) although it has been completely rebuilt and faces the entrance of the harbour"-a photograph of a painting of the Inn, made in 1820, and kindly presented to the writer by "Mine Host and Hostess" certainly shows it in that position.

A sepia drawing of the South Hill and the Old Harbour of St. Helier, dated 1770, depicts the harbour very clearly, but it is difficult to decide among the buildings so delineated, which is the La Folie Inn. This drawing can be seen at the Museum in Pier Road.

It is pretty apparent why the hostelry was built at that spot. The workers employed on the new Harbour in 1700, needed refreshment, to sustain them in their strenuous labours, while those sailors returning from long sea voyages across the Seven Seas would be glad to have a drop of home brew!

There is a tradition prevailing that if a bona fide: sailor arrives in the non-prescribed hour of opening, the licensee must open the premises!

The hostelry has been nicknamed the Jolly Inn on account of the jollity sometimes associated with it!

The interior of the Inn is interesting; the ceiling of the lounge is adorned with a ship's wheel parallel to itself. During the War Years, the Inn was occupied by the Army of the Occupation Forces.

At the end of the hostilities the premises were then occupied by Mr. W. H. Machon, who stayed at La Folie as licensee till 1965, when he passed away, and was succeeded by his nephew. Mrs. B. Collingny then took over the license, which she held until 1972, when Mr. E. A. Langford became the licensee. At this time the Inn was completely refurnished, but without affecting its original seafaring atmosphere, which is a constant reminder that this is one of the oldest Inns in Jersey.

Among the distinguished persons who have patronised the Inn are the following film stars: - Rock Hudson, Yvonne de Carlo, and Michela Denis, the wife of Armand Denis.

Air Display and the Minister: A Case of Reduction and Redaction

The Declining Grant

Organiser and former politician Mike Higgins said the grant had been "progressively reduced" in recent years:

In 2014, the Air Display received a £110,000 grant
In 2017, the grant was £90,000
In 2018, the grant was £75,000
In 2019, the grant was £45,000
The event was cancelled in 2020 because of fog.
In 2021, the grant was £65,000
In 2022, the grant was £60,000
In 2023, the grant was £60,000
And in 2024, they received £40,000 from government.

This has now been increased by £20,000 as the Minister has (in my opinion) been shamed by the support from donors.

However, from a request via FOI in August 2024:

"August 2024 Request Please can I have extracts of any minutes or emails relating to the reduction of this year's grant to the air display?" 

"Response: There has been no reduction to the core grant funding offered for the Jersey International Air Display in 2024. £40,000 has been allocated in 2024 and this is consistent with the 2023 sum. Accordingly, there is no information held in this regard, and Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies."

This would seem to be a barefaced lie. Yes, the government increased its grant for 2023 by £20,000 at the last minute, so the "core funding" might be taken as £40,000, but that is incredibly deceptive. I wonder if the Minister is aware of the team working on FOI and their tendency to be "economical with the truth".

Evasion via Freedom of Information

Some more rewriting of history.

A: How many tenders for the rights to run the 2024 Jersey Air Display were received?
B: Which was the successful tender for this year's display?
C: Which Minister was responsible for deciding which tender to accept?
D: How much of a grant will the air display be given this year?

Response

"A and B: The Government of Jersey does not directly tender for, nor procure, air display organisers. Any organiser who can demonstrate to Jersey’s Bailiff’s Chambers and Director of Civil Aviation that they are a competent authority is free to advance plans for an air display in Jersey."

"To do so applicants will need to meet six criteria to be assessed against. They include safety of the event, stakeholder relationships, economic and environmental impact, and to reflect the island’s history as well as its future and how it could attract visitors and renew the interest of islanders."

"These points were reflected in an article published in March 2023 where it was emphasised that government funding should represent value for money for island taxpayers. The link to the relevant article is attached below for reference: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-64902655"

"C: The Minister for Sustainable Economic Development may allocate grant funding from budgets within the Department for the Economy."

"D: The Government of Jersey is in discussions with Jersey International Air Display Limited about 2024 grant funding. The final grant funding figure is yet to be confirmed and will be subject to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and delivery targets for the event."

More Evasion in FOI

Thanks for your response.

The linked article which you supply says:

"Ministers said they will look at support for air events in line with financial and environmental targets. They have invited those who would like to run displays to tender for the rights."

Deputy Kirsten Morel said "imaginative proposals" were welcome. There are now six criteria which any application for government support will be assessed against.

"We are inviting people and organisations who have strong, demonstrable experience as air event organisers to come forward."

There is ABSOLUTELY nothing there which says the Bailiff's Chambers and Civil Aviation would be involved as per your reply:

"The Government of Jersey does not directly tender for, nor procure, air display organisers. Any organiser who can demonstrate to Jersey’s Bailiff’s Chambers and Director of Civil Aviation that they are a competent authority is free to advance plans for an air display in Jersey."

On the contrary Deputy Morel's own words emphasis the government is calling for tenders for GOVERNMENT support - i.e financial support. And also that THEY - i.e. Ministers will be reviewing the expressions of interest.

Given that, I do not think the response answers my first question at all and is completely wrong! Please review.

FOI - More Evasion Still

Further to your correspondence below, the handling department have reverted as follows:

"The Government ran an expressions of interest exercise in 2023 for prospective organisers to seek public funding. This should be clearly distinguished from seeking applications for the rights to run an air display. The Government of Jersey does not hold the rights to air displays and organisers are free to run such displays at any time, without public money, provided they can satisfy the Bailiff’s Chambers and Director of Civil Aviation. We hope this answers your query."

So they are redefining ""Ministers said they will look at support for air events in line with financial and environmental targets. They have invited those who would like to run displays to tender for the rights."

This has been rewritten to mean  "we will run an expression of interests exercise" - contrary to the plain sense of what was says.

Clearly this is NOT what Kirsten Morel originally said. There seems to be a distancing exercise going by the FOI responders on here, to distance himself - and absolute himself - of all responsibility which he had stated as his under the previous Council of Ministers.

A Little Omission

You may notice my reply to the first FOI when I called them out from the text of the "linked article", and their response. Neither my reply nor their response was every published on the FOI area. Fancy that!!

Wet Wheels Trip

A really great day out last Wednesday!

Wet Wheels Trip

The day has come, to the Victoria Pier
The boat is there, and we get on board
And it is a fair old swell, but never fear
It’s only Jersey’s coast, not a fjord.

Ups and down, and sea spray fling
Fast out on the briny sea we go
Odd wave breaks on port side wing
And Davy Jones’s locker far below

Around the rocks and bays we spy
The craggy outcrops, sandy shore
And I take the wheel, Captain, aye!
Enjoy the sights of the coastal tour

It’s a whale of a tail, no not quite so!
But still memory fine of tide and flow

Island Players hold a Dinner Dance

From an article in Jersey Life, from the 1960s. I remember the Island Players, who used to stage their shows at the "Little Theatre", sadly now all demolished. I hope someone rescued the wooden board with all their plays and dates of plays on it. I went to a few performances there in the 1990s and particularly remember one around Liberation Day which had two separate "Playlets", with music from wartime in between from the La Ronde Concert Band, led by Leslie Le Marinel, which also sneaked in (surely they had to!) the Dad's Army theme tune!

Valenda Pelletier

Pogrom

Much of the media have described marches led by far-right activists in the UK which led to out of control riots and looting as 'anti-immigration protests', but Ian Dunt says the term 'anti-immigration' is woefully insufficient. He says what occurred was not a demonstration, not just a riot and more than just violent disorder. What occurred was a pogrom - an attempt to attack and in some cases murder people, targeting those with black and brown skin

Pogrom

She gave her child a brick to throw:
Breaking glass is all they know;
And setting a world on fire afar,
Messages burning here a scar;

Book burning has come again:

Nazis did this, way back then;
Difference hatred there and here,
And with difference comes fear:
Destroy, exterminate, wipe out,
Throw bricks with baying shout;
Hatred rises against the stranger:
Mobs run riot, causing danger;
Behind the scenes, dark voices cry:
Feeding flames with every lie;
Burn not just adults but a child:
Evil words make speech defiled;
Cockroach, vermin, alien race:
But kindness has a human face;
While hate burning like a fire,
And speeches light a funeral pyre,
Hands come to help, not fight:
Against the wrong, the way of right;
They reach out to have and hold:
A community of hope is bold;
And will rebuild from ashes now;
Ways of peace: this is the vow;
This is the country of the kind,
And not all are lost or blind;
Darkest hour before sunrise:
Sunrise where the future lies.

1974 - 50 Years Ago - August 2024 Part 2

1974 - 50 Years Ago - August 2024 Part 2

17.—Lucky winner! A man who walked into B. J. O’Connor’s Hilgrove Street office to claim a £12 prize in last Thursday’s lottery walked out again ten minutes later still hardly believing that he had won the £12000 jackpot. The man, a Portuguese hotel worker from Madeira, is under-stood to be in his late twenties. and married with one son.

19.—A 20-year-old pedestrian, James Joseph Cowie, died in the General Hospital in the earlry hours of this morning after being struck by a van on the Five Mile Road at about 11.30 last night. His 17-year-old girl-friend, also hit by the van,‘ is detained with bruising to her body. This was the second road death of the year.

20.—Two young people lost their lives when the car in which they were driving along St. Catherine’s Road went over the side of the cliff and plunged about 80 ft. into the sea. Centenier J. D. Germain, of St. Martin, assumed charge or the investigations with P.C. H. Hougue.

21.—Passenger arrivals for last month were down by nearly 7,000 on the figure for July last year. In the, Economic Adviser’s office comments on the statistics they point out that there were five Sundays in July, 1973, but only four this year.

22..—The strike at La. Collette land reclamation site was made official, and it is probable that the men will be paid for the time they have been out. A meeting of the two sides has been arranged for tomorrow and Mr. E. G. Allen, the regional secretary of the TGWU. has been invited to attend.

23.—The Constable of St. Brelade, Mr, Max de la Haye has hit out at the detrimental effect camp sites have on the Island, and called for a limit on numbers as they are now. .

24.—The. Post Office in. Broad Street is running a very successful bureau de change. It opened on June 17, since when there have been over 3,000 customers.

27 .—The teenage couple whose bodies were found in a car at the foot of a cliff opposite La Crete Quarry, Archirondel, last Wednesday morning, were drowned after the car was driven at a fast speed. Round the: bend and plunged on to the rocks below, an inquest jury decided.

28.—The go-ahead for a resumption of air services between Shoreham and the Channel Islands has. been given by the Civil Aviation Authority.

29.—-Family chemist Mr. Charles Mark Stone retires at the end of this week after 40 years in the pharmaceutical industry. His business premises is to be sold to a local resident.

30.--It was revealed at a Press conference that the Committee of Agriculture are using emergency powers to cope with the outbreak or! Dutch Elm disease.

Lammas

Lammas

Ancient of days, the tribe travelling:
History nomadic, often unravelling;
Following the prey, to hunt and kill:
The tribal glory, for good and ill;
Fleeing the ice sheets of the North,
Frozen touch of gods brings forth;
Land in icy shroud, the fingers numb,
Southwards still the glaciers come;
Stone axe and flint to make our fire,
The hunt, the feast is our desire;
But those grown old, are left behind:
The nomadic life is never kind;
Until one day, one year, one time,
We settled in a warmer clime,
And the wild wheat began to take,
Grind up and bread began to make;
The wattle huts, the potter’s clay,
A settled life for us, a better way;
The milling stone, the fields white,
The harvest was a lovely sight;
And as many centuries go past,
The miller’s craft will always last;
The reaping in the fields today:
And first fruits of the harvest day;
Not for granted, this bread of life:
Especially in our world of strife;
For our good harvest, let us pray:
Still give thanks on Lammas day.

1974 - 50 Years Ago - August 2024 Part 1

1974 - 50 Years Ago - August 2024 Part 1

1.—Opportunity knocks! The Battle of Flowers took place in beautiful weather and thousands of people enjoyed the colourful spectacular. Hughie Green was the guest celebrity who accompanied Miss Battle (Sue de Gruchy) around the arena. The Prix d’Honneur was won by “Olé”, the float entered by the Parish of St. Clement. “ The Old Woman who lived in a Shoe ”, the float entered by the Parish of Grouville, won the Prix d’Excellence.

2.—The States Industrial Relations Advisory Officer, Mr. Bernard Heptinstall, is retiring at the end of the Year and it is the intention of the Industrial Relations committee that he be replaced by a part-time officer. Mr. Heptinstall said he was retiring for “ personal and domestic reasons ”.

3.—Jersey’s second big event of the week began this morning at 8 a.m. It was the ten-hour bike-a-thon, a, Sponsored cycling event organized by the Variety Club of Jersey to raise money for under-privileged children.

5.—Positive steps are now being taken towards the provision of a colour television service for Jersey. The foundations of the Independent Broadcasting Authority's Frémont mast are being strengthened to allow a 17-foot extension to be erected at the top. If all goes according to plan Jersey will have colour television and BBC 2 in 1976.

6.—The £19,000 top prize in last Friday afternoon’s Battle of Flowers Lottery draw was claimed by a visitor from Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey, from the States Treasury this morning. The winner wanted no publicity.



8.—Jersey is to be represented in the official “ Miss World ” contest in London, in November, for the first time, The invitation from organizers Mecca Entertainments was accepted by the Tourism Committee at their meeting this afternoon.

12,—Daily average sales of the " Jersey Evening Post " for the first six months of this year rose by 374 copies over the same period last year, to give- an official circulation figure for the January/June period of 21,300 - by far the highest figure ever achieved for the first half of a year.

13.—Jersey may lose between two-thirds and three-quarters of its total tree population because of the outbreak of a particularly virulent form of Dutch elm disease. This forecast was made today by Mr. G. Journeaux, superintendent of parks and gardens at the States Public Works Department.

15.——A one-day token strike by members of the TGWU has brought work at the land reclamation site at La Collette to a halt. The strike concerns the alleged victimization of a shop steward by a site supervisor.

16.—Jersey house prices are dropping but people are still finding that they cannot afford to buy, two Island housing experts said today. Prices have come down considerably in some cases in recent months, said estate agent Mr. E. G. Fame. who gave the main reasons as the virtual ban on rich immigrants to the Island and a shortage of cash on the part of would-be local buyers.