Elegy for Autumn

I wanted a sonnet as a "mood poem" to capture autumnal mood with strong natural imagery.

Elegy for Autumn

Brown leaves fall softly to the ground
And berries adorn the trees with red
Crows portend with autumn’s sound
The coming of the storms with dread

Dogs are frisky running on the sand
And sandcastles washed away by sea
North wind stretches out her hand
Before storms that ships must flee

Owls swoop to catch prey by night
Clouds brush across a harvest moon
Caressing the earth, a tender light
Before storm clouds gather soon

An Indian summer, enjoy a final day,
Before colder winds come this way

1986 - 40 years ago - October Part 1

1986 - 40 years ago - October Part 1

October 6-12

THE dispute over Sealink's closure of Channel Island ferry routes and the redundancies caused by the move finally hits roll-on roll-off freight when union action stops lorries boarding British Channel Island Ferries' vessel, Corbière. National Union of Seamen pickets block the ferry ramp in St Helier Harbour to protest against the loss of 492 jobs.

Judgment is reserved in the action brought by suspended St Helier Centenier Peter Pearce. Centenier Pearce says that he was unlawfully suspended and the Royal Court hears that no grounds have been found to press charges against him concerning his conduct during a Police Court case. It is revealed, however, that he breached Court procedure and misled the Magistrate.

The foul smell of sewerage around Bellozanne has returned, much to the annoyance of residents of the area. The problem is said to be worse late at night and early in the morning.

 

Jambo, the gorilla who stood guard after five-year-old Levan Merritt fell into the Zoo's gorilla enclosure, is named "Individual Animal of the Year" by BBC's Wildlife magazine.

The Jersey Football Association promises to "fight to the bitter end" to save Springfield as the base of Jersey football. The Island Development Committee are currently negotiating with the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society to purchase the site for housing.

The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt. Rev. Colin James, pays a brief visit to the Island and "drops in" on an assembly at St Michael's School,

October 13-19

A ROYAL Court murder trial is postponed because it is not possible to find the required 24 jurors to hear evidence against 20-year-old Jose Nelio Izilio de Azevedo, the Portuguese waiter accused of killing his countryman and colleague, Mr Joao Sapeta.

 

La Folie Inn, one of Jersey's few remaining independent pubs, could be taken over by one of the big three local brewery groups. The tenancy of the pub is up for renewal, but if it goes to Ann Street Brewery, Randalls Vautier or Bass Charrington it is likely that the matter will be taken up in the States.

A report into the future of Methodism in Jersey says that at least five churches should close. The report, which is expected to upset some local Methodists, is described as a discussion document and its authors say that they are not trying to force closures.

Jersey's former Army Careers Officer, Mr Vic Bourgoise, succeeds Mr Keith Hutton as chief traffic warden. Mr Hutton becomes the Island's car parks manager.

There is still uncertainty about the future of ferry services to the mainland. As the Sealink dispute continues, there is no indication when the full service proposed by British Channel Island Ferries will restore shipping links with the UK.

Hundreds of people — including the Bailiff, Mr Peter Crill, the Lieut.-Governor, Admiral Sir William Pillar, and the Dean, the Very Rev. Basil O'Ferrall, attend a peace service in the Royal Square.

Guernsey in 1974 – Part 2

Guernsey in 1974 – Part 2

This is an extract from Peter Haining’s guide book of 1974, which is as much interest today for the historian as to the tourist, as many of the places and industries described in his book have long vanished. Please do not take it as a current guide. I have added changes in italics.

More of the Introduction

The island is a bustling place most of the time—Sunday being the exception as has been mentioned earlier—but it is still possible to “get away from it all’”’ walking through the pleasant valleys in the interior or on the more exposed (though definitely more bracing) northern commons. Trying to suggest routes for walks is an almost impossible task for Guernsey. The only answer is to go where you please—and because of the size of the island you will never be far from a bus stop (the island’s bus service is certainly one of the most regular, efficient and well organised in the British Isles) and in any case it is never very difficult to find the coast.

There are more activities being provided for the younger visitors to Guernsey—though the authorities are still very wary about allowing any entertainment that might attract “hippies and layabouts”’, to quote one State official. The gradual change of attitude may have come about because of a visit by The Beatles in 1964. The four Liverpool lads were impressed with the island but said not enough was being done for teenagers. Obviously any attempts to over-commercialise the island will be resisted, but the climate of change is growing. This is particularly noticeable through the number of folk and beat clubs springing up, plus the “‘pop” music boat trips and increased facilities for water ski-ing, surfing, underwater swimming and sports of all kinds.

 Incorrect Year. The Beatles actually played their historic Guernsey concerts on 8 August 1963. They performed two shows in a single night at the Candie Gardens Pavilion in St. Peter Port before returning to Jersey. They never returned to perform in 1964. However, the quote about their impression is highly consistent with 1960s British youth culture commentary.

 In the early 1970s, Guernsey's conservative government (the States of Guernsey) was deeply protective of its image as a respectable, family-friendly, upper-middle-class holiday resort. The influx of long-haired youth, "beatniks," and hitchhikers across Europe terrified local hoteliers and officials, who actively used local vagrancy and housing laws to discourage bohemian "layabouts" from loitering around St. Peter Port.

The late 1960s and 1970s saw a massive boom in Guernsey's youth-centric nightlife. Venues like The Savoy Hotel (hosting rock gigs) and the Fermain Tavern became legendary local hubs. This era also birthed Guernsey's modern surfing and scuba diving scenes along the west coast.

Today, rather than banning youth entertainment, Guernsey hosts major annual events like the Vale Earth Fair (the longest-running music festival in the Channel Islands) and SarkFest on the neighboring island, specifically designed to draw alternative crowds, artists, and live music fans.

Shopping facilities always play an important part on any female visitor’s agenda and Guernsey (St. Peter Port in particular) can boast some extremely good shops, stocking goods from the United Kingdom (most of them cheaper) and from the Continent (many of them unobtainable in Britain). Half day closing on the island is Thursday, by the way.

In 1974, Guernsey legally enforced "half-day closing" on Thursdays, shutting down St. Peter Port to give shop workers time off. Today, this practice is a thing of the past. High street retailers, local boutiques, and major supermarkets keep regular hours all week long, with many offering late-night shopping on Thursdays or opening on Sundays.

As far as traditional foods are concerned the only surviving morsel on Guernsey is the ‘‘Gache’’, a fruit cake which is still sold in certain small tea shops.

Guernsey Gâche (a rich fruit bread baked with raisins, sultanas, and mixed peel) was never limited to a few tea shops. Today, it is widely mass-produced, sold in every local supermarket, and heavily exported to tourists.

The island waters also produce a particularly large breed of crab which are served at many restaurants with local lobsters, crawfish and prawns as an alternative. Fish of all kinds are common, and even tropical species like the torpedo ray and sun fish find their way into the Channel Islands area. Small octopi are not unknown, either, and local fishermen can frequently be seen hunting for them in the rock pools at low tide. They may not be to everybody’s taste, but some Guernsey men and women consider them the finest of all sea foods!

Recently local commercial fishing fleets reported an unprecedented "octopus bloom". Warming sea temperatures caused a massive explosion of common octopuses in local waters.The Culinary War: Far from being a niche taste like in 1974, local chefs at Le Nautique and other island restaurants adapted their menus to showcase local octopus. This boom is actually a double-edged sword: the booming octopus population is so hungry that they are raiding local pots and eating the island's famous crabs and lobsters before fishermen can harvest them!

Finally, a word about going to live on Guernsey. Because of the demand for land and houses, the States of Guernsey have put into operation a system which safeguards a reasonable amount of priority for islanders. The Cadastre Office of the States judge the amenities of every house and then put a rateable value on it from £1 to £100. All properties with a figure of under £80 are then declared “‘for islanders only”. Anyone seeking a house, however, will find that Guernsey estate agents invariably advertise houses for sale whether or not they are open to mainland buyers. The average price of a house open to outsiders is around £20,000. If this sounds particularly high it should be measured against the amenities of the island which have already been mentioned. Further information about settling on the island can be obtained from the Tourist Office,

Guernsey's two-tier housing market, originally established by the 1974 Housing Control Law to prioritize islanders through rateable value thresholds, remains strictly enforced today. While a 1974 guidebook estimated open-market property prices at £20,000, modern valuations have surged significantly alongside updated population management and tax frameworks. 

The Apple Crusher Relocation: Hidden in Plain Site in Plans

A parish constable is asking the public to share their thoughts on the relocation of a "much loved" St Helier landmark. The granite apple crusher on King Street is due to be moved to Howard Davis Park as part of a £2.5m Infrastructure Department project to revamp the area including resurfacing work.

Minister for Infrastructure, Deputy Jonathan Renouf said there was a consultation on it but admitted he was "open to ideas on keeping it". He said the proposals showing its removal were publicly available throughout the development of the scheme, and were displayed and discussed at a public exhibition over a year ago, and the plans published online have consistently shown the apple crusher removed.

The Deputy has since abandoned the plans! 

But with a statement which suggests the pushback is bad! Not with an admission that the plans were bad! Heaven forbid!

The Minister said: "The original design would have delivered important improvements to the public realm, including strengthening the link between King Street and Broad Street, creating additional opportunities for outdoor seating, and allowing for further tree planting. However, it is clear that a significant body of public opinion wishes to see the Apple Crusher remain in its current location. Having listened to those views and to the Connétable of St.Helier, I have instructed officers to redesign the scheme so that the Apple Crusher is retained."

This statement frames the situation as if retaining the Apple Crusher is a compromise that forces them to sacrifice trees, seating, and connectivity. In reality, modern urban design frequently proves the exact opposite: retaining authentic historical anchors actually maximizes the value of a public realm!

Trees, standard paving, and outdoor seating can be added to any high street in the world. They are generic improvements. A 200-year-old granite apple crusher is unique to Jersey's specific heritage and has been there for around 50 years. The apple crusher was installed in 1978 to commemorate Jersey's historic cider-making heritage. 

The argument that they needed to move it to strengthen the link between King Street and Broad Street sets up a false choice. Excellent urban design adapts to heritage rather than demanding a blank canvas.

So let's look at the evidence:

https://publicrealm.gov.je/our-projects/broad-street/

The documents I have looked at contain no mention of the word "apple crusher."

The diagram above is a high-level master schedule that focuses strictly on the overall project Phasing and street names, which is exactly why the specific location of the apple crusher is so difficult to find from the map alone

.

To clarify exactly where it sits based on this map's labels:

• The map shows King Street running horizontally across the top left.

• The "New Cut" (the vertical orange zone) is the specific walkway that connects King Street down to Broad Street.

• The apple crusher is located on King Street, positioned right at that specific junction where the orange "New Cut" pathway meets the main shopping street.

The physical landmark itself was completely omitted from this visual key, which is why there was such an intense public outcry—many parishioners felt the government was hiding the removal within the broader "New Cut" work phases

https://publicrealm.gov.je/media/yull0sxs/improvements-design-and-map-of-broad-street-phase-1.pdf

All technical parameters, street furniture standards, and pedestrian path rules for Phase 3 are bundled directly inside the main Broad Street Public Realm Improvement Scheme Guide rather than an isolated document.

https://publicrealm.gov.je/media/yull0sxs/improvements-design-and-map-of-broad-street-phase-1.pdf

This contains no mention of the relocation of the apple crusher.

https://publicrealm.gov.je/our-projects/new-street-and-new-cut/

This contains no mention of the relocation of the apple crusher.

https://publicrealm.gov.je/media/0uxkc455/61502_gra_broadstreetph3web_p3_fi.pdf

This master design blueprint explicitly shows the area after the apple crusher has been removed.

The text makes NO mention of it.

Where it should be vs. What is shown

• The Location: Look at the middle section of King Street where the paved "New Cut" pathway forms a wide, curved peach-colored pedestrian plaza.

• The Substitution: The apple crusher planter originally sits right in that King Street clearance outside Marks & Spencer. On this specific plan, that space has been completely flattened into open paving, and a new green tree symbol has been placed nearby to replace it.

• The Omission: Because the original government proposal assumed the landmark would be extracted and relocated to Howard Davis Park, they completely wiped it from the architectural graphics.

Concluding remarks

There are no official planning maps or architectural blueprints that I can easily find which textually label the words "Apple Crusher."

• Omission on Master Maps: On every master engineering visual (like the ones you uploaded), the landmark was simply scrubbed out and replaced with an unnamed circle representing a tree or flat paving.

• Hidden in the Text: When the project was filed inside the broader town planning frameworks, the feature was only genericized under technical design terms. The department labelled it an "obstruction," a "planter," or "clutter" to be cleared to expand pedestrian capacities in the "New Cut" sector.

And finally...

The removal was not very prominently shown, buried in lengthy plans that hardly anyone bothers to read as the government at the time was brooking no push back on their plans. Metaphorically this reminds me of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy here:

Mr. Prosser: "But the plans were on display…"
Arthur Dent: "On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."
Mr. Prosser: "That's the display department."
Arthur Dent: "With a torch."
Mr. Prosser: "The lights had probably gone out."
Arthur Dent: "So had the stairs."
Mr. Prosser: "But look, you found the notice, didn't you?"
Arthur Dent: "Yes, yes I did. It was on display at the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying Beware of the Leopard."

Religion, History and G. R Balleine – Part 2

Religion, History and G. R Balleine – Part 2

(The Reformation in Jersey)
By Jason St John Nicolle
From "The Pilot", 1991

IF SOMEONE mentions the word "Revolution”, certain images tend to project themselves onto the screens of our minds. We might see heavily-laden carts creaking through the streets of Paris. Perhaps we see bearded intellectuals, meeting in secret behind closed doors, arguing passionately for a sub-committee on the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Or we might think of furnaces and factories in smoke-filled towns, of coal mines and cotton mills. These are the sort of images which come most readily to mind when we think of Revolution. Few, if any, would picture a 34-year-old lecturer, hammering a discussion on a church door in the university town of Wittenberg. Even fewer would think of earnest, black-gowned clergymen, journeying to Geneva to hear an exiled French lawyer preach on the unrelenting justice of the God of Love.

By using the term "Reformation" rather than "Revolution" we have forgotten that the movements precipitated and led by Luther and Calvin in the middle years of the sixteenth century generated one of the most Iwo engravings which appeared in "The Reformation and the Deformation," published by Mr Mowbray of Oxford in 1868. The inscription above (which may be indistinct) shows that private subscription was a welcome source of funding. It reads: "This church was beautified and this singing loft erected at the sole expense of Dame Margery Deanwell of this parish." Peter Porty was the Rector, assisted by David-Drawl, Curate. The whole is balanced by the names of the Churchwardens: Sam Sawyer and David Daut.

The Reformation was one of the most dramatic and significant periods of change which Europe has ever known. And these changes affected Jersey as much as they affected England, France or Germany.

Historians have been arguing over the interpretation of the Reformation for well over four hundred years —and there is every sign that the debate will continue for many years to come. They have tended to pitch their tents in one of two camps. 

There are those, usually from a Protestant background, who see the new doctrines spreading quickly and widely among congregations distressed at the low state of contemporary Catholicism; they see the Reformation as a popular revolution, imposed "from below." 

But there are others who talk of a revolution imposed "from above." They argue that there was no widespread discontent amongst Catholics on the eve of the Reformation; the Protestant faith was imposed by the authorities, and it took several decades before it was widely accepted. The arguments have been over which of these two views is the more accurate: a Reformation "from below," or "from above"?

The answer is neither. As generalisations, both are equally false; as terms to describe particular situations, both can equally be true. There was never a single Reformation. The course and extent of religious change varied from city to city, and from region to region. There were cities such as London where the new doctrines had received widespread support by the early 1540's, well before the government began to impose Protestantism on its subjects, which started with the accession of Edward VI in 1547. But there were more isolated areas of the country, such as Lancashire, where Catholicism remained popular into the seventeenth century. If we examine the growth and establishment of Protestantism in sixteenth century London, we find that this was very much a reformation from below; but if we travel through the Midlands into the fells and forests of Lancashire, the picture becomes completely different.

But what if, instead of heading north along Watling Street, we were to travel south through Surrey and Hampshire, and take a boat from Southampton to Jersey? Would we find that early and vigorous commitment to the new faith which characterised and citizens of London? Or were the Jerseymen of the middle years of the sixteenth century too attached to the faith of their fathers to be anything more than lukewarm in their response to the Protestantism which the Crown wished to impose?

To the reader of Balleine's History of the Island of Jersey, the question seems strange: in the eyes of its Evangelical author, the evidence seemed simply too overwhelming for there to be any doubt on the matter. 

It had been the custom of pious Catholics to provide endowments to pay for a mass to be said on the anniversary of their own death, or that of a friend or relative; these were sometimes administered through religious clubs, known as Confraternities. The provision of such masses resulted from one of the fundamental features of late mediaeval Catholicism: the comforting belief that the living could pray for the souls of the dead. By the early 1550's, these endowments, on which the posthumous fates of so many souls were believed to depend, had been swept away by a Royal Commission, along with the statues and "objects of superstition" with which generations of Islanders had decorated their churches.

If the Jerseymen of the sixteenth century had felt any allegiance towards Catholicism, it is surely reasonable to expect to find evidence of some opposition to the imposition of the new faith. In England the government's policies provoked a large-scale rebellion in the south west in 1549, and played .a substantial part in the grievances which led to the Revolt of the Northern Earls twenty years later. But there were no revolts in Jersey. Balleine tells us that "one or two voices" were raised in opposition in the early 1550's; but they were "crying in the wilderness, for the victory of Protestantism was complete."

And here he rests his case, confident that he has established, beyond reasonable doubt, that the Reformation on Jersey was imposed rapidly and with widespread support. It seems that the jury must surely find in favour of a Reformation "from below." But before they can retire to consider their verdict, they must hear the arguments of the other side. And in order to hear these, the court must adjourn until the next issue of The PILOT.

An Equinox of Days Long Past

After seeing how the equinox light at sunrise moves along the passage way at Hougue Bie, I wanted to capture something of the mystery of ages past, when our ancestors were using the Dolmen at this time of year. Hence this sonnet which uses a trochaic tetrameter.

The autumn equinox represents the exact tipping point where the nights become longer than the days. The "dying god" often represents a solar deity or a god of light whose power is fading.  By speaking of these deities through "bardic songs," the ancestors remind themselves that winter is not permanent. The god must descend into the underworld (winter) so that the earth can be regenerated and reborn in the spring. It transforms death from an act of destruction into an act of necessary creation.

An Equinox of Days Long Past

Light along the pagan path
Seasons come, seasons go
Coming of the stormy wrath
The Equinox in sunrise glow

Ancestors will bless our land
Shaman enters passage way
Praying now for healing hand
Hope arising this new day

Autumn lands are growing old
Dying gods are told in tale
Of heroes and a quest so bold
Bardic songs as sun grows pale

Harvest tide brings bounty still
Winter waits beyond the hill

Surville Manor: 1967 Report – Part 2

Surville Manor: 1967 Report – Part 2

SURVILLE MANOR
GARDES LA FOY
By PHYLLIDA CAMPBELL
Jersey Life, 1967

Down the Centuries

Eventually the fief of Surville came to the Messervys whose family own it today, and the manor was sold to the father of Mr. George Romeril who lives at Wyvill, Georgetown. The present owners bought the property in 1946 with 50 or 60 vergees of land, which to begin with Commander Chamberlayne farmed himself. His four children, Susan, Gillian, Nicola and Michael all went to school in the island. The derelict old manor behind their home held a fascination for the Chamberlaynes and they decided to restore it to a liveable dwelling.

This was a long job and they tackled it with great enthusiasm. The charming little tourelle at the back is one of its most interesting features. It is not tall and stately like La Tourelle at Faldouet or le Catillon at St. Martin's, but it fits snugly into the rear of the homestead, and the 23 steps of its circular granite staircase are perfectly preserved.

The most exciting aspect of the manor as it is today is the enormously heavy capstone, weighing something like 30 tons, forming the ceiling of a small room at the foot of the escalier. Commander Chamberlayne has a theory about this. He thinks it may very probably have been a tumulus (artificial hillock raised over a Neolithic grave) and the earth round it removed elsewhere. There is certainly a triangular man-made platform before the newer house, now turned into a lawn and sloping gently down towards where the land descends into Bellozanne Valley.

`If I am right and they built the house around the grave' he says, 'it could easily be the oldest house on the Island'.

The old chamfered door with its heavy straight lintel still stands, so do the three well-built chimney stacks with their `witches' seats'. Mr. and Mrs. Coutanche, who now rent the house and farmland, are a real Jersey family and love the ancient architecture of their home, while appreciating its modern conveniences.

The Cod House

  

Despite its brief 126 years of life, the Victorian cod-house also has its charm, not the least of which is the big drawing room which the Chamberlaynes built on, with its so beautiful and tranquil view over the valley. 

On one cotil to the south, Commander Chamberlayne is busy planting an arboretum. Survilles, Le Gallais, Pawletts, Romerils, Messervys and other families unknown perhaps—and now it is the home of an English family who regard it as a heritage to be loved and preserved in character.