Jerseyâs capital is home to two of the best museums on the island, a spectacularly located historic castle and a central square steeped in history. Although the traffic in the capital is worse than anywhere else on the island, the main shopping throughfares, with large stores, boutiques and lively food markets, are pedestrianised. The walk takes you through the historic centre, west to Elizabeth Castle and back along the waterfront.
The stunning setting of Elizabeth Castle.
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The townâs origins date back to the 6th century when Helerius, a monk from modern-day Belgium, founded a hermitage on a small rocky outcrop on a tidal islet in St Aubinâs Bay, today known as the Hermitage Rock. Helerius devoted his life to prayer and fasting, but in AD555, after 15 years on the island, he was beheaded by a band of passing pirates. A small monastic settlement rose up here, and in the 12th century, an oratory was dedicated to St Helier.
Growth over the centuries was slow and it was not until entrepreneurial Huguenot refugees arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries, bringing their skills with them, that the town saw any real expansion. Further growth came about in the late 18th century, funded by all the profits from privateering during the French and American wars. In the post-Napoleonic era, the population was swelled when hundreds of officers from the English army settled in the town. Retired on half pay, they were lured to Jersey by the climate, the low cost of living and the desirable lifestyle. Regency and Victorian houses were constructed, land was reclaimed from the sea, and by 1840 St Helier had taken over from St Aubin as the islandâs main harbour.
Hermitage Rock.
APA/Anna Mockford and Nick Bonetti
The bronze Liberation Sculpture in Liberation Square.
APA/Anna Mockford and Nick Bonetti
LIBERATION SQUARE
Start at Liberation Square 1 [map] , which was opened by Prince Charles on 9 May 1995, the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the island from German Occupation. It was here that jubilant crowds greeted the British liberators after five long years under German rule.
The prominent Liberation Sculpture commemorates the event with a bronze group of figures, holding up the Union flag. From left to right the figures represent a Jersey couple old enough to have witnessed the Occupation, a liberator, a Jersey fisherman and a farmer with his wife and children. Overlooking the square on the north side, the Pomme dâOr Hotel was the headquarters of the German navy during the Occupation.
The square used to be the terminus of the Jersey Railway which served the south and east coasts, and it was from the rear of the building on the west side that some 2,200 residents were deported to Germany in September 1942.
The Maritime Museum on New North Quay.
APA/Anna Mockford and Nick Bonetti
Alongside Liberation Square is Liberty Wharf, Jerseyâs only covered shopping mall, opened in 2010 inside original granite warehouses.
MARITIME MUSEUM AND TAPESTRY GALLERY
Across the busy A1 south of Liberation Square, and looking like something out of Disneyland, the worldâs largest Steam Clock is modelled on a 19th-century paddle steamer. Local vessels and shipbuilders are commemorated on benches around the harbour.
The nearby Maritime Museum 2 [map] (www.jerseyheritage.org; AprâNov daily 10amâ5pm; charge), housed in a restored warehouse on New North Quay, explores every aspect of the islandâs links with the sea. Jersey was one of the largest shipbuilding centres in Europe, its shipyards around the coast producing over 800 wooden sailing ships in the mid-19th century. From the 1860s the trade suffered from the advent of iron and steam.
The museum offers a host of hands-on exhibits and other activities for visitors of all ages. You can feel the pull of the currents and the power of the sea, design a boat and float a ship, sing along to sea shanties and meet traditional boat-builders repairing classic boats.
Occupation Tapestry Gallery
Within the museum is the Occupation Tapestry Gallery 3 [map] (AprâNov daily 10amâ5pm; charge). This excellent display comprises 12 separate large tapestries charting the story of the Occupation from the arrival of the Germans to their surrender to the British liberators in 1945.
These historically accurate and meticulously worked scenes were created by the 12 Jersey parishes to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Liberation. Themes range from âThe Outbreak of Warâ and âDeportationâ to âThe Daily Life of Civiliansâ, such as the school-room scene of a boy yawning in a German lesson.
The little tourist trains departing from Liberation Square are fun for families and cover two routes, with guided commentaries: the Promenade Tour to St Aubin, following the bay all the way, and the Town and Maritime Tour, taking in the harbour area and Waterfront.
The trains link St Helier with the Funbike site at West Park (St Aubinâs Bay) and the cycle depot in St Aubinâs. There is a regular daily service between April and October. For more information, check out the website www.littletrain.co.uk.
There are 12 richly embroidered tapestries in the Occupation Tapestry Gallery, detailing the moving story of life in Jersey during World War II.
APA/Anna Mockford and Nick Bonetti
Return to Liberation Square, cross the Esplanade on the far side and take Mulcaster Street. About halfway up the road youâll see the Lampli...