In a few Words – A remarkable history; Friendly, welcoming, and quite beautiful.
Something Special – The German Occupation Museum; Fortifications everywhere; The Auberge restaurant.
Guernsey is possibly one of the most heavily fortified islands anywhere. Not that any of the fortifications are working these days. Rather they’re the leftovers from various periods in this British Crown Dependency’s remarkable history. The earliest record of fortification is at Jerbourg Point from 2,000 years ago. The oldest standing fortification is the Chateau de Valle and has been there for over 1,000 years.
The newest fortifications were installed by the Germans who invaded the islands in June 1940 as a clever ploy to put pressure on England and English shipping. England, however, took the view that the Channel Islands were of little strategic value but were useful in tying up roughly 23,000 German soldiers (one artillery and three infantry regiments), who spent the war doing little more than guarding the 30,000 residents who remained on the island, and, of course, building fortifications.
As you’ve probably gathered, Guernsey has been changing hands at a dizzying rate for a very long time. As an example, in the early 1300’s it was English before becoming French in 1338. By 1345 it was English again, then French in 1358 and English again in 1359. And bizarrely, almost Welsh in 1372 when a Welsh pretender to the Throne, with French backing, tried unsuccessfully to invade. Subsequent centuries haven’t been much better!
So why has everyone wanted a piece of Guernsey? Firstly, it’s a ruggedly beautiful island with great views over the English Channel. Secondly, it has decidedly better weather than England (but I guess everywhere does). Thirdly, most of the street and other signage is in French, so it’s sort of like visiting France but without the inconvenience of having to speak French. Finally, it’s a tax haven and offers duty free goods.
What Guernsey also has are some good restaurants like the Auberge and Pier 17, some fascinating museums including Fort Grey and the German Occupation Museum, some great coastal walks and a real sense of the ebb and flow of history. It has, as we discovered, a surprise around every corner. And if you visit the German Occupation Museum, you’ll find out all about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, made famous by a book of the same name.
And with such a history you’d expect some quirkiness about the Island. It has its own parliament called “The States of Guernsey and the meetings are called “States of Deliberation”, (with some accuracy one suspects). Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables was written while he was staying on the Island, and it has two official languages – English and Guernésiais, which is Guernsey’s regional variation of French.