History

After the First World War and particularly in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s Jersey’s natural environment began to suffer from an increasing amount of ribbon development, speculative housing construction and the erection of unsightly huts and weekend bungalows along its coastline.

In order to seek a solution to this problem a small number of concerned islanders met and agreed to establish The National Trust for Jersey. The first formal meeting took place on 3rd August 1936 under the Chairmanship of the then Dean, the Very Reverend Samuel Falle and exactly six months later the Trust held its first General Meeting. On 11th February 1937 the States of Jersey granted the organisation its Act of Incorporation, which stated;

The Trust shall be established for the purposes of securing the permanent preservation for the benefit of the island of lands and tenements (including buildings) of beauty or historic interest, and as regards lands, for the preservation (so far as practicable) of their natural aspect, features, and plant life.

In the same year a wooded Côtil in Vallée des Vaux that was under the threat of development was purchased by Mr & Mrs Carlye Le Gallais and gifted to the Trust. Having now acquired its first site and a cash balance of just under £500, the Trust confidently acquired three further sites namely Le Rât, Le Grand Côtil de la Cote Pallot, and Le Saut Geffroi. Fortunately this was mirrored by three gifts: Le Jardin de la Croix Bataille, Le Grand Coteau des Teurs Champs and Morel Farm. The outbreak of the Second World War largely brought the Trust’s activities to a halt although the German Field Commandant authorized the continued activity of the Trust subject to the members not wearing any distinguishing marks!

After the war the Trust began to recover momentum with each year bringing further sites into the Trust’s ownership either through purchase, gift or bequest. However, it was not until the 1960’s that a number of benefactors dramatically changed the fortunes of the Trust. In 1965 Philip Le Masurier bequeathed to the Trust a beautiful farmhouse in St John known as La Vallette. In 1966 Miss E M Le Cornu donated La Grande Thiebault, a large headland with stunning views over L’Etacq and St Ouen’s Bay. Finally in 1968 Miss Amy Filleul left a bequest of £240,000 enabling the Trust to transform itself from a small pressure group into a professional organisation with an increasingly influential role in the island’s environmental affairs.

With a more secure future the Trust acquired Grève de Lecq Barracks in 1972, using a bequest from Mr F G Le Huquet to pay for the considerable programme of repair works. The following year the Trust also acquired Le Noir Pré, which is now commonly known as the Orchid Field, due the spectacular display of Jersey orchids. In the same year the Trust agreed to undertake the restoration of Le Moulin de Quétivel, despite the fire which nearly destroyed the building. All these projects clearly demonstrated the immediate and beneficial impact of Miss Filleul’s bequest.

In 1975, Mr Nicolle John Perrée bequeathed his property, The Elms, to the Trust. In 1978 the Trust established its headquarters at the site and in 2001 the Trust restored the pressoir and created offices on the floor above. Also in 1978, through the generous aid of the Benjamin Meaker Trust, the Trust acquired La Mare au Seigneur, thus safeguarding one of the most important ecological sites in the island.

The 1980’s saw the acquisition of Victoria Tower, as well as substantial financial bequests from Mrs C W Felkin, Mr K Roscoe and the Luigia Pierrina Memorial Trust.

In 1986 the Trust celebrated its Golden Jubilee and in the following year with financial assistance from the States of Jersey, acquired Hamptonne, a most important farm complex dating from the 17th Century.

Ten years later the Trust purchased Le Moulin de Tesson, the largest remaining mill in the island and the only one retaining parts of a steam beam engine. The building was under threat of demolition and the Trust was determined to save one of the most important examples of industrial archaeology in the Channel Islands. The Trust was also fortunate in receiving several gifts of land from Miss D Foot including an area of coastland known as White Rock. Mr Jack Trotman, a former President of the Trust, together with his wife, generously left their property to the Trust, allowing the Trust to realize funds of just under £425,000. This bequest has been subsequently ear marked for a specific project to be named in memory of the benefactors.