Military Buildings

The National Trust owns and maintains several examples of Jersey’s wide range of defence fortifications: Castles, Forts (Câtel Fort), Guardhouses (Le Don Hilton), Martello towers (Victoria Tower), Barracks (Grève de Lecq), Bunkers, etc. Some of these sites are open to the public, others can be hired, but all are certainly worth seeing.

Understanding Jersey’s Fortifications

With the loss of Normandy to France in the reign of King John, Jersey decided to remain loyal to the English Crown. This act of allegiance resulted in Jersey becoming heavily fortified as it sought to defend itself from an enemy, which also happened to be its closest neighbour.

From the 13th century onwards the main point of defence was Mont Orgueil Castle, although other small fortifications existed such as Le Câtel de Lecq, Le Câtel de Rozel and Grosnez Castle. Despite these fortifications the French attacked on a regular basis and succeeded in occupying Jersey from 1461-1468. With the advent of canon it was acknowledged that Mont Orgueil was increasingly vulnerable, and therefore towards the end of the 16th century, work commenced on Elizabeth Castle, which was essential for the defence of the island’s main harbour of St. Helier.

Skirmishes with the French continued with their frequency being dependent upon the fluctuating relationship between France and England. Rather surprisingly attacks were not one-sided, with Jersey being used a base for launching attacks on the Brittany Coast. Fear of French invasion (e.g. by Napoleonic forces) was paramount during the late 18th century and early 19th century and these fears were fully justified when in 1779 there was an abortive attack in St Ouen’s Bay under the leadership of the Prince of Nassau.

Two years later Baron de Rullecourt launched a further attack known as the Battle of Jersey and without the valour of Major Pearson, the French may well have succeeded. After these attacks steps were immediately put in place to further increase the defences of the island resulting in the familiar late 18th century coastal forts, towers and batteries which can be found strategically placed along the entire length of Jersey’s coastline.

In fact in 1778, when the French became the allies of the Americans in their War for Independence, General Conway, Governor of Jersey, became convinced that the French would seize the opportunity to attack the Channel Islands. He therefore came up with the idea of constructing 32 round towers to protect the coastline of Jersey. Conway was ahead of the game as it would take the British Navy a further 16 years to realize the value of such fortifications and begin to construct the Martello Towers along the English south coast.

Jersey’s round towers are thus unique, and unlike their English counterparts have a more elegant design with tall tapering walls. In addition they are generally constructed of granite and have machicolations. By 1794 it is estimated that 22 had been completed and one of the first to be built can be seen immediately opposite Grève de Lecq Barracks.

However, the design of the English Martello Tower did begin to exert an influence on those towers constructed in Jersey during the early 19th century and one of the last towers to be built in Europe was Victoria Tower. Constructed in 1837 the tower has a far larger base and a steeper batter, giving it a squat appearance when compared to the Jersey round tower.

At the same time as the towers were being built, plans were put in place to improve the island’s forts along the north coast. On 20th December 1786 the States ordered a thorough examination of all the guard houses, redoubts, boulevards and batteries which had been built since 1739. As a result major works took place at Fort Leicester, L’Etacquerel, and Câtel Fort. In addition many of the batteries were repaired and strengthened including those owned by the Trust at Le Coleron and La Cotte, which were essential for the strategic defence of St. Brelade’s Bay, as well as the small white guard house at Le Don Hilton.

With the appointment of General Don as Lieutenant Governor in 1806, the island’s fortifications were once again subject to a full review. One of his first tasks was to lay the foundation stone for the construction of a new fort above St. Helier, known as Fort Regent and with boundless enthusiasm he immediately instigated the construction of a network of main roads to enable the troops to more swiftly from one place to another. He was also determined to ensure that his troops were adequately housed and arranged for a number of barracks to be built around the island including at Bonne Nuit, Rozel, St. Peter and Grève de Lecq. Troops were also billeted at Elizabeth Castle and the newly constructed Fort Regent.

By 1816 the Napoleonic wars were over and many of the batteries and forts were disarmed. With the advent of steam boats, the defences of the island were once again strengthened against this perceived new threat. However, with the ascension of Queen Victoria, Jersey was able to enter a new period of peace and prosperity. As a result its forts were slowly disarmed and gradually abandoned, although English troops remained billeted in Jersey until after the First World War.

During the Occupation many of the island’s earlier fortifications were adapted and utilized by the Germans. All this work is clearly distinguishable by the extensive use of concrete and together with the construction of watch towers, tank defences, and bunkers resulted in Jersey becoming one of the most heavily defended locations during the Second World War. The National Trust currently owns a number of the German fortifications including an extensive network of bunkers at Victoria Tower, as well a large bunker opposite La Mare au Seigneur.

Although not currently accessible to the public the Trust is hoping to review these sites in due course with the Channel Island Occupation Society.