The Elms

The Elms is an attractive 18th century farm complex situated at the top of St. Peter’s Valley. Gifted to the Trust by Mr Nicolle Jean Perrée in 1975 it has been used as the Trust’s headquarters since 1978. Surrounded by 80 vergees of land and comprising of a main house, farm house, and an extensive range of outbuildings, The Elms displays a wealth of architectural detail as well as providing an insight into Jersey’s agricultural heritage.

Although the main properties are tenanted, visitors are welcome to visit the farmyard, boulangerie and pressoir, as well as obtain further information about the Trust’s activities in the main office.

History

The Elms has been the site of an important house for many centuries, with the oldest architectural remains on the site probably dating from the 16th century.

The first family known to own the property are the Journeaux’s, who possessed several other properties in the valley, including Gigoulande Mill to the south. The first recorded member to live at Les Ormes (as it was called at the time) was Philippe Journeaux (1648-1726). He was succeeded by his brother Jean (d. 1756 unmarried), who carried out building work at The Elms, erecting a fine granite lintel over a doorway in the east wall of the farmyard: it is inscribed “I.I.N 1734” and depicts a shrimp, which is the crest of the Journeaux family.

Jean’s nephew, Pierre Baleyn (son of Elisabeth Journeaux and Philippe Baleyn) settled in his bachelor uncle’s house in 1735. Thus the property was transferred to the Baleyn family. A “marriage stone” can be found bearing the inscription “ABL ? MLH: 1774” for Amice Baleyn (grandson of Elisabeth and Philippe) and Marie Le Hardy.

The property was then sold in 1810 to the Arthur family, who in turn sold it in 1816 to Captain Jean Perrée. The Captain planted Elm trees on either side of the roadway, and renamed the property The Elms, as it known today. The property remained in the Perrée family until 1975, when it was donated by Mr Jean Nicolle Perrée to the Trust.

Description

The property comprises of a main dwelling house, a subsidiary farmhouse, an extensive range of outbuildings including a boulangerie and a pressoir, and approximately 80 vergees of land.

The front arch is early 16th century, probably having been dismantled from an earlier house on the site. The emblem over it resembles a rose surmounted by a cross, clearly quite different from the Journeaux crest, but which could be a symbol of a “redevance” or “rente”. The chamfer-stops on the arch both take the form of towers with windows, doors and pointed roofs, and as such are unique in Jersey.

The Elms’ main house is certainly the second, if not the third house to be constructed on the site. It probably dates from around 1740 with the fine granite ashlar work echoing the principal elevation of the Old Library in St Helier (1737) and the design of the internal panelling sharing similar features to that found in 16 New Street (1740). Inside, there is a very impressive hallway and a staircase with mahogany appliqué, leading to the drawing room containing 18th century panelling.

The west range comprising of the pressoir and the dower wing has been dated after 1774. The Trust’s offices and council room have been sensitively constructed within the former apple store and latterly potato store of The Elms pressoir. Great care has been taken to provide a modern office environment without compromising the historic fabric and architectural integrity of the building.

Below the offices are the apple-crusher and press. The pressoir provides a unique insight into an industry which once played a dominant role in both Jersey’s agriculture and landscape.

In the farmyard are the outbuildings and the farmhouse. It is believed that the Elms farmhouse was originally converted from a thatched agricultural out-building in the mid-19th century. The building has recently been fully refurbished with a drainage system and under-floor heating being installed to address the severe damp problems. The east range of the outbuildings were originally of one piece, and the boulangerie used to be a one-roomed cottage with a fireplace and a joncquiere (a couch taking the form of a curved wall-seat).

The north eastern part of the farmyard displays a remarkable group of architectural features probably dating from the 17th century. This is an architectural folly of the kind that was popular in Georgian England, but which is without close parallel in Jersey. It comprises a large vehicular archway with unchamfered jambs, a small ogee-headed doorway, two made-up features in recesses on the side of the arch, and above it, an ornately decorated arched niche, called a benitier (domestic lavabo).

The Elms has a typical example of a front garden with a rectangular patch of grass with a flower bed, which are known in Jersey as borders and are enclosed by a low wall. It also has a walled garden, which was constructed in the mid 18th century as indicated by one of the granite stones near the main entrance to The Elms, which bears the date ‘1751’. There are three slit-openings in the masonry of the wall through which the shooting of birds probably took place. The Trust has recently refurbished the walled garden in order to establish a nursery for the production of local trees and wild flower seeds.

A stream runs the length of the property, passing through the meadows to the north and east of the buildings, which are grazed by cows. The side and banks of the stream are lined with stones, which were laid out by troops stationed at Grève de Lecq Barracks, hired for the purpose (for a shilling a day) by Captain Jean Perrée.

Site Access

The property is located in the Parish of St. Mary, just past Granite Products in St. Peter’s Valley. The site can be reached via Bus routes 7 (7b) departing from St. Helier. A small car-park is available inside The Elms. Some parts of the farm are currently used as the Trust Headquarters, other buildings being occupied by tenants. Thus, apart from the outbuildings (e.g. the pressoir) and the office, The Elms is not open to the general public. However, it is possible to visit the farm on the Heritage Open Day, usually held in September every year.