The site of the castle had been fortified in the prehistoric period, but the construction of the castle was undertaken in 1204. The castle was first mentioned in 1212. The castle was the primary defence of Jersey until the development of gunpowder which then rendered the castle ultimately indefensible from Mont Saint Nicholas where the video is from. I have no idea why YouTube restricted this video as it is noting to be restricted.?!?
The walk to get here turned out to me about 3.5 miles and since the weather & GPS were both fine, it was a joy. And pain free (CBD?)
There are a couple of benches that the good folks here positioned so that punters like myself could enjoy the view. I noticed that the field right in front of me appeared to have been recently plowed. It turns out this is the first field on the island where the Jersey Royal potatoes are harvested and then replanted. The slope faces full sun. JR’s are the best of all white potatoes in my opinion and at 1500 tons a day shipped to the UK during season, I’m not alone with the thought.
You can see how artillery from this vantage point could force the castle, whose walls were designed to keep men and catapulted rocks out, not cannonballs, to fall. It became more of a garrison and home for nobility than defense by the late 1500’s
What a great harbour. The English Channel and France on the horizon.
I’ve seen snakes & turtles in Scotland. A chameleon in Malta and now a lizard in Jersey.
The castle itself is like all these old piles. Very interesting but pretty much the same. If you’ve seen a few dozen castles, as the saying goes, you only have thousands more to see. Or something like that. What they all have in common is what you can see if you let your mind drift back in time. How did they build that? What number worked and supported to make this happen? Where did the stones come from? How many generations of stonecutters, carpenters and masons worked on this ? Were the jobs inherited? So it’s not just another pile of rocks, it is history and a place to think, reflect and learn every bit as much as a cathedral. All part of who we are as people.
Sorry, back to the subject at hand.
This castle had some interesting art scattered around.
This shows the divers monarchs in Europe wit ha chart to guide us.
Awaiting St. George
The “Wheel of Fortune” by Brian Fell tell us that even monarchs can’t control luck. Good or Bad
Sir Hugh Calveley, although I’m not sure why. From Cheshire he fought in the 100 Years War and others. I can’t find his connection to here though
Model of the fort at it’s completion
And this holographic image of Queen Elizabeth II on the way out probably should have been a video.
{ 0 comments… add one now }