was so great that the Royal Court was compelled to regulate the rental of houses and the price of food: by 1603, the town’s newly enlarged population even required an extra market day.
This initial wave of immigration would set the pattern for St Helier’s subsequent boom periods of the later 18th and mid-19th centuries which were, once again, driven by fresh waves of French refugees, as well as, in the first half of the 19th century, an incredible economic boom as, at various times, new industries including cod fishing off Newfoundland; shipbuilding and shipping; knitting; oysters; privateering; and tourism flourished in Jersey.
The impact of this upon the town of St Helier was extraordinary, seeing the laying out of new streets; the development of new homes; and the construction of other new elements of the town – including a new poorhouse (later to become the hospital); sea walls; a proper harbour and also military structures, such as Fort Regent; paved roads; street lights; and proper town drainage - to accommodate the needs and aspirations of the new residents
and to service the Island’s economic growth.
So it is clear that St Helier has, in the past, responded to economic drivers and has been a destination of choice for many and has enjoyed the necessary focus of time and investment to provide a good quality urban environment.
Despite its role, now and in the past, what is the perception of St Helier as a place to be? Many who have lived in it or studied it rather like it. At the end of the 18th century, as the town was beginning to develop beyond its medieval form, Jersey historian Philippe Falle, wrote:
“The Town in its present enlarged state, contains about 400 houses, laid out in several wide and well- paved streets…in short, here is scarce anything wanting for necessity or convenience’.
More contemporary students of what the town of St Helier has to offer have echoed these sentiments. Having just completed a study of the buildings of St Peter Port and of Alderney, in 1977 the National Trust for Jersey invited the architectural historian Charles
E. L. G. Loxton & Son M A S T E R C R A F T S M A N
Looks can be very deceiving, so trust all those ‘quality’ jobs you have been meaning to do, carried out by a very versatile master craftsman.
Les Hougues Farm, No job is too large and no job too small.
Call Jon today and see what he can do for you. Tel. 482933 Mobile. 07797 786688
La Route des Cotes du Nord, Trinity, Jersey JE3 5BJ
Telephone: 01534 867958 • Fax: 01534 867949 Highbury Way, Bagot Road, St Saviour, Jersey JE2 7RG
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