St. Peter Port (french: Saint-Pierre Port) is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

. It is the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

of the

Bailiwick of Guernsey The Bailiwick of Guernsey (french: Bailliage de Guernesey; Guernésiais: ''Bailliage dé Guernési'') is an island country off the coast of France as one of the three Crown Dependencies. Separated from the Duchy of Normandy by and under the t ...

as well as the main

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. Peter Port is a small town (commonly referred to by locals as just "town") consisting mostly of steep narrow streets and steps on the overlooking slopes. It is known that a trading post/town existed here before Roman times with a pre-Christian name which has not survived. The parish covers an area of 6.5 km². The

postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...

for addresses in the parish starts with GY1. People from St. Peter Port, were nicknamed "les Villais" (the townspeople) or "cllichards" in Guernésiais.

Geography

St. Peter Port is on the east coast of

overlooking

Herm Herm (Guernésiais: , ultimately from Old Norse 'arm', due to the shape of the island, or Old French 'hermit') is one of the Channel Islands and part of the Parish of St Peter Port in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It is located in the English ...

and tiny

Jethou Jethou ( ) is a small island that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is privately leased from the Crown, and not open to the public. Resembling the top of a wooded knoll it is immediately south of Herm and covers a ...

, a further channel separates

Sark Sark (french: link=no, Sercq, ; Sercquiais: or ) is a part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is a royal fief, which forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of l ...

and surrounding islets such as

Brecqhou Brecqhou (or Brechou; ) is one of the Channel Islands, located off the west coast of Sark where they are now geographically detached from each other. Brecqhou is politically part of both Sark and the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It has been establishe ...

; exceptionally

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

's long

Cotentin Peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its w ...

and, to the south-east,

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

are visible in clear conditions beyond from some, highest, vantage points. The parish borders St. Sampson in the north, The

Vale A vale is a type of valley. Vale may also refer to: Places Georgia * Vale, Georgia, a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region Norway * Våle, a historic municipality Portugal * Vale (Santa Maria da Feira), a former civil parish in the municipali ...

in the north-west,

St. Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...

in the west and St. Martin in the south. The name of the nearest channel is the

Little Russel The Little Roussel, also known as the Petit Ruau or Little Russel, is a channel running between the isle of Herm and Guernsey in the Channel Islands. The main harbours of Guernsey and Herm face into the Little Roussel. There are many small roc ...

, in which sits the

Bréhon Tower The Bréhon Tower (Fort Brehon) is accessible only by boat and sits on Bréhon Rock, an island in the Little Roussel, Little Russell channel about 1.5 km northeast of St Peter Port, Guernsey, between the port and the islands of Herm and Jeth ...

; that separating Sark is the

Big Russel The Big/Great Roussel, Big Russel or Grand Ruau is the channel running between Herm on the west, and Brecqhou, and Sark on the east, in the Channel Islands. It has a treacherous current, and the tidal variations in this region are amongst some ...

. Both in width are less than half of Guernsey's greatest length and dotted with coastal rocks and stacks quite near those islands, some of which are narrowly submerged. ;Relief The land in the north and by the harbour is low-lying but not marshy. In the south, the land gets higher (but not as high as St Martin's or the

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

). Grassy, gently terraced cliffs behind sea walls (including projections) topped by trees characterise the southern part of the coast here (by an aquarium, underground military museum and historic battery at semi-wooded Havelet). In the north is the retail-centred and more built-up /Admiral Park coastal locality. To the south of the town lies Havelet Bay and the coast path which leads to the very pretty Fermain Bay after a walk of about 20–25 minutes.

Climate

St. Peter Port has an

oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...

climate ( Cfb) with mild summers and cool winters.

Subdivisions

Saint Peter Port is subdivided into four cantons: #Canton 1 or North Canton #Canton 2 or Canton of the North-West #Canton 3 or Canton of the South-West #Canton 4 or Canton of the South In addition, the islands of

and

belong to the parish, but are not part of any canton. They belong to Electoral district Saint Peter Port South.

Sport and leisure

St. Peter Port has an English

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...

club, Guernsey F.C. who play at

Footes Lane Footes Lane is a multi-use sports stadium in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey and is the main sports venue on the island. It has a capacity of 5,000 with 720 seated. The stadium is the national stadium of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Usage The sta ...

. The Guernsey Rugby Football Club also play at Footes Lane and compete in

National League 3 London & SE Regional 1 South East (up until 2022-23 known as London & South East Premier and up until 2016-17 known as National League 3 London & South East) is a level five league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. ...

Parks and gardens

Candie Gardens, an award-winning restored Victorian Garden, features statues of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

and

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. The Guernsey Museum at Candie and the Priaulx Library are both situated within the grounds of the garden respectively. Cambridge Park is a recreational park that includes Churchill Avenue, ‘a leafy tree-lined pedestrian Avenue’, named after

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

and a skate park. In 2014 the parish was a Gold & Category Winner in the RHS

Britain in Bloom Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

competition, followed in 2016 with another Gold medal.

Features

The features of the town include: *

St Peter Port Harbour Saint Peter Port Harbour is located in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey. It was a natural anchorage used by the Romans which has been changed into an artificial harbour that is now the island's main port for passengers. Loose cargo, liquids and gas ar ...

* Town Church, Guernsey, the parish church of St Peter Port at the heart of the town * Buildings ** The Royal Court House (La Cohue Royale), seat of the

States of Guernsey The States of Guernsey (french: États de Guernesey), sometimes referred to as the Government of Guernsey, is the parliament and government of the British Crown dependency of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guern ...

Hauteville House Hauteville House is a house where Victor Hugo lived during his exile from France, located at 38 Rue Hauteville in St. Peter Port in Guernsey. In March 1927, the centenary year of Romanticism, Hugo's descendants Jeanne, Jean, Marguerite and Fra ...

's house of exile, which is now a museum under the aegis of the city of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

). **

National Trust of Guernsey The National Trust of Guernsey is an association that preserves and enhances historic buildings and the heritage of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Founded in 1960, the association became The National Trust of Guernsey in 1967. In 1968, the Trust, as ...

Victorian shop ** Elizabeth College founded in 1563 by

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

. The main building (built 1826) is a prominent feature of the skyline. **

Victoria Tower The Victoria Tower is a square tower at the south-west end of the Palace of Westminster in London, adjacent to Black Rod's Garden on the west and Old Palace Yard on the east. At , it is slightly taller than the Elizabeth Tower (formerly known ...

** Priaulx Library ** Guille-Allès Library ** St James concert hall ** Our Lady of the Rosary Church * The Market, the Arcade, the High Street, the Pollet, Smith Street, Mill Street and Mansel Street, which are all pedestrian priority and part of the shopping district * Cobbled streets and narrow passageways of the old town * Guernsey Museum at Candie (Candie Museum) * Candie Gardens * Marinas for visiting and local boats * Military: **

Castle Cornet Castle Cornet is a large island castle in Guernsey, and former tidal island, also known as Cornet Rock or Castle Rock. Its importance was as a defence not only of the island, but of the roadstead. In 1859 it became part of one of the breakwaters ...

, the historic fortress that guarded the strategic entrance to the port. The castle was formerly a

tidal island A tidal island is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Because of the mystique surrounding tidal islands, many of them have been sites of ...

, but since 1859 a

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...

has connected it to the enlarged

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

. ** German Naval Signals HQ, HQ of the German Naval Commander Channel Islands which was established next to La Collinette Hotel, and was responsible for all radio traffic to and from Germany and the other Islands. The last operational Signals HQ that was running up until 9 May 1945, using the Enigma code machines that were being decoded by the staff at Bletchley Park. ** Island war memorial at the top of Smith Street ** Parish war memorial at the bottom of Smith Street ** St Stephens war memorial in St Stephens church ** Liberation monument ** Anglo-Boer War memorial, in the Avenue ** Fort George ** Cemetery at Fort George ** Commonwealth War Graves at Le Foulon cemetery ** Clarence Battery dating from the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

** La Vallette military museum ** German fortifications, built during the occupation 1940–45 ** Two 13.5 cm K 09 German World War I Canon near Victoria Tower * The Guernsey Aquarium, situated in fortified tunnels at La Vallette, built during the German occupation. Scheduled to close down permanently next month (October 2019) due to lack of income and funds. As of December 2021, it is now closed. * Bathing places at La Vallette * A number of protected buildings ** Castle Carey was built in 1840 for John Carey. It is a

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

property, attributed to the architect John Wilson, who designed Elizabeth College and St James Concert Hall. It was briefly the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of the Bailiwick of Guernsey and hosted

and Prince Albert during their visit to Guernsey in 1859, and the Duke of Cambridge in 1862.

’s novel '' Les Travailleurs de la Mer'', published in 1866 and dedicated to Guernsey, where he spent 15 years in exile, mentions Castle Carey. The castle stayed in the Carey family until William Wilfred Carey sold it in 1912. During the Second World War, the Germans occupying Guernsey used Castle Carey as an officers’ club. The parish of Saint Peter Port hosts: * Government House (office of the

Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the ''de facto'' head of state in Guernsey ...

* St Peter Port Douzaine * Guernsey Information Centre * Fire Station *

States of Guernsey Police Service The Guernsey Police, is the police service for the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a jurisdictional sub-group of Crown Dependencies within the Channel Islands. The service's enforcement jurisdiction extends across the entire bailiwick and encompasses t ...

Guernsey Ambulance and Rescue Service Guernsey Ambulance and Rescue Service is the ambulance and rescue service of Guernsey, the second largest of the Channel Islands, and also provides these services to other islands within the Bailiwick of Guernsey, both those directly governed, an ...

Saint Peter Port Lifeboat Station The Saint Peter Port Lifeboat Station was established in Guernsey in 1803. Originally based at Saint Sampson, it relocated to Saint Peter Port in 1881. History Established in 1803 and based in Saint Sampson, Guernsey, a tidal harbour. 6 Silver ...

* Guernsey Border Agency *

Guernsey Post Guernsey Post is the postal service for the island of Guernsey, Channel Islands. It includes a Philatelic bureau, and regularly issues both Definitive stamp, definitive and Commemorative stamp, commemorative stamps. It also provides postal ser ...

Ladies' College The Ladies' College is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for Single-sex education, girls in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey. The school was founded on 10 October 1872 in order to provide academic education to girls on the isl ...

* Vauvert Primary School * Many shops * Number of banks * Large number of offices *

The International Stock Exchange The International Stock Exchange (TISE) is a stock exchange headquartered in St. Peter Port, Guernsey. The TISE provides a listing facility for international companies to raise capital from investors worldwide. It offers a regulated marketplac ...

Condor Ferries Condor Ferries is an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between The United Kingdom, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Bailiwick of Jersey and France. Corporate history Condor Ferries established the first high-speed car ferry service to ...

, a car ferry company which operates to Jersey, France and the UK, has its head office in Saint Peter Port. * Countryside walks *

Val des Terres Hill Climb The Val des Terres Hill Climb is a hillclimbing competition held in St Peter Port, Guernsey. The course is 850 yards (777 m) in length. The track has hosted a round (latterly two rounds) of the British Hill Climb Championship The British Hill Cli ...

* St Peter Port Harbour Carnival * Town Carnival StPeterPortChurch

Main roads

The following main roads (listed from north-south) provide important links between St Peter Port and the other parishes: * Les Banques (leads up the coast to

St Sampson's St Sampson (Guernésiais: ) is a parish of Guernsey, an island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, directly north of St Peter Port. It is on the north-west and north-east coasts of the island and is split into two sections, intersected by Vale. The pa ...

and the north of the island) * Rohais (leads to the parish of Castel) * Mount Row (leads to St Andrew's and the west of the island) * Ruette Brayes (leads to St Martin's and the south of the island) * Fort Road (leads to St Martin's) The following coastal roads (listed from north to south) are also very important as they provide access to the shops, carparks and the

: * St George's Esplanade * North Esplanade * South Esplanade * Mount Durand

Politics

Saint Peter Port comprises two

administrative division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

, St Peter Port South and St Peter Port North. In the

2016 Guernsey general election The 2016 Guernsey general election was held on 27 April 2016 to elect 38 members of the States of Guernsey who will serve until 2020. There was a by-election in October 2016 to fill a vacancy in the district of Vale. Electoral system Follow ...

in: * St Peter Port South there was a 2,068 or 63% turnout to elect five Deputies * St Peter Port North there was a 2,639 or 65% turnout to elect six Deputies.

Notable people

Margaret Ann Neve Margaret Ann Neve ( Harvey, 18 May 1792 – 4 April 1903) was the first recorded female supercentenarian and the second validated human to reach the age of 110 after Geert Adriaans Boomgaard. Neve lived at Saint Peter Port on the island of Gu ...

–

Supercentenarian A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian) is a person who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of major age-related diseases u ...

and the oldest woman in the world until her death in 1903 *

Sir Isaac Brock Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. Brock was assigned to Lower Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he co ...

– Major General, "Hero of Upper Canada", War of 1812 *

Matt Le Tissier Matthew Paul Le Tissier (; born 14 October 1968) is a former professional footballer. Born in Guernsey, he won eight caps for the England national team. Le Tissier spent his entire professional club career with Southampton before turning to non ...

, footballer *

Alison Merrien Alison Jayne Merrien (born 28 November 1974) is an indoor bowls player from Saint Peter Port, Guernsey. Bowls career Indoors Merrien won double gold in the women's singles defeating Karen Murphy and the mixed pairs with Simon Skelton the 201 ...

MBE, World indoors bowls champion *

George Métivier George Métivier (29 January 1790 – 23 March 1881) was a Guernsey poet dubbed the "Guernsey Robert Burns, Burns", and sometimes considered the island's List of national poets, national poet. He wrote in Guernésiais, which is the indigenous lan ...

, poet *

Heather Watson Heather Miriam Watson (born 19 May 1992) is a British professional tennis player. A former British No. 1, Watson has won nine titles over her career, including the mixed-doubles title at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships partnering Henri K ...

, tennis player,

Team GB Team GB is the brand name used since 1999 by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for their British Olympic team. The brand was developed after the nation's poor performance in the 1996 Summer Olympics, and is now a trademark of the BOA. I ...

athlete and Wimbledon Champion *

, French writer, In exile in St-Peter Port from 1855 to 1870. *

Cameron Chalmers Cameron Christopher David Chalmers (born 6 February 1997) is a Guernsey born British track and field sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. The Guernsey record-holder for the 400 metres, he currently competes for both Guernsey and Great Br ...

, athlete

Numismatic History

Guernsey bank notes feature a number of parish buildings: * One pound, the Market and the Royal Court * One pound commemorative, the Market and Fountain Street * Five pound, the Town Church * Ten pound, Elizabeth College * Twenty pound, St James concert hall * Fifty pound, Royal Court house

References

External links

The St. Peter Port Parish Constables WebsiteThe Town Church Website
{{Authority control Peter Port

Saint Peter Port St. Peter Port (french: Saint-Pierre Port) is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. P ...