Castel (

Guernésiais Guernésiais, also known as ''Dgèrnésiais'', Guernsey French, and Guernsey Norman French, is the variety of the Norman language spoken in Guernsey. It is sometimes known on the island simply as "patois". As one of the langues d'oïl, it has it ...

: Lé Casté;

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: Sainte-Marie-du-Câtel) is the largest

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

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 terms of

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an op ...

. The Parish has clear evidence of changes in ancient sea-levels, with trunks of an oak forest visible on Vazon beach at very low tide and at above sea level an ancient beach. The old

nickname for people from Castel was ''ânes pur sàng''. The parish plays host to both Le Viaër Marchi and the North Show which includes the Battle of Flowers annually. It also produces a regular magazine called ''Castel Matters''. 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 ...

for street addresses in this parish begins with GY5.

Parish church

The parish church of St Marie de Castel, also known as Notre Dame de la Délivrance, was consecrated on 25 August 1203. It is notable for its preserved medieval fresco. A pre-Christian neolithic

menhir A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be found ...

dating from 2,500-1,800 BC in the churchyard, carved to represent a female, with breasts and a necklace in relief, possibly a fertility symbol. It was discovered under the floor of the church in 1878, possibly buried there to rid the church of a link to the older pagan beliefs. In the churchyard is the tomb of James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez GCB, an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

. The church is thought to be built on an ancient fort, hence the name Castel or Câtel, possibly a corruption of the Roman ''Castellum'' or ''castrum''. In the area broken Roman roof tiles and pottery have been discovered, indicating Roman occupation.

Features

Features of the parish include: * Ste. Marie de Castel church *

Saumarez Park Saumarez Park is the largest public park on the island of Guernsey. The Park The park, one of the island's main social venues, is located in the Parish of Castel, about 4 km from the centre of Saint Peter Port. It contains various facili ...

* National Trust of Guernsey Folk & Costume Museum * Fairfield * Military: ** Parish war memorial inside church ** Tower 12, Vazon Bay ** Hougue Batteries Left & Right 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 Fre ...

** Grandes Rocques Battery dating from the

** Burton Battery dating from the

** Le Guet watchhouse ** Fort Hommet, at Vazon ** Fort Hommet 10.5 cm Coastal Defence Gun Casement Bunker at Vazon ** German fortifications, built during the occupation 1940-45 * Archaeology: ** Castel Church Statue Menhir * Beaches ** Cobo ** Grandes Rocques (Saline) ( MCS recommended) ** Port Soif ( MCS recommended) ** Vazon ( MCS recommended) ** Albecq * Nature reserves ** Fort Hommet ** Port Soif/Portinfer ** Rue de Bergers * Le Guet * Cobo village * Kings Mills village * Fauxquets Valley * Talbot Valley * A number of protected buildings *

Abreuvoir A watering trough (or artificial watering point) is a man-made or natural receptacle intended to provide drinking water to animals, livestock on farms or ranches or wild animals. History In Australia, the watering trough is established so ...

s (places for cattle to drink) The parish of the Castel hosts: * La Chambre de la Douzaine * Castel School, a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

* La Mare de Carteret School * Les Beaucamps High School * Cobo community centre *

La Grande Mare ''The Big Pond'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code romantic comedy film based on a 1928 play of the same name by George Middleton and A.E. Thomas. The film was written by Garrett Fort, Robert Presnell Sr. and Preston Sturges, who provided the dialo ...

golf course * King George V Playing Fields * Guernsey Indoor Bowls Centre * King George VII Hospital * Guernsey Rovers AC ground * Battle of Flowers, an annual event * Le Viaër Marchi, an annual community event * Numerous hotels and restaurants * Surf school at Vazon * Country walks

Politics

The Castel comprises the whole of the Castel

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 ...

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 Followi ...

there was 3,262 or 73%, turnout to elect five Deputies. Those elected (in order of votes received) being ''Richard Graham'', ''Chris Green'', ''Barry Paint'', ''Mark Dorey'' and ''

Jonathan Le Tocq Jonathan Paul Le Tocq (born 4 March 1964) is a politician in Guernsey. Early life and career Adopted in Guernsey. After working in London, he was ordained into Christian ministry before returning to Guernsey where he became Senior Pastor of Ch ...

''.

References

External links

Castel parish website
{{Guernsey topics , state=collapsed Castel