Fort Grey, colloquially known as the "cup and saucer", is a

Martello tower Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand u ...

located on a tidal rock in Rocquaine Bay in

Saint Peter, Guernsey St Peter's ( Guernesiais: Saint Pierre), known officially as ''Saint Pierre du Bois'' (English: "St. Peter in the Wood") is a parish in Guernsey. It is the centre for the Guernsey Western Parishes which includes Torteval, St Saviour's and th ...

on the west coast of the island.

Château de Rocquaine

The French name of the rock is the ''Château de Rocquaine'' (Castle of Rocquaine); in

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 ...

''Châté dé Rocquoïne'' probably built in the late medieval era, there was a small fort, referred to in the 1620s as used by the militia, not being in a fit state to withstand assault. In the 16th century the site of local witches' Sabbaths and in 1617 there was reported a meeting between a local girl, Isabel Becquet and the devil. Marie de Callais from St Martin, was also convicted for belonging to the coven and burnt at the stake on 17 October 1617.

Fort Grey

The existing fort was built on the remnants of the old Chateau. Its white tower was originally built as a defence by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in 1804 during 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 ...

, the builder was a local man, Thomas Henry from Clos du Valle The fort was named after

Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey, (circa 23 October 1729 – 14 November 1807) was a British Army general in the 18th century and a scion of the noble House of Grey. He was a distinguished soldier in a generation of exceptionally capable military a ...

, who was

Governor of Guernsey The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British crown dependency off the coast of France. Holders of the post of Governor of Guernsey, until the role was abolished in 1835. Since then, only Lieutenant-Governors have been appointed (see Lieutenant Gover ...

from 1797 to 1807. It was made one of three locations in the island where a warning gun would be fired in case of invasion. Monument MV Prosperity Guernsey

The Fort Grey tower, like the other two Guernsey Martello towers, Fort Saumarez and

Fort Hommet Fort Hommet (or Fort Houmet) is a fortification on Vazon Bay headland (or '' houmet'' in Guernésiais) in Castel, Guernsey. It is built on the site of fortifications that date back to 1680, and consists of a Martello tower from 1804, later additio ...

, was intended as a keep for the battery in which it was placed. The Guernsey Martellos are smaller than the British towers, with the Fort Saumarez and Fort Hommet towers being smaller than the Fort Grey tower. Each mounted a 24-pounder carronade on the roof to protect the battery. Fort Saumarez and Fort Hommet also have exterior staircases up to the second floor.Clements (1999), p. 87. The connection between St Peter Port and the fort were improved with an upgrade of the road to military standard around 1808, using money arising from the sale of land from the reclaimed Braye du Valle.

WW2

The

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

sold Fort Grey to the States of Guernsey in 1891 for £185. During the German occupation of the Channel Islands in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the Germans

occupied ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October ...

the fort, as they did most of the other fortifications in Guernsey. The fort was given the name ''Widerstandsnest Graur Turm'' (resistance nest Gray Tower) armed with a mobile 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti tank gun and machine guns.

Museum

More recently Fort Grey has been adapted for other more peaceful uses and now operates as a local shipwreck

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

, housing a number of items of marine salvage from famous wrecks, including the and ''Elwood Mead''. The items also include a cannon from that points towards the nearby Hanois rocks where ''Boreas'' sank in 1807 with the loss of her captain, at least half her crew, and possibly the captain's wife. An additional exhibit of the timbers from a 3rd-century Roman ship, nicknamed "Asterix", found in St Peter Port harbour in 1982 will shortly be on display close by, having taken decades to preserve the 1,700 year old timbers.

Protection

The whole of Fort Grey and the slipway at Rocquaine was listed as a Protected Monument on 26 March 1938, reference PM238.

Notes

References

* Clements, William H. (1998). ''Towers of Strength: Martello Towers Worldwide''. London: Pen & Sword. . * Dillon, Paddy (2011). ''Channel Island Walks''. Cicerone Guide. . * Grimsley, E. J. (1988). ''The historical development of the Martello Tower in the Channel Islands''. Sarnian Publications. .

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20040808105930/http://www.museum.guernsey.net/fortgrey.htm Fort Grey], Museums, Guernsey
Governors of Guernsey

History of St. Pierre du Bois by Marie de Garis 1995
PDF {{Castles in Guernsey Castles in Guernsey G Infrastructure completed in 1804 Maritime museums Martello towers Museums in Guernsey Tourist attractions in Guernsey Towers completed in 1804