Jersey – Portrait of an Island

Jersey is truly different. The first indication comes when her plane descends. Most likely, she will plunge into the great blue expanse of the English Channel, as if she were about to land in the water. Only at the very last moment will the spectacular view of St Ouen Bay be revealed, with its five miles of golden sand culminating in the somber Corbiere Lighthouse. Gliding low over surfers and sand dunes, her plane will eventually land on a small island with greater wealth per capita than Brunei. A sign greets you in the archaic and arcane dialect of Jerrais: “Seyiz les Beinv’nus a Jerri.” This is Britain, but not as we know it.

Embraced by the long arm of the Cotentin Peninsula, Jersey is one of a group of rocks that nestle in the Gulf of St. Malo. The Channel Islands were once high ground in a forested plain that was flooded by glacial meltwater in prehistoric times, when Neanderthals built caves near what is now St Brelade Beach. The Roman Empire left few traces on “Insula Caesarea”, but the islands were incorporated into the Duchy of Normandy. They were an integral, francophone part of Duke William’s domain for generations long before he embarked on a madcap quest to conquer another, much larger territory: England.

Jersey has retained its unique identity as a separate kingdom, loyal to the Crown but distinct from the United Kingdom and relying solely on it for defense and foreign affairs. Government continues to be local and based in the twelve parishes, with the States of Jersey eschewing political parties and meeting in the pink State Houses in the capital of St Helier. Monetary union with England means that the pound sterling is a common currency, although Jersey pound notes feature the queen without a crown, because here she is a duke, not a monarch. All mainland functions are duplicated here in miniature: Jersey Post instead of Royal Mail; Jersey Telecom instead of British Telecom, Jersey Heritage instead of English Heritage. One feature that is not duplicated is the continent’s fiscal policy; the top rate on the island is 20% (compared to 50% in the UK) and there are no pesky charges like capital gains tax, inheritance tax and VAT. These advantageous and business-friendly policies have allowed the island to develop as a leading offshore financial center in recent decades.

However, the true wealth of Jersey is its landscape. Barely forty-five square miles of green valleys, wooded lanes and quaint villages, the island doubles in size at low tide when the powerful tidal surge from the St Malo Basin reveals vast expanses of seabed. Guided “moon walks” can be taken to explore this mesmerizing, luminescent but potentially very dangerous landscape, as the sea can move faster than a man can run and flood to a depth of forty feet. The sea has modeled spectacular and diverse series of cliffs and beaches; from the high, sheer cliffs of the north shore, where Bouley Bay and Plemont plunge hundreds of feet into the deep, rocky ocean, to the gentler stretches of the southern shores. The panorama of St Aubin’s Bay is a vast expanse overlooking the tidal islet on which Elizabeth Castle stands. It was described by Queen Victoria as the equal of the Bay of Naples. Further west, St Brelade’s is a quintessential family beach, where the medieval Fisherman’s Chapel watches over the beautiful sands. Nearby are two secret gems: Portelet Bay, with a Martello tower located on a tidal island, and Beauport Bay, which on a summer’s day has the appearance of a Caribbean island. Fortunately, the weather in Jersey is sunnier than anywhere else in the British Isles.

History is everywhere. Fought over by England and France for centuries, the island boasts a world-class castle on Mont Orgueil, rising vividly and imposingly over the Royal Bay of Grouville. The seat of Governor of Jersey and New World explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, the castle offers an immersive experience in the medieval world of Jersey. A more sobering experience is provided by Jersey’s war tunnels, built with slave labor during one of the most traumatic periods in the island’s recent history: the 1940-45 occupation. The island reemerged from its wartime experiences to agricultural prosperity in the postwar era, with the Jersey Royal Potato and the beautiful, docile Jersey Cow becoming world-famous exports. Then the rise of the financial services industry led to a new wave of prosperity and helped explain the sophistication of Jersey’s culinary and cultural scene. Fortunately, development outside of St Helier has been limited and much of the island’s interior retains a rural, even bucolic, flavor. The forty mile per hour speed limit and tiny, narrow roads soothe the spirit in this unique, tiny but utterly charming corner of the British Channel Islands.