Articles

The Library's unique collections are a treasure chest of unusual, interesting and sometimes surprising material just waiting to be found. This anthology, written by the Editor, is based on an eclectic selection of our archive. The author asserts her copyright on all material on the Priaulx Library website except where copyright of other authors is expressly notified. Permission to reproduce material from this website and full attribution to the author is required in all cases.

Lost Things

Notre Dame de la Perelle

6th March 2024

Notre Dame de la Perelle, Now known as Sainte ApollineBy George MétivierTranslated from a newspaper article originally written in French. He was an avid philologist, sometimes incorrect in his suppositions; his style is full of asides and annotations.

Lost things: La Brasserie. The Balsam of Peru, 1734

22nd July 2016

Pierre Carey sends a specimen of an unusual tree from Guernsey to Sir Hans Sloane in London, in the hope of advancing medicine. His house, La Brasserie, or the Brewhouse (Carey was head of a very successful enterprise) was finally demolished in 1968. During Carey's lifetime La Brasserie had been home to the most spledid gardens in Guernsey.

Laine's warehouse in Berthelot Street

'MSS belonging to Mr Laine of High Street, respecting his store in Berthelot Street (behind and touching the present Savings Bank), and the Savings Bank itself, formerly 'La Maison Briard.' Names and dates; the transcriptions of these interesting vues de justice, where the jurats visited properties about which there was a dispute and sought witnesses, may be consulted at the Library. The photograph is from the Carel Toms' Collection in the Library and accompanied an article he wrote about the demolition and rebuilding of this house in 1950-51.

Lost things: Laine's store, 1951

Laine's store by Carel Toms from the Priaulx Library Collection

'Demolition and rebuilding of one of the oldest houses in St Peter Port is to take place shortly. The house is one belonging to the Guernsey Savings Bank and stands opposite the Berthelot Street Restaurant.' An article by (probably) Carel Toms published in the Guernsey Press November 15 1950; photographs of the demolition and rebuilding are in the Toms collection at the Library.

Lost things: Alexander's Hotel

Alexander's Hotel from Priaulx Library Collection

Once one of the very favourite places to visit on a Sunday and eat pancakes, and subject of a poem in Guernsey French by George Métivier. The illustration, entitled 'Stacks of seaweed at Alexander's Hotel' is from R. Ellis' Rambles among the Channel Islands, by a Naturalist, 1854.

Lost things: Les Maindonnaux, 1901

Les Maindonnaux, Priaaulx Library Collection

View from the North-east.

Lost things: Old Red House, St Saviour's, 1891

St Appoline in use as a barn from Bellamy's Pictorial Directory 1843 in the Library collection.

Letters from the Star, April 1891. Blondel and Andros, Brouard, Dumont, and Angel, at St Apolline. St Apolline's Chapel is first mentioned as belonging to Nicolas Henry in 1394; it was then called Notre Dame de la Perelle. The woodcut shows the chapel in use as a barn, from Bellamy's Pictorial Guide of 1843, in the Library collection.

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