Saint Peter Port

St. Peter Port is on the east coast of Guernsey overlooking Herm and the tiny Jethou; a further channel separates Sark and surrounding islets such as Brecqhou; Normandy's long Cotentin Peninsula and, to the south-east, Jersey are visible in very clear conditions from some of the town's highest vantage points. The parish borders St. Sampson in the north, The Vale in the north-west, St. Andrew in the west and St. Martin in the south.

The name of the nearest channel is the Little Russel, in which sits the Bréhon Tower; that separating Sark is the Big Russel. 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). Grassy, gently terraced cliffs behind sea walls (including projections) topped by trees characterise the southern part of the coast here (by an underground military museum and historic battery at semi-wooded Havelet). In the north is the more built-up Admiral Park development. To the south of the town lies Havelet Bay and the coastal path which leads to the very pretty Fermain Bay after a walk of about 20–25 minutes.

St. Peter Port has an oceanic climate (Cfb) with mild summers and cool winters.{{Weather box

|location = St. Peter Port (2010-2020 normals, extremes 1947–present)

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high C = 13.3

|Feb record high C = 15.0

|Mar record high C = 19.4

|Apr record high C = 24.3

|May record high C = 25.9

|Jun record high C = 30.8

|Jul record high C = 32.6

|Aug record high C = 34.3

|Sep record high C = 30.6

|Oct record high C = 23.6

|Nov record high C = 18.0

|Dec record high C = 15.6

|year record high C = 34.3

|Jan high C = 8.7

|Feb high C = 8.4

|Mar high C = 10.0

|Apr high C = 12.6

|May high C = 14.8

|Jun high C = 17.6

|Jul high C = 20.0

|Aug high C = 19.5

|Sep high C = 18.3

|Oct high C = 15.4

|Nov high C = 11.9

|Dec high C = 10.1

|year high C = 13.9

|Jan mean C = 7.4

|Feb mean C = 6.7

|Mar mean C = 7.9

|Apr mean C = 9.9

|May mean C = 12.1

|Jun mean C = 14.7

|Jul mean C = 17.0

|Aug mean C = 16.9

|Sep mean C = 15.8

|Oct mean C = 13.5

|Nov mean C = 10.4

|Dec mean C = 8.7

|year mean C = 11.8

|Jan low C = 5.9

|Feb low C = 5.2

|Mar low C = 5.8

|Apr low C = 7.2

|May low C = 9.4

|Jun low C = 11.9

|Jul low C = 14.0

|Aug low C = 14.3

|Sep low C = 13.3

|Oct low C = 11.6

|Nov low C = 8.9

|Dec low C = 7.4

|year low C = 9.6

|Jan record low C = -7.8

|Feb record low C = -7.2

|Mar record low C = -2.2

|Apr record low C = -1.4

|May record low C = 0.1

|Jun record low C = 5.4

|Jul record low C = 8.3

|Aug record low C = 9.2

|Sep record low C = 5.8

|Oct record low C = 3.5

|Nov record low C = -0.8

|Dec record low C = -3.8

|year record low C = -7.8

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 90.7

|Feb precipitation mm = 73.1

|Mar precipitation mm = 50.5

|Apr precipitation mm = 38.9

|May precipitation mm = 43.6

|Jun precipitation mm = 37.8

|Jul precipitation mm = 33.3

|Aug precipitation mm = 53.6

|Sep precipitation mm = 52.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 82.5

|Nov precipitation mm = 97.8

|Dec precipitation mm = 99.5

|year precipitation mm = 753.6

|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 20.8

|Feb precipitation days = 18.1

|Mar precipitation days = 14.2

|Apr precipitation days = 10.2

|May precipitation days = 10.8

|Jun precipitation days = 11.4

|Jul precipitation days = 10.4

|Aug precipitation days = 13.9

|Sep precipitation days = 12.8

|Oct precipitation days = 17.2

|Nov precipitation days = 20.7

|Dec precipitation days = 20.3

|year precipitation days = 180.9

|Jan snow days = 1.0

|Feb snow days = 1.0

|Mar snow days = 1.0

|Apr snow days = 0.6

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.0

|Nov snow days = 0.0

|Dec snow days = 1.0

|year snow days = 4.6

|Jan sun = 61.0

|Feb sun = 85.6

|Mar sun = 127.6

|Apr sun = 194.7

|May sun = 234.5

|Jun sun = 246.6

|Jul sun = 250.7

|Aug sun = 230.1

|Sep sun = 180.1

|Oct sun = 117.1

|Nov sun = 77.8

|Dec sun = 58.2

|year sun = 1864.0

|Jan percentsun = 22.7

|Feb percentsun = 29.1

|Mar percentsun = 34.7

|Apr percentsun = 47.7

|May percentsun = 49.6

|Jun percentsun = 51.2

|Jul percentsun = 51.7

|Aug percentsun = 52.0

|Sep percentsun = 47.8

|Oct percentsun = 35.3

|Nov percentsun = 28.7

|Dec percentsun = 22.8

|year percentsun = 41.8

|source 1 = Guernsey Met Office 2018 Weather Report{{cite web |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.gg/AnnualReports/2018%20Annual%20Report.pdf |title=2014 Weather Report |publisher=Guernsey Met Office |access-date=20 November 2019 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121034919/http://www.metoffice.gov.gg/AnnualReports/2018%20Annual%20Report.pdf |archive-date=21 November 2019 |df=dmy-all }}

|source 2 = Weather-online.co.uk{{cite web |url=https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?LANG=en&PLZ=_____&PLZN=_____&WMO=03894&CONT=ukuk&R=0&LEVEL=162®ION=0003&LAND=UK&MOD=tab&ART=TEM&NOREGION=1&FMM=1&FYY=2010&LMM=1&LYY=2020

|title=Normals 2010-2020 |publisher=Weather-online|access-date=3 February 2020}}

}}

File:Castle Cornet Guernsey.jpg]]

Saint Peter Port is subdivided into four cantons:{{cite web |url=http://www.stppcons.com/information/cantons.html |title=St. Peter Port Parish, Canton Boundaries |publisher=Stppcons.com |date=2007-11-14 |access-date=2012-10-04 |archive-date=2011-10-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006021814/http://www.stppcons.com/information/cantons.html |url-status=dead }}

1. Canton 1 or North Canton
2. Canton 2 or Canton of the North-West
3. Canton 3 or Canton of the South-West
4. Canton 4 or Canton of the South

In addition, the islands of Herm and Jethou belong to the parish,{{cite web|url=http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/gg.html |title=Bailiwick of Guernsey |publisher=Crwflags.com |access-date=2012-10-04}} but are not part of any canton. They belong to Electoral district Saint Peter Port South.{{cite web|url=http://www.islandlife.org/guernsey_election2008.htm |title=Guernsey Election of States Deputies, 2008 |publisher=Islandlife.org |date=2008-04-23 |access-date=2012-10-04}}

St. Peter Port has an English Isthmian League club, Guernsey F.C. who play at Footes Lane. The Guernsey Rugby Football Club also play at Footes Lane and compete in National League 3 London & SE.

St. Peter Port is covered by the local television news programmes: BBC Channel Islands News and ITV News Channel TV. Guernsey's two main radio stations: BBC Radio Guernsey and Island FM are based in the town. The local newspaper is the Guernsey Press.

File:Candie Cardens in St. Peter Port, Guernsey (Unsplash).jpg

Candie Gardens, an award-winning restored Victorian Garden, features statues of Victor Hugo and Queen Victoria. 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 Winston Churchill Avenue, ‘a leafy tree-lined pedestrian avenue’, named after Winston Churchill, and a skate park.{{cite web | url=https://www.visitguernsey.com/experiences/activities/cambridge-park/ | title=Cambridge Park | Visit Guernsey }} In 2014, the parish was a Gold & Category Winner in the RHS Britain in Bloom competition,{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/communities/pdf/bloom/Britain-in-Bloom-2014/rhs-britain-in-bloom-uk-finals-full-results-2014 |title=RHS Britain in Bloom 2014 UK Finals Judges' Reports |publisher=Britain in Bloom}} followed in 2016 with another Gold medal.{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/communities/pdf/bloom/Britain-in-Bloom-Results-2016 |title=RHS Britain in Bloom 2016 UK Finals Full Results |publisher=RHS Britain in Bloom |access-date=2016-10-17 |archive-date=2016-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018205338/https://www.rhs.org.uk/communities/pdf/bloom/Britain-in-Bloom-Results-2016 |url-status=dead }}

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The features of the town include:

• St Peter Port Harbour
• 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
• Hauteville House, Victor Hugo's house of exile, which is now a museum under the aegis of the city of Paris).
• National Trust of Guernsey Victorian shop{{cite web |url=http://www.nationaltrust.gg/places-to-visit/ |title=Places to visit |publisher=National Trust of Guernsey}}
• Elizabeth College founded in 1563 by Elizabeth I of England. The main building (built 1826) is a prominent feature of the skyline.
• Victoria Tower{{cite web |url=http://www.museums.gov.gg/victoriatower |title=Victoria Tower |date=15 October 2012 |publisher=Guernsey Museums}}
• Priaulx Library{{cite web |url=http://www.stppcons.com/resources/The-Townie-Issue-1-WEB.pdf |title=Townie No 1 |access-date=2015-11-12 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120331/http://www.stppcons.com/resources/The-Townie-Issue-1-WEB.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{rp|16}}
• Guille-Allès Library{{cite web |url=http://www.library.gg/index.php |title=Guilles Alles Library |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207040603/http://www.library.gg/index.php |archive-date=2015-12-07 }}
• 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){{cite web |url=http://www.museums.gov.gg/gmag |title=Candie Museum |date=12 July 2012 |publisher=Guernsey Museums}}
• Candie Gardens{{cite web |url=http://museums.gov.gg/candiegardens |title=Candie Gardens |date=19 July 2012 |publisher=Guernsey Museums}}
• Marinas for visiting and local boats
• Military:
• Castle Cornet, the historic fortress that guarded the strategic entrance to the port. The castle was formerly a tidal island, but since 1859 a breakwater has connected it to the enlarged harbour.
• 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitguernsey.com/see-and-do/things-to-do/german-naval-signals-hq/|title = German Naval Signals HQ}}{{cite web| url = http://www.museums.gov.gg/German-Naval-Signals-HQ| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180822040934/http://museums.gov.gg/German-Naval-Signals-HQ| archive-date = 2018-08-22| title = German Naval Signals HQ - Guernsey Museums}}
• Island war memorial at the top of Smith Street{{cite web |url=http://www.greatwarci.net/memorials/guernsey/bailiwick/bailiwickmem.htm |title=Bailiwick of Guernsey War Memorial |publisher=Great War CI}}
• Parish war memorial at the bottom of Smith Street{{cite web |url=http://www.greatwarci.net/memorials/guernsey/spp.htm |title=St Peter Port Parish War Shrine, Guernsey |publisher=Great War CI}}
• St Stephens war memorial in St Stephens church{{cite web |url=http://www.greatwarci.net/memorials/guernsey/ststephens.htm |title=St. Stephen's Parish Memorial, Guernsey |publisher=Great War CI}}
• Liberation monument
• Anglo-Boer War memorial, in the Avenue{{cite web |url=http://www.museums.gov.gg/article/102032/South-African-War-Memorial |title=South African War Memorial |date=8 August 2012 |publisher=Guernsey Museums}}
• Fort George{{rp|126}}
• Cemetery at Fort George
• Commonwealth War Graves at Le Foulon cemetery
• Clarence Battery dating from the Napoleonic Wars
• La Vallette Underground Military Museum{{rp|126}}
• German fortifications, built during the occupation 1940–45{{rp|40}}
• 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. {{rp|126}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-49829135|title = The Aquarium in Guernsey set to close|work = BBC News|date = 25 September 2019}}
• Bathing places at La Vallette
• A number of protected buildings{{cite web |url=http://www.gov.gg/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=74530&p=0 |title=PROTECTED BUILDINGS |publisher=Environment - Guernsey government}}
• Castle Carey was built in 1840 for John Carey. It is a Gothic revival 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 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert during their visit to Guernsey in 1859, and the Duke of Cambridge in 1862. Victor Hugo’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.Careyroots http://www.careyroots.com/castle.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810154339/http://www.careyroots.com/castle.html |date=2015-08-10 }} During the Second World War, the Germans occupying Guernsey used Castle Carey as an officers’ club.

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The parish of Saint Peter Port hosts:

• Government House (office of the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
• St Peter Port Douzaine
• Guernsey Information Centre
• Fire Station
• States of Guernsey Police Service{{rp|34}}
• Guernsey Ambulance and Rescue Service
• Saint Peter Port Lifeboat Station
• Guernsey Border Agency
• Guernsey Post
• Footes Lane
• Ladies' College
• Vauvert Primary School
• Many shops
• Number of banks
• Large number of offices
• The International Stock Exchange
• Condor Ferries, a car ferry company which operates to Jersey, France and the UK, has its head office in Saint Peter Port.
• Countryside walks{{cite book |first=Paddy |last=Dillon |title=Channel Island Walks |year=1999 |isbn=9781852842888 |publisher=Cicerone Press Limited, 1999 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/channelislandwal0000dill }}{{rp|125}}
• Val des Terres Hill Climb
• St Peter Port Harbour Carnival{{cite web |url=http://www.harbourcarnival.gg/ |title=Harbour Carvival |publisher=Guernsey Round Table}}
• Town Carnival{{cite web |url=http://www.towncentrepartnership.com/towncarnival.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326072413/http://www.towncentrepartnership.com/towncarnival.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=March 26, 2013 |title=Town Carnival |publisher=Town Centre Partnership}}

File:StPeterPortChurch.jpg

File:Liberation Monument Guernsey 2.jpg

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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 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 harbour:

• St George's Esplanade
• North Esplanade
• South Esplanade

Saint Peter Port comprises two administrative division, St Peter Port South and St Peter Port North.

In the 2016 Guernsey general election 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.

{{See also|List of people from Guernsey}}

• Margaret Ann Neve – Supercentenarian and the oldest woman in the world until her death in 1903
• Sir Isaac Brock – Major General, "Hero of Upper Canada", War of 1812
• Matt Le Tissier, footballer
• Linda Martel, (1956-1961) healer
• Alison Merrien MBE, World indoors bowls champion
• George Métivier, poet
• Heather Watson, tennis player, Team GB athlete and Wimbledon Champion
• Victor Hugo, French writer, In exile in St-Peter Port from 1855 to 1870.
• Cameron Chalmers, athlete

{{See also|Guernsey pound}}

Guernsey bank notes feature a number of parish buildings:

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• One pound, the Market and the Royal Court
• One pound commemorative, the Market and Fountain Street
• Five pound, the Town Church

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• Ten pound, Elizabeth College
• Twenty pound, St James concert hall
• Fifty pound, Royal Court house

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{{Commons category|Saint Peter Port}}

• Maritime history of the Channel Islands

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Wikisource1911Enc|St Peter Port}}

• [http://www.stppcons.com/ The St. Peter Port Parish Constables Website]
• [http://www.townchurch.net/ The Town Church Website]

{{Parishes in Guernsey}}

{{Guernsey topics |state=collapsed}}

{{List of British Territories capitals}}

{{List of European capitals by region}}

{{Authority control}}

Peter Port

Saint Peter Port