St. Peter Port () is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

. It is the capital of the

Bailiwick of Guernsey The Bailiwick of Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Bailliage dé Guernési'') is a self-governing British Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France, comprising several of the Channel Islands. It has a total land area of ...

as well as the main

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. Peter Port is a small town (commonly referred to by locals as just "town") consisting mostly of steep, narrow streets and steps on the overlooking slopes. It is known that a trading post/town existed here before Roman times with a pre-Christian name which has not survived. The parish covers an area of 6.5 km². 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 numerical digit, digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, inclu ...

for addresses in the parish starts with GY1. People from St. Peter Port were nicknamed "les Villais" (the townspeople) or "cllichards" in

Guernésiais Guernésiais (), also known as Guerneseyese, ''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 ...

Geography

St. Peter Port is on the east coast of

overlooking

Herm Herm (Guernésiais: , ultimately from Old Norse 'arm', due to the shape of the island, or Old French 'hermit') is one of the -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, ...

and the tiny Jethou; a further channel separates

Sark Sark (Sercquiais: or , ) is an island in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, and part of the archipelago of the Channel Islands. It is a self-governing British Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency, with its own set o ...

and surrounding islets such as

Brecqhou Brecqhou (or Brechou; ) is one of the Channel Islands, located off the west coast of Sark where they are now geographically detached from each other. Brecqhou is politically part of both Sark and the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It has been establishe ...

;

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

's long

Cotentin Peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its west lie the Gu ...

and, to the south-east,

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

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 A vale is a type of valley. Vale may also refer to: Places Georgia * Vale, Georgia, a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region Norway * Våle, a historic municipality Portugal * Vale (Santa Maria da Feira), a former civil parish in the municip ...

in the north-west,

St. Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...

in the west and St. Martin in the south. The name of the nearest channel is the

Little Russel The Little Roussel, also known as the Petit Ruau or Little Russel, is a channel running between the isle of Herm and Guernsey in the Channel Islands. The main harbours of Guernsey and Herm face into the Little Roussel. There are many small roc ...

, in which sits the

Bréhon Tower The Bréhon Tower (; or Fort Brehon) is accessible only by boat and sits on Bréhon Rock, an island in the Little Roussel, Little Russell channel about 1.5 km northeast of St Peter Port, Guernsey, between the port and the islands of Herm an ...

; that separating Sark is the

Big Russel The Big/Great Roussel, Big Russel or Grand Ruau is the channel running between Herm on the west, and Brecqhou, and Sark on the east, in the Channel Islands. It has a treacherous current, and the tidal variations in this region are amongst some ...

. 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 A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

). 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.

Climate

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

Subdivisions

Saint Peter Port is subdivided into four cantons: #Canton 1 or North Canton #Canton 2 or Canton of the North-West #Canton 3 or Canton of the South-West #Canton 4 or Canton of the South In addition, the islands of

and Jethou belong to the parish, but are not part of any canton. They belong to Electoral district Saint Peter Port South.

Sport and leisure

St. Peter Port has an English

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...

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.

Media

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 The ''Guernsey Press and Star'', more commonly known as the ''Guernsey Press'', is the only daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is ofte ...

''.

Parks and gardens

Candie Gardens, an award-winning restored Victorian Garden, features statues of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

and

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. 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 Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

, and a skate park. In 2014, the parish was a Gold & Category Winner in the RHS Britain in Bloom competition, followed in 2016 with another Gold medal.

Features

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 The States of Guernsey (), officially the States of Deliberation and sometimes referred to as the Government of Guernsey, is the parliament and government of the British Crown dependency of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the ...

** Hauteville House,

's house of exile, which is now a museum under the aegis of the city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

). ** National Trust of Guernsey Victorian shop ** Elizabeth College founded in 1563 by

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

. The main building (built 1826) is a prominent feature of the skyline. ** Victoria Tower ** Priaulx Library ** Guille-Allès Library ** 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) * Candie Gardens * 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 A tidal island is a raised area of land within a waterbody, which is connected to the larger mainland by a natural isthmus or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide, causing the land to switch between being ...

, but since 1859 a breakwater has connected it to the enlarged

harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

. ** 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. ** Island war memorial at the top of Smith Street ** Parish war memorial at the bottom of Smith Street ** St Stephens war memorial in St Stephens church ** Liberation monument ** Anglo-Boer War memorial, in the Avenue ** Fort George ** Cemetery at Fort George ** Commonwealth War Graves at Le Foulon cemetery ** Clarence Battery dating from the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

** La Vallette Underground Military Museum ** German fortifications, built during the occupation 1940–45 ** Two

13.5 cm K 09 The 13.5 cm Kanone 09 (13.5 cm K 09) was a heavy breech-loading field artillery gun used by Germany in World War I. Built by Friedrich Krupp AG, in Essen, Germany, this gun was intended to supplement the 10 cm K 04. Only four of the six ...

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. * Bathing places at La Vallette * A number of protected buildings ** Castle Carey was built in 1840 for John Carey. It is a

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

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

and

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

during their visit to Guernsey in 1859, and the Duke of Cambridge in 1862.

’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. During the Second World War, the Germans occupying Guernsey used Castle Carey as an officers’ club. The parish of Saint Peter Port hosts: * Government House (office of the

Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey The lieutenant governor of Guernsey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The role of the lieutenant governor is to act as the ''de facto'' head of state in Guern ...

* St Peter Port Douzaine * Guernsey Information Centre * Fire Station * States of Guernsey Police Service *

Guernsey Ambulance and Rescue Service Guernsey Ambulance and Rescue Service is the ambulance and rescue service of Guernsey, the second largest of the Channel Islands, and also provides these services to other islands within the Bailiwick of Guernsey, both those directly governed, and ...

Saint Peter Port Lifeboat Station St Peter Port Lifeboat Station is located at Saint Peter Port, St Peter Port, Capital city, capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, and main port of the island of Guernsey, a self-governing British Crown Dependency and one of the Channel Islands. ...

* Guernsey Border Agency *

Guernsey Post Guernsey Post is the postal service for the island of Guernsey, Channel Islands. It includes a Philatelic bureau, and regularly issues both definitive and commemorative stamps. It also provides postal services for Sark. In contrast to the ...

* Footes Lane * Ladies' College * Vauvert Primary School * Many shops * Number of banks * Large number of offices *

The International Stock Exchange The International Stock Exchange (TISE) is a stock exchange headquartered in St. Peter Port, Guernsey. TISE provides a listing facility for international companies to raise capital from investors worldwide. It offers a regulated marketplace, wi ...

Condor Ferries Condor Ferries was an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between the United Kingdom, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey, Bailiwick of Jersey, Jersey and France. History Condor Ferries was formed in 1964 by Channel Island businessme ...

, a car ferry company which operates to Jersey, France and the UK, has its head office in Saint Peter Port. * Countryside walks * Val des Terres Hill Climb * St Peter Port Harbour Carnival * Town Carnival StPeterPortChurch

Main roads

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 St Sampson (Guernésiais: ) is a parish of Guernsey, an island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, directly north of St Peter Port. It is on the north-west and north-east coasts of the island and is split into two sections, intersected by Vale. The p ...

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

: * St George's Esplanade * North Esplanade * South Esplanade

Politics

Saint Peter Port comprises two

administrative division Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

, St Peter Port South and St Peter Port North. 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 Followin ...

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.

Notable people

* Margaret Ann Neve –

Supercentenarian A supercentenarian, sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian, is a person who is 110 or older. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of significant age-related diseases until short ...

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 Matthew Paul Le Tissier (; born 14 October 1968) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. Le Tissier spent his entire professional club career with Southampton F.C., Southampton, before turning to non- ...

, footballer * Linda Martel, (1956-1961) healer * Alison Merrien MBE, World indoors bowls champion * George Métivier, poet *

Heather Watson Heather Miriam Watson (born 19 May 1992) is a British professional tennis player. A former British No. 1, Watson has won nine titles over her career, including the mixed-doubles title at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships – Mixed doubles, 2016 ...

, tennis player,

Team GB Team GB is the brand name used since 1999 by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for their British Olympic team. The brand was developed after the nation's poor performance in the 1996 Summer Olympics, and is now a trademark of the BOA. ...

athlete and Wimbledon Champion *

, French writer, In exile in St-Peter Port from 1855 to 1870. * Cameron Chalmers, athlete

Numismatic History

Guernsey bank notes feature a number of parish buildings: * One pound, the Market and the Royal Court * One pound commemorative, the Market and Fountain Street * Five pound, the Town Church * Ten pound, Elizabeth College * Twenty pound, St James concert hall * Fifty pound, Royal Court house

References

External links

The St. Peter Port Parish Constables WebsiteThe Town Church Website
{{Authority control Peter Port

Saint Peter Port St. Peter Port () is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. Peter Port is a small tow ...