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| Our hotel, the Radisson Blu, next to marina, close to the harbour |
Jersey has several layers of defences built to counter invasion. Medieval castles, Elizabethan castle, late 18th century towers, Martello Towers and lots of German built Atlantik Wall concrete structures.
Leaving our hotel, we walked along the Prom around the bay for about a mile to First Tower.
The Germans covered the bay with a number of bunkers built into slipways
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| Armed with 47mm A/T Czech gun and a mg, and sited to deliver flanking fire along the beach |
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| Elizabeth Castle on an island in the bay to cover the harbour entrance |
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| The castle is reached either on foot or on one of these amphibious vehicles |
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| Souvenir guide, showing the castle when the tide is in, access via the ramp at the bottom edge |
In 1594, the Crown decided to build a fort on the island that would accommodate the increasing use of artillery in defence. Between 1600 and 1603, Sir Walter Raleigh was Governor and he renamed it Elizabeth Castle.
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| Photo from the guide, showing the keep and the barracks buildings |
The castle was built in three areas, the oldest is the Mount or Upper Ward, then the Lower Ward and finally the Outer Ward.
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| During the Occupation, the Germans installed a searchlight |
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| The searchlight was kept in this concrete shelter in the Outer Ward |
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| and pushed up this ramp for use to illuminate the harbour entrance when needed. |
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| West Bastion, overlooking the bay |
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| Artillery position |
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| Looking from the West Bastion towards the "Pepper Pot" on the Mount Bastion, Lower Ward |
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| Musket loops for local defence |
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| The Germans built two artillery bunkers, this one faces West and covers the bay. The second is on the other side of the castle and faces East to cover the harbour entrance. |
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| The Germans installed captured French 105mm cannon. |
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| In the Upper Ward, at the top of the castle, the Germans built this observation tower |
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| From the Upper Ward, the German West bunker and the Grand Battery |
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| From the observation tower, looking back along the castle towards the bay and First Tower |
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| This French photo shows a 105mm gun of the type captured and installed (Photo pinched from "Les Cannons de la Victoire" volume 1) |
Thanks for sharing your pics.
ReplyDeleteI visited Jersey in -78 I think, and back then you were ferried to Elizabeth Castle in a DUKW. That was the high point of the trip :-)