Jersey Forts & Museums

Whilst in Jersey, you can not miss finding out about the island's fascinating history and no better place to start than the Jersey Heritage Trust's sites of Mont Orgueil and Elizabeth castles, The Jersey Museum, Hamptonne Country Life Museum, La Hougue Bie and the Maritime Museum and Occupation Tapestry Gallery. 

Website www.jerseyheritagetrust.org 

Situated in a restored German bunker which once formed part of Hitler's Atlantic Wall defences, the museum gives a fascinating insight into German Occupation life in Jersey. All the rooms and corridors are full of artefacts from the German occupation of the island.

Open daily 10.00am to 5pm Easter to October

Tel: 07797 732072

Perry's map Ref: C4

Take a castle ferry across or walk at low tide. There is plenty to see and do including the three exhibitions which tell the history of the castle and its role in defending Jersey.  Why not climb the battlements and enjoy the fabulous views across the bay and St Helier. The noon day gun is fired daily throughout the summer.

Open 1 April to 31 October 10.00am to 6.00pm (last admission 5pm). Refreshments available from the cafe. All buses stop nearby at Liberation Station a short walk away.

Tel: 01534 733971

Useful Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Castle

This cluster of farmhouses and other buildings have been restored to depict agricultural life through the ages and is a real educational experience for all the family. Daily exhibitions of traditional crafts. Children love playing with the old mangle in the wash house.

Open daily 10.00am to 5pm April to October 

Perry's Map Ref G5.WW.  Tel 863955

Travel back in time as Jersey museum tells the story of life in Jersey 250,000 years ago through the turmoil of the French and English monarchy up to the present day.

Tel: 01534 633300. Any bus to Liberation Station.

Open daily 9.30 to 5pm (Summer) and daily 10.00am to 4pm (1 November to 31 March)

Jersey War Tunnels tells the true story of the Occupation of Jersey during World War Two. It is one of the Island 's most popular tourist attractions as well as an important site of heritage conservation and interpretation.

The tunnel complex known during the occupation as 'Hohlgangsanlage' 8 (H08) houses an exhibition detailing the German occupation through the experiences of local people who lived through it. Visitors are shown events of evacuation, deportation, captivity and siege through to liberation on May 9th 1945. Award Winning attraction where history runs deep!

Open March to November 9.30 to 5pm and November to March 10am to 4pm. See their website  www.jerseywartunnels.com

Bus route 8

Tel: 860808

See hear and smell  Jersey's maritime history with interactive displays. Situated under one roof near Liberation Square, these two attractions are fun and interesting for the whole family. Included is the bow section of the Orient Star and you can also experience an interactive rolling deck and see the cramped living conditions. See also the Shipwrecked Museum. The acclaimed Tapestry Gallery gives a fascinating insight into German occupation life during the years 1940 to 1945.

Nautical books, CDs and gifts sold on site.

Open daily 9.30am to 5pm in Summer and 10.00am until 4pm in Winter (1 November to 31 March)

Perry's map Ref: H7.WW. Tel: 811043.

Noirmont Command Bunker, Noirmont Point, St Brelade M-132 & Observation Tower MP-1

This well preserved impressive two level German naval command bunker controlled the artillery battery 'Lothringen' from 1944-1945. There is an adjacent artillery battery, gun emplacements and observation tower exhibition of German equipment. It is one of four of a similar design in the Channel Islands and has been restored to a high standard and displays the thoroughness of German military engineering.

Opening Times:

April -  6th, 13th, 20th, 27th (11.00am – 4.00pm)

May  - 4th, 9th, 11th, 18th, 26th (11.00am – 4.00pm)

June - 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th (11.00am – 4.00pm)

July -  6th, 13th, 27th (11.00am – 4.00pm)

August – 3rd, 10th, 17th, 31st (11.00am – 4.00pm)

September - 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th (11.00am – 4.00pm)

The bunker will also be open on some Saturdays

from10.00am to 1.00pm between 22nd march and the end of September - dependant on volunteer availability

Admission £2.00, accompanied children free.

See the Channel islands Occupation Society website:  http://www.ciosjersey.org.uk/ for more German defences

Buses 12 and 12a

Tel: 746795

Built in the 1540s, the fort pre-dates Elizabeth Castle and together provided protection to the bay and harbour at St Aubin. The fort is reached at low tide across the sand.

Another museum not to be missed is the Steam Museum which features all types of steam engines including two steam rollers from 1922/25 and a 1904 Ransomes Traction engine. On certain days you can take steam train rides in Victorian carriages. There is an old Jersey farmhouse kitchen display and the museum organises a Liberation Day Steam Fayre each May and the steam threshing Fayre in late summer.

Open Mon to Sat 10.00am to 5pm April to October

Perry's map Ref: H5.FW.  Tel 865307

No longer open to the public - the German bunker built as the HQ of the MG Battalion 16 1n 1942 and was of strategic importance during the occupation years. It accommodated 33 soldiers and has been restored to its original condition including an exhibition of German equipment.

The Jersey Museum near the bus station in the heart of St Helier, was opened in 1992 and uses the latest technology to portray Jersey life over the centuries including its traditions and industries. Also on display are the top floors of the 19th century Merchant House. It was voted the most outstanding tourist attraction to open in the British Isles in 1992. The interative displays are of particular appeal to children

Open daily 10.00am to 5pm in Summer and until 4pm in Winter.

Perry's map Ref: J7.WW. Tel 633300