Portelet Tower
The Portelet Tower is a kind of Martello Tower that the British built in 1808 on the tidal island L'Île au Guerdain in Portelet Bay near Saint Brélade , in the south of the Channel Island of Jersey . The site is also known as Janvrin's Tower or Janvrin's Tomb. The island is accessible at low tide, but the tower is closed.
Like 14 others preserved on Jersey, the tower consists of only one room and was more of a guardhouse than a Martello tower, like the eight real ones: e.g. B. Tour de Vinde (nearby), Kempt Tower, Lewis Tower or the Victoria Tower. It has a door at floor level and a window about 2.2 m above the floor. It is made of quarry stone and is 5.2 m high and 8.2 m in diameter. Upon completion, Lieutenant Governor George Don ordered a fire to burn for two days to dry it out. A garrison, consisting of a sergeant and 12 men, occupied the tower, which was equipped with an 18-pound cannon.
Janvrin's tomb
Philippe Janvrin was the captain of the Esther. He often sailed to France for trade. When the plague became an epidemic in France, ships from France were not allowed to land on Jersey. When Janvrin returned to Jersey, he had to moor in Bellecroute Bay. He died on the second day of quarantine in 1721, but his body could not be brought ashore because of the plague. Fear of contagion led authorities to insist that he be buried on the tidal island known as Janvrin's Tomb, although his body was later interred in St. Brelade.
Web links
- Description and image (Engl.)
- Description and image (Engl.)
Coordinates: 49 ° 10 ′ 11.8 " N , 2 ° 10 ′ 39.6" W.