Historic Jersey buildings
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Property name
Grasfort
Other names
- Gras Fort - as shown in 1881 census
- Ransom's Garden Centre
Location
Grande Route de Faldouet, St Martin
Type of property
Farmstead, now a garden centre and restaurant
Families associated with the property
- Sales - the property was acquired in the 20th century by Fred Sales, who ran his Old Tack Room business there ...
- Ransom - ... his daughter Janet and her husband David Ransom later established their garden centre business there, now continued by their daughters
- Alexander
- Le Bastard
- Crawford
- Bertram
Census returns
1881 - Will Alexander (1829- ) [1] a farmer of 35 acres, born in St Lawrence, was living here with his wife Jane (1832- ), nee Minto, sons Philip, Francis and George, daughters Mary and Jemima
Datestones
CCL 1725 - For Collette Collas, wife of Abraham Bertram
- AB CCL 1733 - For Abraham Bertram and Collette Collas, who married in St Martin in 1674
Historic Environment Record entry
Listed building
18th century farm group, adapted and enlarged in 19th century, retaining external features of historic significance and evidence of 17th century or earlier origins. Shown on the Richmond Map of 1795.
The presence of a chamfered carriage and pedestrian gates indicates earlier origins to the property. Later datestone of 1725 added to gate. Five-bay, two-storey house with three-bay, two-storey wing to the west, and further three-bay wing to the west of that. Two-storey farm buildings to the north form a narrow courtyard with gates on to the road.
Variously altered to accommodate shop and tea shop use. High stone boundary wall with 17th century pedestrian and carriage gate, altered by removal of arch stones. Pedestrian gate has chamfered jambs and chamfered datestone lintel is carved above. Carriage gate also has chamfered jambs that have been later adapted to piers with ball finials.
Old Jersey Houses
- "Here one may see the best example of a double round arch that has been altered. The pedestrian entrance has had the arch replaced by a straight lintel dated 1725, and in the case of the large section, the actual arch stones have been removed and pillars with pyramidal caps built on.
- "The property was connected with the Bertram family for a very long time, and several members of that family owned land in St Martin in 1331. [[Payne's Armorial of Jersey|Payne states that the name Grafford or Grasfort (also spelt Crafford or Caryford, was a form of the English Crawford, the family which owned this house before the Bertrams.
- "Before them the owner was probably Clement Le Bastard, Centenier of St Martin, whose daughter and heiress married Edouard Crawford, the Constable in 1535.
- "In 1550 the Commissioners who were disposing of Church property sold the Chapelle de Ste Barbe to Crawford, who by that time had probably acquired Le Bastard's house through his wife. This chapel, known to have been at Faldouet, is likely to have adjoined Crawford's house, and its site is therefore at or near Grasfort."
Notes and references
- ↑ William Henry
