Colomberie

Colomberie

Mr Parpaillon and his wife Anne Marie outside their shop at the Snow Hill end of Colomberie in 1916

Colomberie is one of the longest streets in St Helier, stretching from Snow Hill to the gates of the Howard Davis Park. It has never been one of the most important shopping streets, although for much of its length it was lined with mainly small retail outlets, the majority catering for tourists

Colomberie in 1965

Tourist trade

It was once a street which catered strongly for the tourist trade, because there were a number of hotels at its eastern end, including the Ritz, which has suffered the same fate as many of St Helier's town centre hotels, being demolished to make way for blocks of apartments.

Not only would hotel guests walk from there along the length of Colomberie, on their way into the centre of the town, but others staying on the seafront at Havre des Pas would walk up Green Street and Grenville Street to join Colomberie and head towards the main shopping areas.

The street has long been an important traffic artery, with the traffic flow from east to west since it was restricted to one direction in the 1950s. In an attempt to revitalise the street, that flow was interrupted in the 1990s in the centre, with southbound traffic forced to turn either into Francis Street to head anti-clockwise around the town's ring road, or left into the top end of Green Street towards Route du Fort.

Pedestrian area

A pedestrianised section was created here, but further along traffic again joins Colomberie at the Grenville Street junction, being able to turn along the western section of Colomberie, or in the other direction along the start of Don Street to head east or around the town ring road.

The result of these changes has been that today the street is very much one of three parts, the western end from Snow Hill to Grenville Street remaining a shopping area, the central pedestrianised section having become somewhat sterile, and the upper eastern end retaining a number of shops but having become increasingly isolated from the town centre.

History

Very little has been recorded about the history of this important throughfare. In the 18th century no road existed here and a house with its frontage on La Motte Street, called Maison Colombier, probably gave the name to the road which was eventually built behind. On Peter Meadow's 1737 survey of the Bay of St Helier the surrounding land is shown as an orchard.

La Colomberie gets only a passing mention in Edmund Nicolle's history The Town of St Helier, which notes that it was part of the fief de la Motte. Although 20th century traffic management made it an important gateway to the town from the east, La Motte Street was earlier the inner part of the main route from the town centre to the east, leading to Don Road.

Architects' assessment

In 1971 a committee of the Association of Jersey Architects provided the States Planning Office with an assessment of buildings of historic and architectural interest in the town of St Helier. This is what they had to say about 20 Colomberie:

'A town house in a Romantic Victorian Gothic style with carved timber detail. The use of local squared, snecked, granite rubble for the walls adds to its general character and quality. This house is well maintained and well worth preserving.'

Planning officers' pictures

This first batch of photographs were taken by planning officers in 1968 as part of a project to record all town centre streets

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  S W and E A Gill's shop

2005 - Picture by Andre Ferrari

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  48 Colomberie
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  Colomberie's ceremonial arch for Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee in 1897
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  St Ives
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  St Ives
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  De La Mare
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  Eagle House
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  Forte's restaurant
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  1911
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  French Pharmacy
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  Croad, undertakers
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  No 23
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  Mr Parpaillon and Anne Marie in front of their shop in 1916
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  Le Riches had their largest and most modern store in Colomberie in the mid-1960s
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  Houguez Poole
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  Reg's Restaurant at No 17 in 1951
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  1980s
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  Sweet Shop
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  A shop at the top end of the street in the 1890s
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  The Galleon Restaurant was on the corner of Colomberie with Francis Street
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  1973 demolition
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  Colomberie Parade
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  No 39 in 1966
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  Nos 40-48 in 1962
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  No 47
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  The Soane, named in honour of the architect of the original Colomberie House
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  Pierre Arrive House
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  Nos 23 and 23a
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  1991
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  2000
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  John de Gruchy's Camera Corner in 2000
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  Keith Baal Gardens were built on the site of the former Ritz Hotel
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  Keith Baal Gardens, 2000
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  No 48 in 1960. The shopfront was donated to the Museum - Picture Jersey Evening Post
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  Eagle House, before demolition in 1983 - Picture Jersey Evening Post
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  Eagle House - Picture Jersey Evening Post
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  Eagle House - Picture Jersey Evening Post
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  Eagle House - Picture Jersey Evening Post
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  Eagle House - Picture Jersey Evening Post
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  La Chasse Hotel demolition in 1965 - Picture Evening Post
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  Le Bail, 1983 - Picture Jersey Evening Post
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  Maison Mohair, 1977 - Picture Jersey Evening Post
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  Mates fashions, 1979 - Picture Jersey Evening Post

Two-way traffic - very much a thing of the past

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  1795 map showing the street highlighted in yellow, with a small number of houses with large gardens on either side
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  1834 map
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  1907 map

Colomberie businesses

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  Croad, undertakers
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  Rickett's bakery
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  Rickett's bakery
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  Rickett's bakery
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  Iggleden's wines and spirits
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  Miss E A Henry's school
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  Jersey High School for Girls
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  Webb, carriages and horse rental
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  Francois Valpy, tailor and draper
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  Boielle, milliners
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  Corsets from W H Bailey, draper at 11 Colomberie
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  1857
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  1857
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  1857
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  Croad, undertakers in 1894
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  1892
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  Forte's
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  Lloyd and Hayes, tailors
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  Shoe retailer Tyler's main outlet was at 22 King Street, but they also had a shop in Colomberie in the 1960s
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  1905
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  1890
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  1905
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  1852
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  1905
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  J Webb, horse and carriage rentals
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  Fortes, 1945
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  1948 advert
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  1852 advert
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  1948 advert
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  1948 advert
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  1948 advert
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  1948 advert
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  1948 advert
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  1948 advert
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  1955
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  1968
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  1965
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  An account sent by baker F A Rickett
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  1899
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  Hosking's Model Dairy was in Colomberie in 1899
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  1899 Evening Post advert
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  1853 advert indicating that what is now known simply as Colomberie was then called Colomberie Street
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  1881 advert
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  1881 advert
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  1873 advert
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  1873 advert
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  1887 advert from L'Almanach de la Gazette de Jersey
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  1887 advert from L'Almanach de la Gazette de Jersey
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  1908
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  Advert from Jersey Leader, 1935
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  Advert from Jersey Leader, 1935
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  Tailor James Pearson advertised in La Patrie in 1850
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  No 64 was advertised for sale in 1850 by Hugh de Carteret in Chronique de Jersey
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  Pembroke House, Colomberie, advertised in Chronique de Jersey in 1850
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  The Le Huquet sisters ran Lansdowne House School for girls in Colomberie, as advertised in Chronique de Jersey in 1850
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  Miss E E Picot opened a school at 40 Colomberie on 30 March 1840, teaching French, English, History, Geography, writing, arithmetic, translation, composition and design
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  It was rare for property values to be advertised in the 19th century, but this 1874 advert in Chronique de Jersey offered a house and garden at 72 Colomberie to rent at £24 a year
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  S Le Riche advertised sugar at 26-28 Colomberie in Chronique de Jersey in 1880
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  1890 Chronique de Jersey advert
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  1900 Chronique de Jersey advert
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  1920 advert in the Chronique de Jersey