Le Petit Menage, St S
Historic Jersey buildings
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Property name
Le Petit Menage
Location
Belvedere Hill, St Saviour
Type of property
Classical style country villa
Valuations
No recent transactions
Families associated with the property
- Noel
- Robin: The house was purchased by James Robin in 1822 and is still in the family
Historic Environment Record entry
Listed building
A fine example of early 19th century country villa in classical style fronting probably earlier blocks, possibly 18th century with later remodelling, together with estate buildings probably contemporary with the front block, including mid-19th century stable/coach block sensitively converted to residential use, and lodge at estate entrance to serpentine drive.
A fine example of an early-mid 19th century informal rural villa landscape, comprising entrance drive, lawns and an unusual complex of walled gardens surrounding a fine villa. It survives largely intact, although seedling trees have grown up in places. It contains a good collection of mature trees and shrubs, some rare. It is typical of the sophistication of suburban villa gardens of the period in the UK and reflects Picturesque designs published by John Claudius Loudon, but it is an increasingly rare and vulnerable type even in the UK, due to losses to redevelopment. This makes its survival all the more important.
Forms part of extensive small country house estate with Le Petit Menage Farm to north and farm buildings and walled gardens.
The site has been in the ownership of the same family since the early 19th century.
The house stands midway down the east-facing slope of Mont Pinel hillside, towards the west side of the site, with the lawns and walled gardens below to the east. The site is approached off Belvedere Hill to the south. The south-facing gateway is flanked by two tall rusticated granite piers with pyramid caps. These support ornate iron gates which have recently been restored. A lodge stands detached to the west of Mont Pinel decorated in Tudor Gothic style. From the gateway it appears to be of a single-storey, but is set into the hillside and has a second storey at a lower level, invisible at this point.
From the gateway the drive curves north-east. It is cut into the rock to give a smooth gradient and flanked by the rock rising to either side. Above the rocky bank to the east is a granite rubble boundary wall. Above to the west is a paddock leading up to Douro Terrace grounds. The drive banks are defined by large pieces of granite and planted with mature trees, principally holm oak, which create a tunnel effect.
The west bank is retained part way up by a low granite wall. The drive curves to the east, towards a view north-east over the lawn in front of the house. This may have been intended to give a view over the countryside beyond, but such a view is now screened by mature trees. The drive broadens into a forecourt below the east, entrance front of the house.
The grand neo-classical facade with its pedimented wings and columned porch is suddenly seen as the drive rounds a rock to enter the forecourt. The edge of the forecourt is lined by large pieces of granite in similar style to the drive. The drive continues north as a service drive past former stable buildings and coach house on the west side, now converted to residential use. Formerly the service drive continued north to the farm, but is now blocked beyond the former stables.
North of the house is a terraced former garden, now containing play areas. It is supported by a granite retaining wall to the north and a bank planted with mature trees to the east; it is enclosed to the west by a granite wall against the slope. The lawns drop away to the east from the terraced forecourt. A smoothly graded lawn descends to a modern fenceline at the bottom of the slope. The large, rectangular lawn is planted with mature specimen trees, including two sweet chestnut and false acacia, an unusual variety of ash in the south-west corner, with two large specimen hollies.
Beyond the lawn to the east the ground levels out and is disused and screened from the garden. It seems that this was formerly part of the main garden and forms part of the setting.
Beyond the north end of the lawn are more choice specimen trees and shrubs in a wooded shrubbery, sheltered by the walled gardens to the east. The shrubbery contains mature camellias, rhododendrons, holly, a rare cork oak, myrtle and other semi-tender large shrubs. A large pebble-lined path leads down a gentle gradient from the drive near the house through the shrubbery to the two gateways to the walled gardens. The shrubbery path is flanked by two large London plane and terminates at a mature Ginkgo biloba.
The walled gardens are divided into three. They are all enclosed by high granite rubble walls and are bounded to the east by Fountain Lane. The largest enclosure is the northern one which is now largely laid to lawn with several central trees, climbers on the walls and a small productive area. The outline of a perimeter path is visible. A view east extends fron the gateway in the west wall over the marsh beyond to the distant hillside. The other two enclosures lie adjacent to the south. The eastern enclosure is laid to lawn and contains various exotic plants including large cordylines, gunnera, palms, myrtle and tender Cornus shrubs. It has within living memory been known as the Tropical Garden and contained a croquet lawn.
The smallest enclosure, adjacent to the west, was seemingly a service yard. It contains the derelict remains of a two-storey cottage or outbuilding against the west wall. It formerly contained a large greenhouse against the north wall, the dwarf walls of which remain. It is entered from the lawn to the south via a broad arched gateway in the south wall.
