Plemont

On the coast

Plemont Edwardian gentlemen carried the ladies through to the caves at Plemont, a sandy beach on the north coast of Jersey. It has the most accessible large caves in Jersey and has long been a popular spot for holidaymakers to visit during an island tour Click on Pegman to view the location in Google Street View

360-degree panoramic view

Facebook video 1

Facebook video 2

Sand eels

Adjacent to the Plmont headland to the west is La Grève au Lanchon - a fine sandy beach of which the main attraction was until 1939, the sand-eels (du lanchon) that were caught in nocturnal fishing expeditions. Tourism replaced fishing: from Victorian times the caves, easily accessible at low tide, have attracted both locals and visitors alike, and were a magnet for the island's elite on a fine, sunny day. They would descend the steps and bridges from the top of the tall cliffs, dressed in their Sunday best, and the ladies would be carried on the men's backs through the pools which form in the sand in front of the caves.The beach is also popular with surfers when the sea is rough, and at other times it provides a safe, protected beach for a day out in the sunshine.

There was a guardhouse on the neck of the peninsula, with a drawbridge.

Holiday camp

At one time there was a hotel at the top of the cliff, and then a holiday camp was built on the headland. Now that has been demolished and the headland has been restored to its natural state.

• Coast: Plemont, one of the stops on our coastal tour of Jersey NEW
• Plemont Holiday Camp

We do not know the date of this image, but it is from the days when schools required their pupils to wear school uniform even when out for the day with their parents. Perhaps that's why the young lad was looking so miserable!

Facebook picture by Steven Harrison

Click on images below to see larger pictures

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  The hotel in 1871
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  1900s
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  1910
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Carriages arrive at Plemont in the 19th century

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  1880
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  1889
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  1904
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  A lantern slide
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  1880s
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  A Tuck postcard
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  Needle rock
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  The tearoom in 1912
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  Ouless, 1852
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  Stead, 1809
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  1906
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We suspect that the golden sand has been somewhat enhanced in this publicity photograph, but Plemont is certainly much sandier than Jersey's other north coast beaches

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  L'Aiguillon - Plémont Needle Rock in 1890
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  1908

Originally privately owned, the bridge giving access to the beach has been replaced several times in the past 150 years

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  Photograph by Ernest Baudoux
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  Photograph by Ernest Baudoux
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  1890
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  1890
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  1860
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  1865
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  1870
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  L'Aiguillon - Needle Rock in the 1920s
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  1920s
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  The view from the clifftop
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  The cafe at the top of the steps to the beach
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  The cafe in 1909
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  1909
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  1913
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  1892

Four pictures of plemont copied from 1904 stereoviews. Since the first parties of islanders and holidaymakers started to explore Jersey in horse-drawn carriages and charabancs in the 19th century, Plemont has always been a popular place to halt, clamber down the rocks, and explore the caves and rock pools. There are many much better quality pictures of Plemont on this page, but these have a certain fascination having been taken by an amateur photographer well over 100 years ago.

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  1900
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  Little Plemont
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  1951 aerial photograph by Aerofilms
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  1933 aerial photograph by Aerofilms
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  1933 aerial photograph by Aerofilms
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  1933 aerial photograph by Aerofilms
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  1865
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  The cafe in 1912
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  1880s
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  The waterfall
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  1882
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  1882
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  1852 by Philip Ouless
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  Albumen print
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  Plemont rocks
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  Photograph by Remy Gorget
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  Plemont in 1912
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  1870s
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  Three drone photographs
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  by Paul Lakeman
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  2025

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  1900
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  1922
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  1894
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  1880s
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  Picture by Stroud
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  1949
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  1907
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  Asplet and Green carte de visite of Plemont
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  The reverse of the card
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  Crossing the pools to the caves
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  Plemont Candlecraft
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  LL postcard
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  LL postcard
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  LL postcard
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  LL postcard
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  1870s
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  Telegraph cables passed through one of the caves - picture courtesy of Facebook group Jersey Temps Passe
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  An 1860s view by Slater

The waterfall viewed from the cave

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  1888 Stroud
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  1888 Stroud
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  Asplet and Green souvenir CDV
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  Asplet and Green CDV
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  Plemont from the cliffs in 1906
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  The beach in 1948
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  Smaller caves
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  Supplied to us captioned 'Greve de Lecq in the 1880s' this etching is more likely to be a representation of Plemont
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  Picture by Godfray
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  Picture by Godfray
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  Picture by Ernest Baudoux
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  A pass giving access to the beach when the bridge was privately owned
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  1913
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  The only photograph we have ever found of tents on the beach at Plemont
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  A stroll along the clifftop in the 19th century
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Plemont people

This 1931 photograph was entitled Sea Nymphs

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  A Victorian photograph of Plemont
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  1902
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  1914
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  1895
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  1906
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  A group of Edwardian men on an outing paddle in the sea
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  1937
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  Postcard with Horace Hamon photograph
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  1920s visit to the beach
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  1889
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  1911
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  An LL postcard
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  On the rocks
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A large group outing in the 19th century

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  A group of early French holidaymakers pose for a photograph in the cave
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  Crossing the sand pools to reach Plemont's caves
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  1911
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  Boys inside the main cave
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  The largest cave

Parasols on the beach

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  1899
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  1930s
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  1930
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  A photograph from the Edwardian era
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  LL postcard
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  LL postcard
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  LL postcard
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  LL postcard
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  Tourists, probably from France, look down from the cliff top in 1894
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  Children carried through the pool in front of the cave
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  Holidaymakers help bring a telegraph cable ashore in 1938
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  1890s
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  A group photograph by Joe Le Moignan in 1929
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  1953
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  The former village shop at Plemont

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  1890s

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  Two views from 1951 ...
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  ... taken by Aerofilms ...
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  ... and the corresponding views in 2024 ...
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  ... from Google Earth

Plemont cave photographed between 1874 and 1876 by E Ogier

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  Plemont is a favourite subject
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  of drone photographer Chris Brookes,
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  who took these four pictures
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  between 2017 and 2024
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  Picture from Paul Lakeman's drone

By Paul Lakeman

1893 holiday photograph next to the cave entrance