The Elms, St Mary
Historic Jersey buildings
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Property name
La Mare The Elms
Other names
- La Mare [1]
- Elms Farm
- La Mare Vineyard
Location
Rue de La Hougue Mauger, St Mary [2]
Type of property
Late 18th century farm
Valuations
No recent transactions
Families associated with the property
- De Gruchy: Jean de Gruchy (1763-1811), sold his other property, La Porte, Ville à L`Evêque, Trinity, in 1796, to his late father`s brother-in-law, Jean Blampied. He had already settled, by 1789, in St Mary, probably at The Elms, judging by he and his wife`s syllabic initials and the date 1796 on the front or south facade of the house. The date may have commemorated improvements to the house, enabled by the sale of La Porte. The eminent Jersey historian, the late Miss Jean Arthur, believed that The Elms was one of two or three properties she had discovered as having possibly been missed by the surveyors working on the Richmond Map of Jersey (1795). Jean became Centenier of St Mary in 1808 and was a Lieutenant of Militia Batteries. Regrettably, he died prematurely. His son Thomas was, in 1851, farming 20 acres here, being approximately 50 vergées. He, also, was a Militia Lieutenant. Another property of his, was the upper of the two mills in Mourier valley, and the Clos de Gruchy (M.188) above it
- Blayney: The Blaney family bought the property from Ernest Renouf de Gruchy in about 1970 and started the production of Clos de La Mare wine here
Datestones
- IDG EET 1796 - For Jean de Gruchy and Elizabeth Estur. This was understandably thought by Joan Stevens, in Old Jersey Houses, Volume 2, 121, to date the construction of the house, as this would account for its absence from the Richmond Map, in the previous year. However, the late Miss Jean Arthur, as above, told Guy Dixon that this house was one of possibly two or three in the Island that may have been overlooked or missed in the compilation of the Richmond Map of Jersey. The datestone, as above, may have commemorated instead, improvements such as perhaps the rebuilding of the south facade, especially as de Gruchy and his wife had already settled in St Mary by 1789
- RHB AMB 1973 - For Robert Hamilton Blayney and Ann Mary Blayney
Historic Environment Record entry
Listed building
Historic farm group retaining exterior character and features. The house has fine stonework of different character to each elevation. The buildings form a cohesive group which contributes to the roadside rural setting.
La Mare displays Jersey’s vernacular tradition in the use of local materials and details, such as the round arch doorway, but also emulates the polite architecture of Georgian fashion with a continuing local character.
The farmstead architecture displays the importance and prosperity of Jersey’s historic family-based farming. Shown on the Richmond Map of 1795. [3]
Farm group (formerly The Elms). Late 18th century with earlier fabric and origins. Round arch doorway of 17th century type, with 1799 crudely incised. Two-storey five-bay main house with wings to east and west returning south to form U-shaped yard.
Old Jersey Houses
In about 1910 Jurat Guy de Gruchy visited the property [4] in the hope of finding the keystone of an arch bearing de Gruchy arms which he had reason to think was there. He failed to discover it, but an hour after he left it was found, covered with ivy, in a derelict bakehouse. It had come from La Chasse, a de Gruchy property in Trinity. [5] It has once again disappeared [6] and its whereabouts are not known.
It is possible that the round arch in the north facade of the property also came from La Chasse, where it is believed there was once an arch of this type.
In a parish rate list of 1867 the property was called La Mare.
Notes and references
- ↑ This was the name of the property in the 19th century. It subsequently became The Elms, then Elms Farm, and then, again, La Mare
- ↑ OJH gives the address as Rue des Touettes, which is the western extension of Rue de La Houge Mauger. The house definitely has its frontage on Rue de La Hougue Mauger, as confirmed by HER and almanac listings
- ↑ It is not shown on the Richmond Map of 1795. OJH suggests that it was built the following year, which is why it does not appear on the map. There is, however, evidence, as above, that this was a property of an earlier date
- ↑ Whilst on holiday in Jersey, having just returned to England, after twenty years in Brazil. He was therefore not easily contacted on the stone`s discovery!
- ↑ The family at La Chasse were closely related to those of St Mary through the Remons
- ↑ With the demolition of the bakehouse, in the early 1960s. It was seen and clearly remembered by Mrs Ecobichon, the sister of John Huelin of West View, St Mary, their mother having been Florence Mary de Gruchy, who was born and brought up at the property
File:TheElmsStMy2.jpg| File:W20LaMareWine2.jpg| File:U20LaMareStMy.jpg| File:W20LaMareWine3.jpg| File:W20LaMareWine4.jpg| File:W20LaMareWine1.jpg| File:S24Chronique1928PerreeBulls.png|In 1928 The Elms was a working dairy farmstead - advert in Chronique de Jersey File:S24Chronique1900TheElms.png|A sale of livestock and farm equipment was advertised in Chronique de Jersey in 1900 by an unnamed farmer
