West Park

West Park

Bathing machines lined up on either side of the slipway

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  A 19th century albumen print
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  Another picture taken not long after showing the Triangle Park laid out in the 1880s

This picture of West Park, taken from Fort Regent with a telephoto lens, and looking in the opposite directions from those above, probably dates to the mid-1870s. The Esplanade is complete, considerably foreshortened by the lens used, and the seawall past the Piquet House looks as if it has just been added, so this appears to have been preparatory work for the laying of the railway line. But the building to the right of the Piquet House looks like West Park Station, and the track appears to be in place along the Esplanade in the right foreground. It's not very clear, but it appears to curve inland after the station across what is now part of the Lower Park, and then back to the coast where the stretch of seawall ends. Victoria Avenue has not even been thought of at this stage, nor has the Grand Hotel. Jewell's Marine Hotel is still there on the right where the Grand would be built in 1890, and the Avenue was not constructed until 1897. What was first called Cheapside Station opened in 1872. It later became Westmount Station and then West Park Station. Why Cheapside? Because at the time the road we now know as Peirson Road was part of Cheapside, which stretched from the Parade to West Park Avenue and then all the way down to the coast. F C Clarke's shipyard, which had dominated the coastline at West Park, closed in 1867. There appears to be some sort of launching ramp half way along the new seawall and perhaps a small covered shipyard just beyond it

This 19th century map shows clearly how West Park made the western coastal boundary of the town of St Helier - it still does, although Mont a l'Abbe behind has been much developed

Click on any image to see a larger version

1952 Evening Post aerial photograph

Watercolour by Steven Harrison from Facebook

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  A sand castle competition
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  The beach in 1935 - the tide was in so no aircraft could land
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  Bathing huts on the beach
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  Before the Marine Lake was constructed
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  Building sand castles at West Park
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  Bathing huts next to the pool
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  A crowded beach in the early 1900s
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  DUKW on the slipway
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  PT for holidaymakers in 1938
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  Building castles in the sand was as popular in the 19th century as it is today, and the beach at West Park, below the Grand Hotel, was even more popular then, when this photographs of a sandcastle competition was taken.
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  Windbreak tents were popular on the promenade - date unknown

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  Donkey rides on the beach
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  Looking west along a crowded beach
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  Collecting vraic with a horse and cart, in front of bathing machines
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  1957
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  High tide at West Park
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  Beach tents at West Park
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  Bathing machines
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  Sitting down on the promenade opposite West Park Pavilion to write postcards in 1978
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  1945
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  1960s
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Smartly dressed for a beach outing

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  Picture by Percival Dunham
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  Deckchairs
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  Children's corner
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  Sand castle competition early 20th century
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  Building sand castles
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  A sand castle building competition organised by the Daily Mail in 1930
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  Sand castle competition
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  DUKW on slipway operating service to Elizabeth Castle
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  West Park in 1904
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  Bathing huts on the beach at West Park
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  The beach at West Park
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  The beach at West Park
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  West Park beach
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  1905
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  The beach in 1909 ...
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  ... and the view from above in the same year
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  In 1938 the pedestrian promenade was widened after the tracks for the former railway were removed
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  In 1970 the roundabout which previously organised traffic at the junction of the Esplanade and Victoria Avenue, has been removed, with traffic lights installed in its place

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  Bathing machines
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  West Park in 1914
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  Gallichan's High Flyers, popular swings which were situated on the beach opposite the Grand Hotel
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  George Perry's Swings
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An aerial view of the pool with the town of St Helier behind, taken from Paul Lakeman's drone

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  Donkeys for children's rides
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  A DUKW on the slipway in 1972 returning with passengers from Elizabeth Castle at high tide
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  1950, from a tourism calendar
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  High tide at the slipway
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  1920
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  Children playing on the beach
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  Triangle Park in 1938 snow

A large fete at West Park. It was initially believed that the photograph was taken in the late 1930s but, the bunker built by the Germans during the Occupation is present, which dates the picture to the late 1940s - early '50s. Decorated carriages in the foreground suggested an association with the Battle of Flowers, suggesting that the date could be 1951, when the Battle was revived and returned to Victoria Avenue. However, further research - Jerripedia always strives to come up with the right answer - has identified this as the Liberation Day cavalcade on 9 May 1946, leading to the first major post-war celebration on People's Park

The beach in 1914

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  The Esplanade at West Park
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  On the promenade
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  1950s
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  Ladies stroll along the promenade in their finery
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  The promenade at West Park
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  1976
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  The cafe in 1939
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  The cafe in the 1950s
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  West Park in the 1960s
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  The sea wall in 1922
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  West Park Cafe in 1939
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  The Shack
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  Slipway cafe

Cars parked on Victoria Avenue in this 1930s picture

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  About 1905
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  Picquet House
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  1976
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  1960

An aerial view of West Park in the 1950 showing the road layout after the war, before Victoria Avenue was made a dual carriageway. It is noteworthy that there is no cafe next to the slipway, but a few vans were parked there selling drinks, icecreams and newspapers. Below: A view from the opposite direction, also in the 1950s, but earlier, because the roundabout has not yet been created at the end of the Avenue

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  A 19th century view over West Park by P Godfray
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  Picture from the Grand Hotel by Albert Smith in the early years of the 20th century
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  A busy scene on the slipway
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  1952
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  1953
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  1950s
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  1955
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  1950s
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  Carriages passing through from Victoria Avenue
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  Liberation Day 1945
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  1933 aerial photograph
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  West Park in 1913
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  West Park in 1914
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  West Park in 1950
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  The Shack in 1936
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  An aerial view of West Park in 1947. The Pavilion is in the centre, with Triangle Park and the Grand Hotel to its right. Above the Triangle Park on People's Park the buildings erected during the Occupation as a delousing station for Operation Todt workers are still standing
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  West Park in the 1880s
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  View from the Grand Hotel in the early 20th century
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  A 1930s aerial photograph
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  1960
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  No traffic lights yet at the Victoria Avenue junction in the 1960s
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  1952
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  1912
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  Cafe and kiosk
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  The Grand Hotel with the Triangle Park adjacent
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  The kiosk
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  You can't believe everything printed on a postcard. This is a fine view of the Victoria Marine Lake at West Park, wrongly captioned First Tower. And it is in St Aubin's Bay, not St Helier's Bay

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  The Victorian sea pool, recently restored
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  The pool and bathing huts
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  West Park Pool in 1937
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  Edwardian children playing at West Park pool
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  The pool on an Allix postcard
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  The view from the sea
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  A DUKW arrives at West Park from Elizabeth Castle
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  1933 aerial photograph by Aerofilms
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An aerial view by drone photographer Paul Lakeman

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  The pool with Elizabeth Castle behind
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  A row of bathing huts in front of the pool
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  Repairs to the pool
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  The slipway in the 1920s
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  Victoria Marine Lake
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  Looking down from Westmount in 1978
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  1906
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  West Park Cafe staff
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  PT on the beach in 1950
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  The old slipway kiosk
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  Slipway kiosk
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  Ice cream sales on the beach
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  Looking down on the pool from Westmount
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  Lamp posts decorated for the 1978 visit of the Queen and Prince Philip
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  1976, and traffic is still allowed to turn on to Victoria Avenue from St Aubin's Road
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  Photograph by Albert Smith
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  1956
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  The cafe celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1981 - Jersey Evening Post picture
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  1978
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  1978
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  The cafe in 1939
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  1971
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  1978
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  1978
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  Exercises for holidaymakers on the beach in 1939
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  The beach in 1978

La Fregate Cafe, a controversial but widely acclaimed design - Picture Jersey Evening Post

A crowded beach

Roundabouts

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  1951
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  1952
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  1955
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  1955

21st century aerial view

These pictures of West Park during the German Occupation come from an official German army collection. For the full set of pictures of German installations across the whole of the island, follow this link

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  Gathering sea water at West Park

West Park Avenue

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