Bonne Nuit (Jersey)
Encyclopedia
Vingtaine du Nord (St John)
La Vingtaine du Nord is one of the three vingtaines of the Parish of St John in Jersey, Channel Islands. It contains the second highest point in Jersey at Mont Mado ....
, Saint John
Saint John, Jersey
Saint John is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands.-Geography:Saint John is in the north of Jersey and borders St Mary on its west, Trinity to the east, and St Lawrence and Saint Helier on its south....
, Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
. Both Bonne Nuit in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Bouonne Niet in Jèrriais mean "good night", referring to the shelter sailors could rely on by overnighting in the harbour. The bay nestles between the headlands of Frémont in the West and La Crête in the East.
History
In 1150 Saint Mary's chapel in St John was given to the Abbey of Saint-Sauveur-le-VicomteSaint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte
Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.It is situated in the Cotentin Peninsula near Valognes in the Manche département.Population : 2,242 .-History:...
and was described as being the chapel de Bona Nocte. This is the first documentary reference to the name. The priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
and chapel continued its existence, owning land at neighbouring Frémont, and being noted for the dinner the prior was obliged to offer to the Bailiff of Jersey, the Vicomte and the King's Receiver every Midsummer day. In 1413 all alien priories were suppressed; the site of the priory and chapel is now unknown.
The bay was used for smuggling in the 17th and 18th centuries. The first fortifaction was a boulevard for two cannons constructed in 1736. The threat of French invasion led to the building of a small fort at La Crête, overlooking both Bonne Nuit and the adjacent bay Le Havre Giffard, between 1816-1834. La Crête Fort, the official summer residence
Official residence
An official residence is the residence at which heads of state, heads of government, gubernatorial or other senior figures officially reside...
of the Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey, is currently used by Jersey Heritage Trust as a holiday-let property.
States of Jersey
The States of Jersey is the parliament and government of Jersey.The Assembly of the States of Jersey has exercised legislative powers since 1771, when law-making power was transferred from the Royal Court of Jersey....
for fishing boats, and also to serve the quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
of Mont Mado up above the bay.
Le Cheval Guillaume, a rock formation in the bay, was the focus of St John's Day (Midsummer
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
) celebrations, as people would row round the rock for luck. According to legend, the rock is the petrified remains of a water sprite who took the form of a horse to abduct and drown a man called Guillaume in order to steal away his sweetheart Anne-Marie.
Several references and film scenes from the harbour were featured on "Bergerac
Bergerac (TV series)
Bergerac was a British television show set on Jersey. Produced by the BBC in association with the Seven Network, and screened on BBC1, it starred John Nettles as the title character Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac, a detective in "Le Bureau des Étrangers" Bergerac was a British television show...
", a BBC television show.
Geography
There is a small beach with pebbles. La Vallette (a National Trust for JerseyNational Trust for Jersey
The National Trust for Jersey is an association which aims at preserving and safeguarding sites of historic, aesthetic and natural interest in Jersey.Established in 1936 the Trust is now the island's largest private land owner, caring for over 130 sites....
property, Le Don Hudson) leads down La Falaise de la Vallette to the shore. Le Don Best, another National Trust for Jersey property also looks down into the bay.
The cliffs around the harbour are the highest paragliding
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
launch site in the island. Favourable winds owing to the bowl-shaped harbour create exceptional lift.
Transportation
Saint Helier
Saint Helier is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St. Helier has a population of about 28,000, roughly 31.2% of the total population of Jersey, and is the capital of the Island . The urban area of the parish of St...
by bus route 4. Car parking is limited.
External links
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/jersey/therock/ontheedge/beach_guide/bonne_nuit_bay.shtml
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/jersey/myisland/folklore/bonne_nuit.shtml (folklore)
- Aerial photographs of the bay http://www.british-islands.com/diapo.php?ville=21