Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ancient Culture: by Tony Green
Ancient Culture: by Tony Green
Ancient culture
by Tony Green
THERE is still something feudal about Jersey. Here on the largest of the Channel Islands, an ancient culture happily coexists with modern life. The islands French heritage is evident in every street sign. Even the Napoleonic defences that punctuate the coastline may well have a 20th century concrete addition, courtesy of the Nazis who occupied the Channel Islands from 1940 up until the very end of the Second World War. The occupation has left its mark on the island, even on the tourism industry, best exemplified in the underground hospital, built by prisoners of war who were marched by the Nazis across Europe. Many people died during its construction and those who survived did so in miserable conditions. Today the hospital not only tells their story but the story of the whole island, whose inhabitants felt as if mainland Britain had turned its back on them. It is well worth a visit. For many years, tourism was Jerseys largest industry but these days the islanders are just as likely to have careers in offshore finance as they might once have been running a bed an breakfast. Traditional standards associated with British tourism have been nudged out of the way in favour of boutique hotels and an altogether more five-star experi-
Longueville Manor.
ADVERT NOT FOUND Urn: 1485019 Revision: 0 Section: ROP Size: 8 cols x 17.0 cm's Name: Noreen Wallace