Elizabeth Castle in Twilight
Elizabeth Castle sits on a tidal island within the parish of Saint Helier, Jersey. Construction was started in the 16th Century when the power of cannon meant that the existing stronghold at Mont Orgueil on the island’s east coast was insufficient to defend the island and the port of St. Helier was vulnerable to attack by ships armed with cannon.
It is named after Elizabeth I who was queen of England around the time the castle was built.
The tidal island called L'Islet lying in St Aubin's Bay became the site of the Abbey, later Priory, of Saint Helier. The Crown confiscated the monastic buildings at the Reformation. Surviving buildings were used for military purposes.
Construction of the earliest parts of the castle, the Upper Ward including the Queen Elizabeth Gate, began in 1594. This work was carried out by the Flemish military engineer Paul Ivy. Governors of Jersey then moved their official residence from Mont Orgueil to Elizabeth Castle.
The British government withdrew the garrison and relinquished the castle to the States of Jersey in 1923. The States then opened it to the public as a museum.
During the Second World War the Germans, who occupied the Channel Islands, modernised the castle with guns, bunkers and battlements. After the Liberation, the castle was repaired and was eventually re-opened to the public.
This description incorporates text from the English Wikipedia.
Elizabeth Castle in Twilight
Elizabeth Castle sits on a tidal island within the parish of Saint Helier, Jersey. Construction was started in the 16th Century when the power of cannon meant that the existing stronghold at Mont Orgueil on the island’s east coast was insufficient to defend the island and the port of St. Helier was vulnerable to attack by ships armed with cannon.
It is named after Elizabeth I who was queen of England around the time the castle was built.
The tidal island called L'Islet lying in St Aubin's Bay became the site of the Abbey, later Priory, of Saint Helier. The Crown confiscated the monastic buildings at the Reformation. Surviving buildings were used for military purposes.
Construction of the earliest parts of the castle, the Upper Ward including the Queen Elizabeth Gate, began in 1594. This work was carried out by the Flemish military engineer Paul Ivy. Governors of Jersey then moved their official residence from Mont Orgueil to Elizabeth Castle.
The British government withdrew the garrison and relinquished the castle to the States of Jersey in 1923. The States then opened it to the public as a museum.
During the Second World War the Germans, who occupied the Channel Islands, modernised the castle with guns, bunkers and battlements. After the Liberation, the castle was repaired and was eventually re-opened to the public.
This description incorporates text from the English Wikipedia.