The best museums Channel Islands

Some present the site of La Hougue Bie as one of the "most beautiful prehistoric monuments in Europe" and "one of the oldest". It is in fact a very beautiful Neolithic funerary monument, a dolmen with a gallery (about 20 meters) under a tumulus, which dates from 3,800 BC. The mound itself is 13 meters high. It has more than 60 vertically erected stones that support sixteen slabs. Unlike many other dolmens, here you can stand inside and fully experience the atmosphere. In the tomb to which the corridor leads, the remains of six skeletons have been found. On the long mound there are two medieval chapels: on the west side, Notre-Dame-de-la-Clarté, built at the beginning of the 12th century, and on the east side, the chapel of Jerusalem, built around 1520. La Hougue Bie is thus a pagan sanctuary on which, as is often the case, a Christian sanctuary was built. During the Second World War, the Germans built an underground bunker under the mound in which many workers died. Today it is a museum of archaeology and geology as well as a memorial for the victims of the occupation ("The slave worker memorial"). In this museum, the geological formation of the island is explained, and an overview of the history of agriculture in Jersey is presented. An amazing place, witnessing six millennia of the island's history and a must-see during a Channel Islands getaway!

This is an opportunity to get off the beaten track on the island. Because this curious museum proposes to make you discover a private collection of steam locomotives, military and civil vehicles of the time, organs, tractors, agricultural machines and various objects functioning... with air under pressure. A very original set. But you will go there especially for the reconstitution of a station of the Victorian time. For the amateurs essentially.

Opened in 1992, this museum is located in a former warehouse from the 18th century. It has won many awards and traces the island's past, its traditions and its industries. All presented in an interactive and lively way. A family visit and above all a must when you come to Jersey.

On the first floor, you can learn more about the history and geography of Jersey and you can regularly enjoy temporary exhibitions on various themes but often related to the culture of the island.

On the second floor, the political organization of Jersey, its history and its geological formation are explained. Then the showcases present, through a series of objects (from vacuum cleaners to tennis rackets) and wax mannequins, the daily life of Jersey. Also on display are Redcoat and police costumes.

On the second floor, the art gallery gives a glimpse of Jersey's landscapes through the centuries and presents, with the help of some portraits, the island's personalities.

On the third and fourth floors, we are immersed in 9, Pier Road. We then enter the interior of a merchant's house, The Merchant's House Lobby, dating from the Victorian era, around 1860. We discover the difficulties of a family of the time. It's beautiful and very playful and is definitely the highlight of the exhibit. When the evening falls, the lighting is not electric, but gas! Not to be missed.

Located in the tower of a fortress, this Martello tower dates back to 1804, now painted white, has long served as a landmark to sailors approaching the coast of Guernsey. Today, the tower houses a museum that evokes the shipwrecks and great maritime tragedies that took place in the island's waters. One can observe maps, various objects recovered from the wrecks, photographs, explanatory panels and even a video film. Interesting.

Awarded a prize in 1999, the museum displays records of Alderney's history, from prehistory to the period following the Second World War. It occupies the buildings of the Old School, founded in 1790, and transformed into a museum in 1972 by the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey, Sir Charles Hill. Managed by volunteers, it is really well done, complete and rather pleasant to visit.

In the main hall, some old-fashioned showcases display the remains of the island, from the Neolithic period to the Liberation. You will see a number of objects gathered by theme: archaeology, numismatics, geology, ethnology, military history, life on the island during the German occupation (furniture, clothing, everyday objects, documents, etc.). The infamous blue and white uniform of the Todt prisoners is on display, as well as medals offered to some islanders by the Germans for their good and loyal services. A beautiful tribute is also paid to the Alderney cow, now extinct. A small natural history room is dedicated to the flora and fauna of the island. On the second floor, a room recounts the horror of the storms which, in their fury, threw the boats against the sharp cliffs. For example, the Stella, the " Titanic of the Channel Islands", smashed into the rocks in 1899 in strong winds. The passengers all lost their lives despite their rescue equipment. The last body was found almost nine months after the disaster, washed up on Telegraph Bay.

The former armory of Castel Cornet exhibits a fine collection of weapons covering a period from the Middle Ages to the present day, from blunderbusses to automatic rifles. It has thus become a museum of the armies which also allows a better understanding of the role of the Channel Islands and especially of Guernsey during the First World War. After joining the British forces, the island's soldiers participated in the effort under the Guernsey banner.

The Channel Islands Military Museum is a very interesting military museum where British and German military equipment - including a machine to decode secret messages - dating from the Second World War is displayed. A collection composed of hundreds of pieces and which is installed in a large restored German bunker. At the time, it was part of the Atlantic Wall, the defense system designed by Adolf Hitler. A very instructive visit.

Here's a magnificent three-century-old group of rough-hewn stone farm buildings surrounded by meadows. Unlike ordinary farmers who, as they grew richer, destroyed their old houses to build bigger ones, these farmers built their farm buildings side by side. Inside, you can visit this reconstructed past. The buildings include 2 thatched cottages, a distillery, a bakery, a laundry and stables.

The Jersey Maritime Museum is absolutely brilliant. Don't miss it under any circumstances! For once, the public is allowed to touch the exhibits and you can have a great time. It's very playful, very amusing and there are explanations in French. The museum presents absolutely all the facets of the maritime life of the island, without forgetting any: the phenomena of the tides, the currents and the winds; the tools of the marine carpenter; the flora and the fauna; models of boats and one of the rorqual whale, a miniature replica of the one that ran aground on the coasts in 1910, an illustration of the various marine knots, the inevitable sailors' songs and so on. On certain days, you will also be able to see craftsmen making wooden models. Children will also be able to sail model ships in basins where a small fan inflates the sails as the wind would. On the deck of the Orient Star, where there is a giant earth mobile, you will smell the dried fish, gunpowder and heavy steam of the ships of the time and even listen to the song of the whales... Don't hesitate to press all the buttons and open the doors of the small wall cabinets. Here, it is really possible to touch everything! Also not to be missed, just next door is the Occupation Tapestry Gallery with beautiful, richly decorated panels woven for the 50th anniversary of the Liberation.

The transition from the Maritime Museum to this gallery offers a striking contrast! We leave a playful atmosphere to enter a very solemn one. This tapestry originally had 12 panels, made by the 12 parishes of the island on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation, and which told the story of Jersey under the German occupation. A 13th, woven by local artist Wayne Audrain, was added for the 70th anniversary.

In the heart of the beautiful park of Saumarez, this small ethnographic museum of the peasantry has been installed in a 19th century granite building. Several old interiors have been reconstructed, with mannequins in situation: a Victorian kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, a child's room, a dairy and a laundry room. You will see an 1896 waxing machine and a 1905 vacuum cleaner, old tools and traditional costumes. A playful visit.

The museum's collections evoke the various aspects of daily life and multiple difficulty with which the civilians were confronted during the Second World War and the island was occupied by the German army. Here, it is a question of showing the history, thanks to a large collection of objects including weapons, equipment of communication, letters of denunciation or even a diary… It is very well done and very informative.

The famous "201 Squadron" is the oldest squadron of the Royal Air Force, the air force of the British Army. Until its disbandment in 2011, it was nicknamed "the Guernsey Squadron" and it is indeed its history, as well as that of British aviation as a whole, that is largely presented here. A must-see during a visit to the famous Castle Cornet. This is sure to delight military history lovers.

On the first floor of the Dorey Center, the Guernsey Tapestry Gallery features ten panels of embroidered cloth that tell the story of over 1,000 years of local history. Each tapestry panel covers a century. It was a project that, at the time, involved the entire bailiwick community, with each resident sewing a small part of a panel. The Guernsey Tapestry Gallery also houses a small gift store with beautiful tapestry books.

While the island of Guernsey has often been on the front line of British battles, the former hospital built in the 18th century has now become the Guernsey Militia Museum, on the second floor more precisely. The second floor has been renovated to showcase objects and documents relating to the history of the island's soldiers and governors, as well as uniforms, weapons, medals, trophies and well-preserved banners.

Very well located, this small Maritime Museum exhibits, among other things, Roman amphorae, an ancient diving apparatus, documents dating from the Napoleonic era and colorful figureheads. A documentary also recounts the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a wrecked Gallo-Roman ship at the entrance to the port in 286 BC. On the second floor, a small gallery is set up and exhibits paintings that present landscapes of Guernsey in the 19th century.

The Guernsey Postal Museum is a small museum dedicated to the stamps and postal history of the island. Formerly linked to Great Britain (stamps sold on the island were valid throughout the kingdom), the postal administration of Guernsey became independent on October¹, 1969. The Bailiwick then issued its own stamps. In the Guernsey Postal Museum, there is of course a sales counter for Guernsey stamps. You can bring back a small souvenir or stamp a postcard to put in a blue mailbox...

This museum offers an overview of the history of the island and its architecture, geology, flora and fauna. The museum exhibits the collection of the archaeologist William Lukis. We owe to him the inventory of all the prehistoric sites of the Channel Islands. In addition, the William Carey collection is composed of a large quantity of prints and oriental ceramics. The collections also include paintings, porcelain, pottery, uniforms...

Dug during the Second World War by the Germans, this tunnel now houses an interesting museum dedicated to the military history of the island of Guernsey. A large part of the exhibition is dedicated to the First World War, and then to the German occupation of the island between 1940 and 1945. You can see many explanatory panels, as well as many objects of the period such as military uniforms, maps, weapons, etc.

This headquarter was the German headquarters for naval signals during the Second World War; it functioned until the armistice on May 9, 1945. You can see a very powerful transmission antenna which ensured during the war the communication with Berlin, as well as with the submarines and the ships anchored in the vicinity. A visit mainly indicated for history lovers and World War II enthusiasts in particular.