Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Saint-Brelade

At the extreme southwest of Jersey, the Corbière lighthouse is the first cement lighthouse built in the British Isles. It was first lit on April 24, 1874 and is 30 meters high. You can also see the German blockhouses, some of them repainted in the original style. The panorama is grandiose and it is one of the most touristic and photographed spots on the island of Jersey. You can access the lighthouse by a causeway. Be careful, do not enter the lighthouse at high tide, you might get stuck.

The perfume industry in Jersey has been famous since the 18th century. At that time, lavender was grown on a large scale, but the activity gradually disappeared. David and Elizabeth Christie took over the tradition in 1983 and grow some 70 varieties of lavender on a 2.8 hectare property. Here, visitors can walk through the fields from May to August, when the lavender is picked. They can also visit the distillery and the bottling room. Afterwards, visitors are welcomed in a tea room, and then in a store.

In the hollow of the bay, you can see the islet of Guerdain, topped by a tower, known as "Janvrin's tomb". Philippe Janvrin, a sailor from Saint-Brelade, was approaching the coast when the plague broke out on board his ship. The authorities decided to quarantine the ship offshore. When he died, he was buried on this islet. The promontory of Portelet is also a nature reserve. In addition to the grandiose nature, it is an archaeological site. Excavations have brought to light the remains of Neanderthals, mammoths and rhinoceroses.

In this very extensive area of dunes, at the back of the very popular and visited bay of Saint-Ouen, one can observe a series of menhirs: the Trois Rocques, the Grand, the Petit Menhir and the Menhir Brisé and, at their heart, a burial chamber where the bones of about twenty people were found, presumably, during the excavations that brought the site to light in 1922. This megalithic site can be the occasion for a walk inland in a corner of the island where people come mostly for iodine-filled walks along the coast.