St. Peter Port
Travel Guide > Europe > Guernsey > St. Peter Port
In this Article
- Introduction
- Neighbourhoods
- Sights and Activities
- Events and Festivals
- Weather
- Getting There
- Getting Around
- Eat
- Drink
- Sleep
- Work
- Learn
- Keep Connected
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Introduction
St. Peter Port is the capital of Guernsey and has a population of roughly 18,000 people. It is located in the east of the island and is a major port as well. St. Peter Port is a small town with steep narrow streets and steps. It is an attractive town with quite a few sights to visit like the Town Church and the Royal Courthouse. Castle Cornet is the historic fortress that guarded the strategic entrance to the port and the port harbour itself is beautifully located. There are reasonably well-developed tourist facilities to cater for demand.
Neighbourhoods
Sights and Activities
Castle Cornet
Castle Cornet is a big castle that is a former tidal island, which is now on the breakwater for the capital's harbour. The tidal island was originally fortified between 1206 and 1256 with a castle. With the invention of gunpowder and cannons the castle was upgraded between 1545 and 1548. The castle was the official residence of the governor until 1672 when a disaster happened. A lightening bolt struck the magazine storage area causing an explosion that killed the governor, his mother, wife and a large number of staff. Today the castle incorporates several museums.
Museums in the Castle Cornet
- Maritime Museum - Located in the upper barracks building the museum tells about the maritime relationship the island has with the sea. The main attraction is a Gallo-Roman wreck recovered from the harbour in 1985.
- The Story of Castle Cornet - Located in the lower barracks building this new exhibit tells the story of the castle with modern technology.
- 201 Squadron RAF (Guernsey's Own) Museum - This museum is the most recent addition to the castle and follows the history of the 201 RAF squadron on the island.
- Militia Museum - Currently this military museum is closed, although if people have a personal or research reason to visit the collection they should contact the Social History Officer.
- Hatton Gallery - Is a large gallery in the upper barracks building. The gallery is not usually open to the public, unless for specific advertised events.
Other Sights and Activities
- Town Church
- Royal Court House
Events and Festivals
Weather
St. Peter Port has a typical maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. Temperatures in summer average around 20 degrees during the day or a bit less. Winters are generally above zero with a few degrees below zero sometimes at night. Variations in temperatures, both between summer and winter as well as between days in the seasons, are low. Rain is possible year round, though autumn and winter is a bit wetter compared to the late spring and summer season.
Getting There
By Plane
By Train
By Car
By Bus
By Boat
Condor Ferries has boats to and from Jersey and St Malo in France. They also travel further on to Poole, Portsmouth and Weymouth in the UK.
Eat
Drink
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Learn
This is version 8. Last edited at 19:31 on Feb 21, 09 by Utrecht (+194). 2 articles link to this page.
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