Exploring the geological history Essay

Firstly we will explore the importance of the site of the town. Because St. Aubins has a town on the sea, it grew up on sites close to a natural harbour, which afforded shelter to the vessels that carried the seaborne trade, upon which the existence of the town depended. St. Aubin is a town of this last class; a glance at a map of Jersey will show that it and Gorey are the only accessible natural harbours which are completely sheltered from the strong westerly winds. St. Aubins is sheltered from the sea on all sides except from the South-East to South. It is widely believed that St. Aubins was once the capital of Jersey; but this can not be true because from the earliest times the Royal Court and the States have met in St. Helier. Also St. Aubin had no church until the 18th Century, and it would be very weird if the capital was left churchless.  Small vessels of the time, securely moored†¦could lie safely in all weathers. The want of depth of water, so detrimental to our town in these days, mattered then, when vessels where very small, and when men where not in such a hurry as they are now, and did not mind waiting patiently for a high tide. This naturally sheltered harbour must have been a resort for fisherman from the earliest time when our island was cut off from the continent. There can be no doubt that St. Aubins is the best natural port in the Island.  The salt and dried cod they brought home found a market in the Roman Catholic countries, where there was an especially large demand during Lent. The ships that carried the fish to these countries brought back cargoes of foreign produce, which in turn was distributed in Northern Europe in exchange for timber for ship-building, hemp for cordage, canvas for sales, pitch and other goods. So a lucrative trade grew up, and the town increased in wealth and importance. St. Helier too, though it had little trade or shiping, seems to have been slightly more populous than St. Aubins, even in it’s great days.  The two towns in fact lived on quite dissimilar lines, the townsmen of St. Helier lived upon the Court, with its lawyers and functionaries, and upon the country people who came into market and to do there business, while the inhabitants of St. Aubins lived upon there overseas trade, and especially upon the Newfoundland fishery. After this time the state of St. Aubin increased slowly but steadily for about one hundred years. Then the ship owners found it very profitable on account of the long wars with France, to fit out and arm vessels as privateers, and the profits earned where so high that this kind of trade grew rapidly until St. Aubins became the chief privateering port in the kingdom. The privateers were fast vessels, heavily armed with guns, and manned with large crews, needed both to work the ships and guns. The captains each carried a Royal Commission called a â€Å"letter of marque† authorising the capture of the ships and goods of the French. The letter of marque was an important document, as it was all that stood between the whole crew hanged as pirates if taken by an enemy man-of-war. No wages were paid to any of the hands but each received his share of the prizes taken.  In the early years of the last century, St. Aubins reached its high point of importance, but then began to fall off owing to the competition of the new port of St. Helier, which was rapidly increasing its harbour accommodation. Of the two largest St. Aubins merchants, the house of Robin moved to St. Helier, while the Janvrins ceased business. This was a serious blow to St. Aubins, so that by about 1850 its shipping had dwindled to small figures, while St. Heliers had increased until it was the sixth port of the whole British Empire. The peace after the Battle of Waterloo helped this result, as privateers became useless and the large St. Aubins capital sunk in them was so great extent lost.  An attempt to make this port for granite export failed, though for a time, the export of gravel brought many ships back to the port. The coming of the railway was a great event. A company formed in 1846 accomplished nothing. A new company in 1861 met with many difficulties; but at last the track was laid. In 1870, the first train was greeted with salvo cannon, and the dean read an eloquent prayer. Two hundred guests lunched in a marquee in the Noirmont grounds. And trains ran continually to bring the while Island to the fete and the fireworks. In 1899, this line was extended to Corbiere. But the advent of the motor bus eventually killed the trains, and in1935 they ceased running. Later, the four-mile track from St. Aubin to La Corbiere was transformed into one of the pleasantest walks on the Island. The Germans relayed the line when making their fortifications; but they have now been removed. The Chief legacy the Germans left to St. Aubin is the immense tunnel which they blasted into the side of the hill to hold their reserve ammunition.  On the 20th October 1941 Hitler declared that the Channel Islands would become an impregnable fortress. Thousands of foreign workers, mostly Spanish, French, Polish and Russian were being poured into the Island to assist in the building of bunkers, gun emplacements, tunnels and sea walls. They needed sand, granite chippings, cement, water and, of course, reinforcing metal. Transport of the first two presented a considerable problem and was largely responsible for the building of the railways. The metre gauge line from St. Helier to St. Aubin and Corbiere can be said to have started opposite commercial buildings, within a stone’s throw of the former J.R. & T Weighbridge terminus. From West Park to St. Aubins tunnel, the roadbed of the former J.R. & T was more or less followed. The line was single throughout except for an occasional crossing loop. A blast wall had already been built at the eastern end of the old J.R. & T tunnel at St. Aubin as a protection from the extensive galleries which were being excavated. The bore of the tunnel itself had been greatly increased and the galleries driven through solid rock, the area being second only to that of the much better known underground hospital, to which rather surprisingly no connecting railway was laid.