Patois patio installed in town

Sunday 09 July 2017

A recent refurbishment to a busy walkway in town has brought heritage to the streets of St Helier, with six paving stones along the street bearing Jèrriais sayings relating to the tide.

In an effort to make Conway Street safer and easier for pedestrians, the Department for Infrastructure has widened the pavement, as well as lining the new walkway with historical Jèrriais sayings written by St Helier Procureur du Public Geraint Jennings.

Up until the 19^th century, Conway Street was made up of sandbanks, with the tide rising as far as the wall of the Town Church. Today, it is a tide of pedestrians which moves up and down the street, but the newly installed paving stones aim to remind us how closely Island life been linked to the movement of the sea over the centuries.

A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that the estimated overall cost of the completed Conway Street refurbishment was £211,000.

Pictured: A map (courtesy of the Parish of St Helier) showing the six sayings and their location along Conway Street

Writer and translator of the sayings, Geraint Jennings commented that: “Jèrriais is as much a part of Jersey’s identity, brand, and heritage, as granite and the tides. Jèrriais is spoken every day in the street in Town, as in the countryside, and carving these ditons into the paving makes visible this intangible treasure of ours.”

The Constable of St Helier, Simon Crowcroft, emphasised the importance of this refurbishment: “I’m very grateful to Deputy Eddie Noel for prioritising the pavement-widening of this street in response to the needs of local businesses, as well as to the desire of residents and visitors to St Helier for safer walking routes. The pavement inscriptions emulate the Liberation Trail in York Street implemented by former Senator Freddie Cohen, and they will add to the cultural interest of this part of town.”