Royal Square landmark sold to private buyer

Friday 31 January 2014

The States have found a buyer for a historic town landmark used by the Police as a base.

Piquet House is the narrow building with a distinctive sundial that borders the Royal Square and Vine Street. Although the States aren't yet saying who brought the building, or how much they paid, it's fair to say that they're likely to make a decent profit - they brought it from the Crown in 1934 for just £400.

Piquet House is currently used as base by the States Police town unit, though it is only open to the public when manned. The unit expects to move to its new base at 23 Hill Street – formerly the States' Property Services department's offices – by the end of February.

Assistant Treasury Minister Eddie Noel said he could not divulge who had bought the property as States Members have to be given 15-days working notice of transactions involving public buildings, before the contract could be passed by the Royal Court.

Picquet House was one of two military guardhouses built in 1802 to protect Jersey from the then ever-present threat of French invasion.

When not preparing to repel invasion forces, the guards stationed there up to the 1830s were ever-ready to support the Honorary Police should a disturbance break out in town. From 1834 onwards, Piquet (or the Picket) House had a number of other uses including a parish lock-up for troublemakers, the office of the Island’s garrison paymaster and the afterwards, the Registrar.