Historical tours

29 July 2008

Inside the States Chamber and Royal Court

The States and Royal Court are open to the public on tours run by Blue Badge guide Paul Nicolle with the support of the Education, Sport and Culture Department.

Every Saturday until 20 September, Mr Nicolle will lead a tour which charts more than a thousand years of Island history, explaining the Jersey's historic relationship with Normandy, the importance of the events following 1204 and the story of how the Island's Royal Court and States Assembly developed over the centuries.

There is the opportunity to see some of the Island's most important artefacts, including the Royal Mace given by King Charles II in 1663, and some of the paintings in the Royal Court and its anterooms, of which the most significant is Thomas Gainsborough's portrait of Governor Conway commissioned by the States in 1780.

The tours, which also take in the Town Church and the Royal Square, begin at 10 am each Saturday with participants meeting in the Royal Square by the statue of George II.  There is a charge of £5 and the tours are limited to 25 people on a 'first-come first-served basis'.

For press release click here.