Register for Buildings and Sites of Architectural, Archaeological and Historical Importance in Jersey
La Rousse, Le Mont Sohier, St Brelade
This report has been prepared by Jersey Heritage as part of its responsibility under a Service Level Agreement to provide reports and recommendations to the Minister for Planning and Environment on the architectural, historical and archaeological significance of buildings and sites.
The assessment and recommendation are made in accordance with the existing criteria for assessment and designation of historic buildings. The report includes the views and advice offered by the Ministerial Registration and Listing Advisory Group.
Author of report: Roger Hills BA(Hons) MA DipBldgCons (RICS) IHBC Head of Historic Buildings
Date of report: 25th October 2010
File ref: BR0106
Current status
Not registered.
Relevant interests of the site (see assessment form)
La Rousse is a small beach house built circa 1930 for use by the owners of La Sarsonnerie – a substantial Victorian property that stands inland to the north. The Land Registry (734:688) shows that the site was purchased as a vacant plot in 1904. The building is shown on the 1935 Ordnance Survey Map. La Sarsonnerie (along with other real estate including La Rousse) was inherited by Rev. GR Balleine (author of A History of Jersey) from his uncle FE Balleine in 1938. La Rousse was purchased by The Honourable George Francis Child Villiers in 1979; and is now owned by L’Horizon Hotel.
The beach house is a simple single-storey structure with weatherboarding, 4-pane sash windows (boarded over) and an asbestos tile roof with a pair of brick chimneys. It has a simple interior lined with asbestos fibreboard. It stands within its original garden.
Advice offered by MRLAG (and others if stated)
MRLAG discussed La Rousse at its meeting on 11th October 2010.
It was agreed that the building is architecturally modest and that any potential interest lies in its origins as an inter-war beach house. Members discussed the development of beach side properties during the inter-war period in the 1920/30s. One aspect raised was the spread outwards from the overcrowded town of St Helier of local tradesmen, who had previously lived over their town shop premises but now built houses on the coast and travelled to and from town by motorcar. However, it was agreed that La Rousse was not part of this trend as the owners already lived in a nearby residence. Members also discussed the popularity of building weekend beach houses during the inter-war period for purely leisure purposes - both in St Brelade’s Bay and along other parts of the coast. It was observed that these properties represent a stage in the development of St Brelade’s Bay - the 1935 Ordnance Survey map (attached) showing a scattered development in the bay at that time. It is undoubtedly the case that many of these beach huts have since been demolished or incorporated into later houses.
Members reached a split decision with 6 members voting against registration, and 3 members supporting BLI for the historical interest of La Rousse as an inter-war beach hut.
Jersey Heritage recommendation
Taking the various factors into consideration, it is recommended that La Rousse falls short of the criteria for registration.
For information, West Lodge in St Brelade was considered in March 2009 – another weatherboarded single storey building dating to the 1920/30s and situated on the coast. In that case, MRLAG members and Jersey Heritage were unanimous that the building did not meet the selection criteria, and the Minister’s decision was not to add the building to the register.
Justification relating to criteria
La Rousse is not significant for its architectural design, and although it has some historic interest as an inter-war beach house, it does not satisfy the additional selection criteria for 20th century buildings which states that post-1920 buildings must be of “exemplary architectural quality or great historical interest” to be added to the register.
Attachments
Location Plan
Assessment form
Jersey Archive research & 1935 OS map
Photographs of La Rousse 2010
Photograph of La Sarsonnerie
Examples of other weatherboarded buildings in the vicinity of La Rousse
Photograph of West Lodge, St Brelade
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