Historic Jersey buildings
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Property name
Beauvoir
Previous names
None known
Location
Rue de Beauvoir, St Saviour
Type of property
Substantial 19th century house commandeered by the Germans during the Occupation
Valuations
Families associated with the property
Historic Environment Record entry
Listed building
A notable 1830s house, retaining external historic character with distinctive architectural features. Built 1834-40. German occupying forces commandeered the property, which was severely damaged by fire in 1942. Restored late 20th/early 21st century. Substantial two-storey house of distinctive and unusual early 19th century design - a long double-pile plan recessed at the west end with a projecting bowed east end, all with continuous colonnaded verandah and sweeping first floor terrace.
West end with crenelated moulding pattern on parapet. First floor windows are wide French-window openings onto a balcony over a ground floor veranda. The bowed easternmost section protrudes forward, with the veranda curving round to become the entrance porch. Roadside elevation has a pair of mock corner turrets.
Old Jersey Houses
This is now a luxurious house by any standards, yet when it was built it was not apparently considered so. [2]
In 1843 Captain Davis, a retired army officer with ten children, bought it and he and his family lived there for nearly 30 years. According to the 1851 census he had seven employees and a governess. Two of his sons went to Victoria College [3]
The governess made a sketch of the house which is in the hands of Captain Davis' descendants, showing that it has changed very little.
The land on which it stands was bought in 1834 by Pierre Jean Simon, and by 1840 it was already called Beauvoir. The Davis family sold it to a Mr Deslandes in 1871 and in recent years it has changed hands many times.
There are splendid trees in the front garden, notably a turkey oak, very probably contemporaneous with the house.
Notes and references
- ↑ From 1930-38 Beauvoir was owned by my great uncle Frederick Adams (1867-1938), one of a large family of distinguished engineers. I have several letters written by him to my father Stanley Edgar Adams (1889-1983) from Beauvoir. Prior to this time Frederick lived much of his life in Mexico and was always known in the family as ‘Frederick of Mexico’ and that is how he is referred to on his gravestone in nearby St Saviours Cemetery. He died in London on 14 November 1938, but was transported back to Jersey for his burial. The side border of his grave is also inscribed ‘To the memory of ‘Alice Maria Mainland’. which is curious because she was a relation, but not his wife. This is partly explained by the following: Frederick Adams, son of John Henry, purchased Beauvoir jointly with Alice Marie Mainland, daughter of George, on 27 Aug 1932 from William John Vance. His will left the house to Alice. On 15 July 1939 she sold the property back to William John Vance and his daughter Lucy. After Lucy's death in about 1965, the property changed hands several times. Alice continued to live in Jersey, but not in Beauvoir. She died on 12 November 1958 and left a legacy to Frederick’s two sons of £500 each.
- ↑ The author does not provide any information to justify this statement, which is strange considering that the house is not believed to have changed significantly since it was built
- ↑ Nos 27 and 149 in the school register.
