Saint Martin, Guernsey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St. Martin
Parish
Location of St. Martin in Guernsey
Crown Dependency	Guernsey, Channel Islands
Area
• Total	7.3 km2 (2.8 sq mi)
Population  (2019)
• Total	6,593
• Density	903/km2 (2,339/sq mi)
Time zone	GMT
• Summer (DST)	UTC+01

Saint Martin (Guernésiais and French Saint Martin; historically Saint-Martin-de-la-Bellouse) is a parish in Guernsey, The Channel Islands. The islands lie in the English Channel between Great Britain and France.

The postal code for street addresses in this parish begins with GY4.

The old Guernésiais nickname for people from Saint Martin is dravans.

In 1883, Pierre-Auguste Renoir spent the summer in Guernsey, with a varied landscape of beaches, cliffs and bays, where he created fifteen paintings in little over a month. Most of these feature Moulin Huet, a bay in Saint Martin. These paintings were the subject of a set of commemorative postage stamps issued by the Bailiwick of Guernsey in 1983.

The parish church of Saint Martin was consecrated on 4 February 1199. At the gate to the churchyard is La Gran'mère du Chimquière, a statue menhir.

St. Martin Parish has entered Britain in Bloom for a number of years, winning the small town category twice, in 2006 and 2011.

Geography

Children on the Beach of Guernsey, 1883, a painting of Petit Port by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Saint Martin is located in the southeast of Guernsey. The parish borders the Forest on the southwest, Saint Andrew northwest, and Saint Peter Port on the northeast. Saint Martin also has a very small detachment to the west. The detachment is an exclave which is not contiguous with the rest of the parish. The parish itself is made up of four Cantons, these being; Canton des Hamelins, Canton de Hatenez, Canton de Bon Port and Canton de Fermain.

Saint Martin is one of the most expensive parishes in the island for property, with the average four bedroom house costing £615,000.

Relief: Saint Martin is the second highest parish in Guernsey, its elevation is exceeded only by the Forest. The highest areas in the parish are in the central portion, located around Carmel but this gently slopes down to the boundaries, where on the coast, the parish is delineated by steep cliffs.

Features

The features of the parish include: St Martin's Parish Church La Gran'mère du Chimquière St Martin village Sausmarez Manor Artparks Sculpture Park Military: Parish war memorial at parish hall Tower 14, Saints Bay Bec du Nez Battery dating from the Napoleonic Wars La Moye Battery dating from the Napoleonic Wars Mont-Au Nord Battery dating from the Napoleonic Wars German fortifications, built during the occupation 1940-45 Doyle Monument Jerbourg castle A number of protected buildings Jerbourg Point, the most southeasterly point in the island Moulin Huet Bay, a large area of water that includes Saint's Bay, Moulin Huet, and Petit Port. Icart Point Beaches part of Petit Bot Bay Saint's Bay Moulin Huet Petit Port Divette Marble Bay - also known as Le Pied du Mur Part of Fermain Bay

The parish of the St Martin's hosts: St Martin's Douzaine Room St Martin's Parish Hall St Martin's Community Centre St. Martins A.C. a number of hotels, pubs and restaurants St Martin's primary school Countryside walks La Gran'mère du Chimquière, the Grandmother of the Cemetery, the statue menhir at the gate of the Saint Martin parish church is an important prehistoric site

Notable people

• Lee Savident (1976-) cricketer.
• G.N. Georgano, award-winning author.
• William Caparne, artist, had a workshop in an old tram.
• Barton Wilkes, Brother of Aeson Wilkes
• Heidi Soulsby, politician

Images for kids

• 

  Children on the Beach of Guernsey, 1883, a painting of Petit Port by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

See also

In Spanish: Saint Martin (Guernsey) para niños