Chateau L’Etoc

History

Chateau L’Etoc was built on an historic Neolithic burial site dating back to 4300 BC, located on the most northerly point in the Channel Islands. Following a British defence investigation in 1842, ‘Harbours of Refuge’ were commissioned by the Commander of the Forces the 1st Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, in Alderney and Jersey. In total 13 forts were built on Alderney, including Chateau L’Etoc. Since being completed in 1853, the Fort has been occupied by British and then German troops during the island’s occupation 

4300 BC – 1845: From Neolithic Burial site to Victorian Fort

Chateau L’Etoc was built on the most northerly point in the Channel Islands which was originally a significant Neolithic burial sited dating back to 4,300 BC. When the foundations of Château L’Etoc were excavated, records describe the burial chambers and their contents being rashly discarded into the sea

“When Francis Lukis visited Alderney in 1853, the destruction of the cemetery at Chateau L’Etoc was already beyond reparation. The sappers were continually breaking into graves, and great quantities of pottery as well as remains are said to have been thrown out over the redoubts”

1845 – 1853: Queen Victoria orders 13 Forts to be built in Alderney

“Whoever has the Channel Islands has the Lock and Key of the English Channel”, Captain Beaufort quoted in a letter to the First Sea Lord Admiral Sir George Cockburn 1845. Following the expansion of the nearby French naval harbour of Cherbourg, the Commander of the British Forces commissioned an investigation into the most effective defensive strategies against the increased threat from the French. The investigation concluded in 1845 that two ‘Harbours of Refuge’ in Alderney and Jersey, aptly named to avoid upsetting the French, would be sufficient

Queen Victoria, however, decided that Alderney required further fortification, assigning Captain William Jervois to build 13 forts, including Chateau L’Etoc, in addition to the harbours to protect Alderney from a French invasion. With 23 guns and accommodation for 128 soldiers, Chateau L’Etoc was completed in 1853 and had been designed to have an excellent flanking ability on its two sea-facing sides. The main body of the building is chevron in plan, and points due South. The Fort looks remarkably different from the land compared to the sea, where the main building is only partially visible, giving it a significantly more defensive appearance

August 9 1854: Queen Victoria visits Alderney

“We left the trucks when not far from a Fort, which is just finished and commands a grand view of the Island. Together with Luichen and the two Ladies I got into a small open carriage, drawn by one horse, Albert, the Boys and Gentlemen walking. Got out and went over part of the Fort”. After being completed, Chateau L’Etoc and the other Victorian forts on Alderney were considered “state of the art”. However, as military technology swiftly developed, the Forts were rendered obsolete almost immediately

1854 – 1945: The Militia

By 1875, Alderney’s Militia had fallen apart, prompting the eldest son of the local Governor, Colonel Peter Le Mesurier, to restore the Militia which by that point was “without arms, without officers and without laws”. Receiving 200 men from the Crown, Peter Le Mesurier personally trained his new recruits. This was timely as the French were becoming frustrated with the English regularly raiding their ships from Alderney. Early in the 1880s, the French sent 200 soldiers, three privateers, two brigs and one cutter to Alderney. The French anchored close to the Guard House at Chateau L’Etoc but in attempting to land they were spotted by the 4-man Militia guard who killed several French soldiers onboard the privateer

With the invaders spotted, a large English Privateer in the harbour, mounted with 18 guns, sounded the invasion alarm. Terrified, the French left at first light. Subsequently Alderney and the Channel Islands experienced a period of peace as the local industries and population developed, allowing Alderney to prosper. Then came WWI, in which 42 young Alderney men went to war and never came back

Following the conclusion of WWI, Vera and Charles Kay-Mouat jointly purchased Château L’Etoc from The Channel Island Granite Company in 1935

June 23 1940: Alderney is Evacuated

At the onset of WWII, on June 23rd 1940 Churchill sent transport to evacuate the people of Alderney. Invading a largely deserted island, the number of Nazi soldiers on Alderney eventually rose to 3,200 by 1944. Over the course of the war, 5 additional gunning emplacements, 3 cement reinforced bunkers and 3 search lights were added to the Fort to reinforce the Nazi’s defensive capabilities to the North of Alderney

1945: Alderney post the Occupation

After WWII, Château L’Etoc was primarily used to house soldiers who were clearing mines and debris from the Occupation. Returning to Alderney after WWII, Vera and Charles Kay-Mouat begun using the Fort as residential accommodation. In 1980, Jon Kay-Mouat inherited Chateau L’Etoc before passing it onto Caroline Kay-Mouat and her husband Andrew Theobald in 2010. The Fort is now used as a summer event venue and residential accommodation

Credit

We are indebted to the following individuals for their contributions to this short history of the Château L’Etoc:

  • Guille- Alles Library
  • Simon Livesey
  • The Alderney Museum
  • Trevor Davenport

Sources

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