- Grand Jersey turning 125 this month
- Since opening in 1890 it has welcomed everyone from families to celebrities and even a scandal-hit French composer and his mistress
- See how the hotel has changed through the years with our gallery below
IT started life in June 1890 as a luxurious hotel where guests had their ‘every want carefully studied and met’.
And this month – after welcoming everyone from families to celebrities and even a scandal-hit French composer and his mistress – the Grand Jersey is celebrating its 125th anniversary.
After opening on the St Helier seafront, it quickly became one of the most fashionable hotels in Jersey and went on to play a part in several key events in the Island’s history.
Following its opening the British Press and Jersey Times described the hotel as ‘commodiously not to say luxuriously furnished throughout’, with the needs of every visitor ‘carefully studied and met’.
French composer Claude Debussy visited the Grand Hotel in the summer of 1904, at a time when his professional life was flourishing but his personal life was mired in scandal.
He arrived with his mistress, Emma Bardac, and following their trip he returned to France and ended his marriage to Rosalie Texier.
Stuart Nicolle, the senior archivist at Jersey Heritage, said that a ‘not so glorious’ time of the hotel’s history was when it was requisitioned as the headquarters of Fortress Engineer Staff 14 during the Occupation.
He said: ‘I interviewed somebody who went around the hotel soon after the Liberation who said that it was left in a terrible state by the occupying forces.
‘The owners of the Grand Hotel consequently applied to the rehabilitation scheme in order to get some compensation to put the building right once more.’
In 2005 the hotel hosted a banquet, attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Liberation.
In October 2006 it underwent a £15.2 million refurbishment, which introduced new features such as the champagne lounge and the Michelin-star Tassili restaurant.
Martin Kelly, the general manager at the hotel, said: ‘Grand Jersey is an exceptional property with a rich history in the Island’s tourism industry.
‘Our heritage is testament to the unique character, its people and the affinity our guests share with the hotel as a result of the experiences it has provided over the years,’ he added.
