The garden in St Brelade, which features dozens of unique sculptures and mosaics made from millions of locally collected mollusc shells, recently became a construction site after it was sold to a building developer by the National Trust for Jersey.
- In 1957 Colin Soudain started the Jersey Shell Garden with the intention of enhancing the hillside surrounding his newly built house at Mont Les Vaux
- Over the years the development continued and the garden became the largest collection mollusc shells in the world
- Of the one million-plus shells featured in the garden, the Jersey ormer, the emperor scallop, the common cockle, the moon shell and the edible mussel are the most frequently found[/breakout]
However, the shelled scenes, which include dolphins and starfish, have been rescued after an Island businessman took it upon himself to buy all the items from the garden.
James Bissell-Thomas, who runs London-based globe-making company Thomas and Greaves, said he was ‘devastated’ to see what had happened to the garden, and is now determined to keep the attraction open for public viewing.
‘When I visited recently I was shocked to see that one of Jersey’s most iconic sites was about to go into landfill,’ he said.
And following the purchase of the shells, Mr Bissell-Thomas is attempting to persuade the developer to minimise the construction and keep the majority of the garden open. However, he says he plans to keep the attraction alive, regardless of the decision.
‘I think the better option is to keep the items where they are,’ he said. ‘I have spoken to the developer and he is considering his options. If he says no, I am aiming to take away the key items, like the wishing well, and keep them safely stored until I can find somewhere to set the pieces up again.
Mr Bissell-Thomas explained that he would like to create a museum that would hold items from the garden, in addition to his collection of postcards by Donald McGill – the artist who achieved international fame with his saucy seaside postcards in the 1930s, 40s and 50s.
He hopes to house the items in another one of his collection pieces – the funnel of a ship which sailed between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth between the 1930 and 60s. He also has plans to include a unique ceiling pattern, similar to the triangular glass design of London’s British Museum.
‘I already have a museum of work by Donald McGill and I want to transfer some of that collection here,’ he said. ‘To have all three elements of the seaside – the shell garden items, the postcards and the funnel – under one iconic roof at the beach somewhere like the Five Mile Road would be fantastic.’
