Herm Island..A gem in the Little Russel

It has been a beautiful, dry and sunny day here in Guernsey and my blip today shows the island of Herm which is exactly 3 miles by ferry from St Peter Port.
Part of the Guernsey Bailiwick, Herm belongs to the States that is, the people of Guernsey.
Herm has an extensive history dating back to Pre 6th Century, and over the centuries has been the home of neolithic man, the Romans, the French, the English, various monks and even the Germans to name but a few. Evidence of this history in the form of ancient tombs, a chapel and remains of the several granite quarries can be found throughout the island.

Between 1570 and 1737 Herm was used as a location for the wealthy Governors of Guernsey to come and shoot, hunt and fish, and was therefore stocked with game birds, swans and rabbits. After this period the island went on to be leased as farmland, before being used for the quarrying of granite during the industrial revolution.

In 1889 Prince Blucher von Wahlstatt bought the island lease and tidied up the island, turning it into his own private haven. One of his children Count Lothair was born on the island and went on to marry Princess Wanda Radziwill, (of whom a Private Walk only open to residents of the White House Hotel is named after). Her Sister Princess Louise married the Prince's son Count Lothair, and the two couples resided on the island up until the outbreak of World War I.

The next resident to live on Herm was the novelist Compton Mackenzie who wrote much about the island, even incorporating it into his fictional work "Fairy Gold". He then sold the lease to Sir Percival Perry, chairman of theFord Motor Company who introduced a car to the island. Perry resided in the White House and made many improvements to the island including adding a golf course to the common.

This era came to an end at the start of the Second World War. All of the Channel Islands were occupied by the Germans, and the Third Reich took over Herm on the 20th July 1940. On the 9th of May 1945 Herm was liberated along with the other Channel Islands.

After the war Herm was granted to a tenant called Mr A G Jefferies to enable him to care for the island and ensure it was kept beautiful so that visitors could enjoy it. Mr Jefferies remained on Herm until 1949, at which point Peter and Jennie Wood took over the lease. The island has remained in their family up until 2008 when new people purchased the remaining 40 year lease for a price in the region of £15,000,000. The lease came with certain conditions, such as the continued access for people to visit and stay on the island in the future, as well as the continued employment of the existing staff that run the businesses on the island, e.g. the Mermaid Tavern, the White House Hotel and the Gift Shop.

Should you not have visited or heard of Herm, here is a short VIDEO
8-)