Parish location map
That Was Jersey |
Local history for everyone |
CHANNEL ISLANDS |
Population (2001 census) 2,618
Area (in vergees) 5,143
St John is one of the northern parishes and it includes a significant part of the North Coast path. Bonne Nuit Bay is St John's direct link with the sea. Mont Mado quarries, located just inland from the Bay, provided a pinkish granite; they are no longer in commercial use. St John's southern boundary is with St Helier. Sion and the Island's Centre Stone nearby also come within its boundaries.
The church was dedicated to St John the Baptist, but the emblem is the Maltese Cross of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. The gold cross is on a green background, as a reminder of the oak trees, which may have given the church its full name of St John of the Oaks. Here the emblem is seen on a banner in the church.
The Parish Church of St John in the Oaks is at the heart of this rural parish. Inside the Lady Chapel are wall panels with the Ten Commandments, the Creed and the Lord's Prayer, all in French; services were held in French until the early twentieth century.
Parishioners had long wished to remove a pillar from the inside of the church to allow people to see the preacher. They eventually removed it while the Rector was on holiday in 1831, and placed it in the Rectory garden. Here the larger archway created by the removal of the pillar can be seen, and also the pillar in the garden, where it now looks quite at home!
The parish school is next to the Parish Hall. The school has been extended, and the entrance is no longer on the main road. Boys and girls now use the same door, unlike the separate gates, doors and playgrounds in the original school, which can be seen here.
The Cross is situated on La Route du Nord, overlooking the cliffs and the view northwards.
The Stone was placed at Sorel point, also on the north coast.