Highland, St L

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Historic Jersey buildings


Highland, St Lawrence


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A satellite view of the properties off Rue du Vard, which runs from left to right across the centre of the picture

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Property name

Highland

Other names

  • Highlands
  • Highland House
  • Valley View
  • Highland Farm
  • Highland Cottage
  • Highland Cottage Flat
  • Chateau Haute Terre
  • Highlands Farm du Bas
  • Highlands Farm Cottage du Bas
  • Les Fontaines (former name of Highlands Farm du Bas)

Location

Rue du Vard, St Lawrence. Unusually we are grouping together a number of different properties on either side of a private road, all sharing a postcode and with names which are variations on Highlands. The latest almanac entries for Rue du Vard list Highland House, Valley View, Highland Farm, Highland Cottage, Highland Cottage Flat, Chateau Haute Terre, Chateau Haute Terre West, Cottage, Chateau Haute Terre East, Cottage, Highlands Farm du Bas and Highlands Farm Cottage du Bas. Just to complicate matters further, HER indicates that Chateau Haute Terre was previously known as Highland and Highlands Farm

Type of property

Group of buildings of varying ages and architectural styles on private road

Valuations

  • Highland House was sold for £2,450,000 in 2017 and offered for sale again in 2020 for £2.95 million
  • Highlands Farm du Bas was sold for £1.45 million in 2018

Families associated with the property

Drawings from Old Jersey Houses of the porch and its supporting pillar. The pillars are noted to be decorated on the outside but left plain at the rear, which will not normally be noticed, probably in order to save money

Datestones

  • PDL MBq [1] 1714 - On Highland Cottage, for Pierre Dallain and Marie Bosquet [2]

Historic Environment Record entries

Listed buildings

Highland House - An elegant early-mid 19th century Georgian-style house with a good survival of high quality original features in a scenic setting. Possibly by master mason Amice Norman. Five-bay, three-storey house with dower wing to east. Hipped slate roof with two pairs of dressed granite chimneys. Palladian style window at centre of the second floor with arched head to centre with Gothic style interlaced tracery. Door with glazed surround and decorative transom light under timber Corinthian porch. Rear elevation characterised by pointed arch windows with Gothic glazing. Later west extension, and rear additions.

Highland Cottage - An early farmhouse retaining original features and character in a scenic setting. Shown on the Richmond Map of 1795. Five-bay bay, two-storey cottage with single bay carriage entrance and four-bay farm building to the east. Small single storey extension on the west side. Stone chimneys with thatch stones. Good survival of interior features including oak dado panelling in hallway and in large panels in main room to right of front door; corbelled granite fireplaces in most rooms; fireplace with large corbels and niche; ceiling beams and original meat hook in living room; original oak stair balustrade.

Highlands Farm - Five-bay, two-storey granite house. The main door and some of the window surrounds are chamfered. The windows on the right of the entrance are original, the left are later copies. The fireplaces are simple with wooden lintels. One of the recesses contained a glass bottle, a cowhorn and a stocking knitted locally - objects thought to be related to witchcraft superstition.

Chateau Haute Terre - 18th century or possible 17th century origins, farm group of historic and architectural significance, retaining external historic character. Previously known as Highland and Highlands Farm. Shown on the Richmond Map of 1795. Historic farm group set around a yard, now renovated as West Cottage and East Cottage, to 21st century house, Chateau Haute Terre, to south. Main range along north of site, nine-bay, two-storey. Former three-bay farm building projecting forwards at left. Detached single storey bakehouse on east side of yard.

Highlands Farm du Bas - Historic farm group retaining historic character and integrity in a low valley setting. Previously known as Les Fontaines. Shown on the Richmond Map of 1795.

Two-storey, four-bay house with a wing of farm buildings to the east and west forming a yard on the south side accessed through a cart entrance. A small outbuilding on the north side completes the yard.

Old Jersey Houses

Highland - There is a complex of interesting houses here, four bearing the name Highland in some form, and three being marked with the name Dallain on Godfray.

The main house is most imposing and must have been built by a master mason. Few other houses in the island show such precision of stonework, and sturdy rusticated quoins.

The dower wing to the east is probably an addition.

The porch is sumptuous, wiuth an elaborate fanlight, repeated over the back door, and fluted columns with Corinthian capitals. The stairs are most elegant, rising the full three storeys to a circular ceiling, which makes it less likely that the upper level was added later.[3]

The main reception room used to be divided in two by large mahogany doors. Instead of swinging open as doors normally do, they were lifted by a system of weights and chains, like a sash window, into an enclosed section between the two bedrooms above. This arrangement has been removed.

Highland Cottage - The facade is contemporary with the 1714 lintel, though the windows have been enlarged. The stairs, which have no balusters, are very simple. The main room has fine dado panelling which can scarcely be as early as 1714, and one may surmise that it was part of improvements undertaken in 1750 or later. Richmond shows a group of small hyuildings around the cottage, and one to the north is known to have been a blacksmith's forge.

Highland Farm - On the front facade the main door is chamfered, as are some window surrounds, but those on the right of the entrance are original and those on the left more recent copies. The position of the gable stones on the north shows that the roof has been raised.

Estate agent's description

This is how Highland House was described when offered for sale for £2.95 million in 2020:

"This fine distinctive substantial Georgian granite merchant's house occupies a secluded south facing site, set in excess of an acre of formal granite walled gardens and grounds and located well removed from the public highway. The entire property was the subject of an extensive restoration in the 1980s, however some cosmetic improvement would now be beneficial. The property provides a range of elegantly proportioned accommodation which includes three charming reception rooms, five bedroom suites, a staff studio with bathroom (approached via an independent staircase), a generous family size kitchen and conservatory. At basement level is a six-car garage approached via an underground gallery, together with a large gymnasium, wine cellar, utility and children's play room. A striking architectural feature of the property is a beautiful sweeping stairway which serves all upper levels and ascends from a magnificent marble floored reception hall."
Highlands Farm de Bas

Notes and references

  1. The 'q' on the stone is lower case
  2. The Dallain history linked to above mentions several datestones being found on the Highland(s) houses but only mentions this stone individually. No other stones have been recorded elsewhere
  3. Although there are several pictures of the property in estate agents' online advertising, none shows the staircase
Highland Cottage
Chateau Haute Terre
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