St Helier Harbour - dated pictures from the 19th century

Dated pictures from the 19th century

Painting by George Reynolds of the laying of the foundation stone of the Victoria Pier in 1841

1830s. There may be some artistic licence but the profile of the end of the North Pier on the left is somewhat different from that shown in the 1850s photograph further down the page

Four photographs added to the site in 2019 from a French album showing the Victoria Harbour and Harbourmouth in 1880

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The Old Harbour in 1897

A view along the length of the harbour in the late 1880s. The widening of the end of the New North Quay can be made out in the top right of the picture. Behind the rowing boat, at the top of the harbour, is the Harbour Office building, with the spire of the recently completed St Thomas' Church behind it

This photograph was taken from the end of the South Pier, allegedly in the 1840s. That is most unlikely to be correct because no outdoor photographs taken that early in Jersey have survived. A date in the 1850s or early '60s is more likely

Map of St Helier Harbour in 1878

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  The whole map
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  Close-up of the harbour area

This photograph, showing the recently widened landward end of the New North Quay in the centre, must have been taken in 1888, just after the widening reached this far and before work started on the construction of the abattoirs on the west end of the 'island site' behind

The top of the Old Harbour with Caledonia Place and Commercial Buildings behind. This poor quality image is one of the earliest surviving photographs of the harbour, dating from the 1850s

Click on any thumbnail picture to see a larger version

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  1848 etching
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  The top of the Albert Harbour in the early 1850s - a very old harbour photograph
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  1860s
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  1860s
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  1860s
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  New North Quay 1890s
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  New North Quay 1890s
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  New North Quay 1890s
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  An impression of the harbour in 1820
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  1830s
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  1880
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  This picture was dated 1840s but a newer version suggests that it was published in 1878 ...
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  ... an impression of the Harbour in 1878 from Picturesque Europe
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  1875
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  1880
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  Another view of the harbour in 1840
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  1876
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  1885
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  1871
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  1897
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  1898
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  1870
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  1876
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  1890
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  1876
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  1878
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  1883
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  Victoria Pier 1887
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  The North Quay in the 1880s, yet to be widened and become the New North Quay

Sketches from Pictorial World in 1880 of life on the Albert Pier

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  An 1843 harbour development plan
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  1843 plan
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  A 1843 plan for developing the harbour which was rejected
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  The Harbour in 1844
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  George Reynolds painting of the laying of the Victoria Pier foundation stone in 1841. The pier was completed in 1846
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  The harbour in 1855 - a Harwood print
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  The harbour in 1855
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  The harbour in the 1850s
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  The Harbour in 1854
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  The pierheads in 1856
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  Harbour entrance in the 1850s
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  Harbour entrance in the 1850s
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  1857 development plan
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  1860 by Henry Mullins
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  The harbour in 1860
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  Victoria Pier in the 1860s

The top of the old harbour in the mid-1860s

An 1867 drawing by H Smorth, showing the corner of Commercial Buildings

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  Victoria Harbour in 1865
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  English Harbour 1860s
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  A picture by Slater of the Harbour in the 1860s
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  Victoria Pier 1860s
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  1866 harbour photograph
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  St Helier Harbour in 1860. A photograph believed to have been taken in 1860 by Mrs Slater, one of Jersey's earliest female photographers
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  A rail track in the 1870s
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  The harbourmouth in 1870
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  Laying the 1872 foundation stone
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  The 1872 ceremony for the laying of the Elizabeth Castle breakwater foundation stone
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  The Hermitage in 1872, connected to Elizabeth Castle and rail tracks laid to service the building of the new breakwater beyond
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  1872

This view of the Old Harbour and the Weighbridge and Esplanade beyond is dated to the last decade of the 19th century

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  1877
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  1878
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  A photograph dated 1853-1860
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  A plan of the harbour enlargement project abandoned in 1877
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  View of St Helier Harbour in the 1870s by Ernest Baudoux
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  View of St Helier Harbour in the 1870s by Ernest Baudoux
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  View of St Helier Harbour in the 1870s by Ernest Baudoux
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  View of St Helier Harbour in the 1870s by Ernest Baudoux
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  View of St Helier Harbour in the 1870s by Ernest Baudoux
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  View of St Helier Harbour in the 1870s by Ernest Baudoux
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  View of St Helier Harbour in the 1870s by Ernest Baudoux
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  View of St Helier Harbour in the 1870s by Ernest Baudoux

South Pier and the French Harbour - possibly taken as early as 1846

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  A dredger working in the harbour in the 1880s
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  La Folie, 1880s
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  1880s
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  Laying the foundation stone for the Victoria Pier landing stage in 1887
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  1879 Harbour development plan
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  The harbour about 1880
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  The harbour in 1880
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  Carriages on the Albert Pier in the 1880s
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  The 1880s
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  A boat arrives in the 1880s
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  A Godfray photograph from 1882
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  A busy harbour in 1883
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  North Pier widening starts in the 1880s
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  1885

This picture probably dates from between 1866 and 1874, when the vessel on the right, moored in front of Commercial Buildings, was a regular visitor to St Helier. She was Gladiator, or more properly Gladiateur, built by F C Clark, at their West Park yard. She was a 427-ton barque, owned by Fr Carrel and Co from 1866 to 1874. She was broken up in 1916, ten years after transferring to Yarmouth as a coal hulk. Clark had the largest shipyard and employed up to 400 shipbuilders, at West Park (1844-1867) where he built 62 vessels. He also had a yard at Havre des Pas (1839-1845) where 12 vessels were built, and he built two ships at La Folie.

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  1884 - work has not long started on widening the North Quay
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  Loading on the Victoria Pier in 1887 by Ernest Baudoux
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  1885
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  1885
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  1880
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  A view of the Harbour from South Hill, taken in 1886 by Ernest Baudoux
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  Another picture by Ernest Baudoux
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  A picture by Ernest Baudoux from 1887 showing the ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone for a landing place on the Victoria Pier
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  Another Baudoux photograph from 1887
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  1890
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  1880
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  A view of the Harbour from South Hill in about 1880
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  The English Harbour in 1880

The harbour in the late 1890s. In the foreground are the French Harbour and English Harbour, with the Old Harbour behind. The North Quay is still being widened and would soon be renamed the New North Quay

Work is finished in the 1890s on reclaiming land at the top of the Old Harbour

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  Time to bring in a dredger. The harbourmouth is completely dry in this 1890 photograph
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  Top of the harbour in the 1890s
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  An impression of the harbour in 1890 ...
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  ... and a photograph by Neurdein at the same time
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  The harbour in 1893
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  The Albert Pier in 1897
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  1890
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  The Harbour in the 1890s
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  1890s
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  1890s
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  The harbour in 1893
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  The harbour in 1893
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  The harbour in 1893
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  The harbour in 1893
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  The harbour in 1893
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  The harbour in 1893
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  The harbour in 1893
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  The harbour in 1893
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  1894
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  1895
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  The weighbridge in use during the 1895 potato season
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  Passengers disembarking from the Stella in the 1890s

Unlike many 19th century images of St Helier Harbour which surface today, this one of the end of the Albert Pier can be dated quite precisely, because it was taken by Thomas Tibbles, who was in business as Peirson Photographic Studio, on the corner of King Street and Peirson Place, from 1876 to 1880. Thomas and his wife Maria also ran a stationery shop at No 5 King Street, having started out in the early 1870s, or even the previous decade, as a bookseller. His career as a photographer was short-lived, because by 1881 he was shown in the census as an 'imbecile', and was soon institutionalised. What a shame, because he took a good photograph!

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  1896
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  Old Harbour 1898
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  Yacht in the Harbour c1900
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  The English Harbour 1900
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  The Harbour about 1900
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  In 1900, when this picture was taken by Albert Smith, the Old Harbour can be seen reaching to within feet of the new Weighbridge Gardens
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  The Old Harbour around 1900
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  Victoria Pier 1869
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  Picture taken in 1870 by W Slater
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  The back of the Victoria Pier in the 1870s
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  Victoria Pier 1897
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  A general view of the Harbour in 1895
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  1893
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  1893
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  1894
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  1894
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  1894
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  1894
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  1894
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  Victoria Harbour, 1870s

Sail and steam in the harbour mouth in 1887

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  1894, Lady Gracious
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  1894, La Folie
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  Victoria Pier, 1887
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  1895
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  1899
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  Plans for a deep water harbour in 1860
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  1897
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  The top of the Harbour with St Helier behind - early 1890s
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  1895
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  A view of the Harbour from Pier Road between 1893 and 1896
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  English Harbour, 1890s
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  Top of Old Harbour, 1890s
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  Harbourmouth in 1897
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  1887
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  Circa 1890
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  Harbourmouth, c1890
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Old harbour, 1865. These two pictures were taken on the same day between 1 January and 14 May 1865, and the image below shows the paddle steamer Comete moored alongside the quay undergoing an extensive overhaul