St Helier Harbour - early 20th century pictures

St Helier Harbour: Early 20th century pictures

Victoria Pier

• 
• 

The harbourmouth on a very low spring tide. Before further dredging was carried out the water drained completely from this area, confirming Prince Albert's observation that the harbour was 'built on dry land'

Work on the Albert and Victoria Piers in 1929-30

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

A sailing ship arrives and needs a team of three boats to carry the ropes to help her moor

• 
  The Harbour viewed from the outside in 1900
• 
  This early 20th century tinted photograph appears to show the sea wall under construction in the London Bay of Victoria Harbour
• 
  A torpedo boat in the harbour in 1906. There may be two, side by side, as suggested by the caption accompanying the picture
• 
  Vans queue with potatoes for export in the first decade of the 20th century
• 
  1903
• 
  1900s
• 
  Albert Pier in 1903
• 
  On the New North Quay in 1905
• 
  A ship is unloaded in the early 20th century
• 
  1908
• 
  New North Quay in 1910
• 
  La Folie
• 
• 
  Victoria Pier
• 
  Albert Pier
• 
  La Folie
• 
  Victoria Pier
• 
  Loading cargo on the Albert Pier in 1940
• 
  1920s
• 
  Potato barrels on the quay in 1910

Rare LL panoramic postcard view of St Helier Harbour in the early 20th century

• 
  English Harbour
• 
  English Harbour
• 
  English Harbour
• 
  French Harbour
• 
  English Harbour
• 
  The harbourmouth in 1902
• 
  The end of the Victoria Pier
• 
  Albert Pier
• 
  1900s
• 
  Albert Harbour, 1900
• 
  Picture by Philip Morel-Laurens
• 
  Picture by Philip Morel-Laurens
• 
  New North Quay
• 
  1900
• 
  A naval vessel in the harbour
• 
  The Southampton boat departs in 1910
• 
  A crane being moved from the Albert Pier to the Victoria Pier in 1932
• 
  An unidentified vessel beached in the harbour in the early 20th century
• 
  French Harbour 1910
• 
  French Harbour 1924

1905

• 
  Awaiting the arrival of a steamer on the Victoria Pier
• 
  1900
• 
• 
  1902
• 
  1902
• 
• 
  Albert Harbour, 1900
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
  Potato boats on the Albert Pier

The view from the French Harbour across La Folie, with the recently widened New North Quay in the distance, in the early years of the 20th century

• 
  Loading potatoes on the Albert Pier
• 
• 
  Potato boats on the New North Quay
• 
• 
  Harbour entrance in the early 20th century
• 
  Rowing boats in the Harbour
• 
  Loading potato barrels
• 
  Albert Pier
• 
  The Southampton boat
• 
  Sailing vessels depart
• 
  1934
• 
  Early 20th century
• 
  A steamship leaves the Harbour
• 
  La Folie 1908
• 
  Albert Pier in 1924
• 
  1910

Road surfacing in front of the Harbour Office in 1936

• 
  La Folie area in 1900
• 
  Hardly a drop of water in the Harbour on a very low tide
• 
  1928
• 
• 
  1931
• 
  1910
• 
  1933
• 
  1914
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The Old Harbour in the early 20th century

• 
  Great Western Railway staff
• 
  Old Harbour 1912
• 
  1910
• 
  Filling in the top of the Old Harbour in 1928
• 
  Cargo vessels on the New North Quay
• 
  A mailboat passes through the pierheads
• 
  Potato barrels line the quayside
• 
  Potato boats in 1900
• 
  The French Harbour on an LL postcard
• 
  The Albert Harbour pictured by Ralphael Tuck
• 
  The Old Harbour from a LL postcard
• 
  Trestles across the Old Harbour to carry railway lines during the Occupation

The end of Victoria Pier in about 1900

• 
  Albert Pier by Francis de Faye
• 
  The New North Quay by Francis de Faye
• 
  Unloading by Edwin Dale
• 
  Victoria Pier before the Germans built a bunker on tne end
• 
  The English Harbour in 1907
• 
  Albert Pier 1901
• 
  1907
• 
  1907
• 
  The Old Harbour in 1921
• 
  Dredging in 1929
• 
  Work under way to reclaim the top of the old harbour
• 
  Harbour entrance 1910

A 'super yacht' in the English Harbour in the 1930s

• 
  Great Western Railway Guernsey boat
• 
  Albert Pier June 1940
• 
  Albert Pier June 1940
• 
  A P M Laurens photograph of a boat being moved along Commercial Buildings by a horse
• 
  A crowd meets a boat's arrival, photographed by Francis Foot
• 
  The English Harbour in 1907
• 
  Photo of English Harbour by Edwin Dale
• 
  1934 aerial photograph
• 
  The Harbour in 1947
• 
  The harbour in 1901
• 
  1930s aerial photograph
• 
  The harbour in 1904

The Harbour on Peace Day, 1902, celebrating the end of the Boer Wars

• 
  The harbour in 1905
• 
  A view of the harbour in 1947
• 
  Potato boats in the harbour early in the 20th century
• 
  The 1907 potato season at its height
• 
  A picture of a virtually deserted Weighbridge and Albert Harbour in the very early 1900s. Why were there no ships in harbour?
• 
  Large vessels were used on the Granville route in the early 1900s
• 
  The 1910 potato season
• 
  The harbour in 1910
• 
  English Harbour in 1935
• 
  The harbour in 1902
• 
  The harbour in 1902
• 
  The harbour in 1903

Work under way to widen the New North Quay ...

... and the quay after work was completed

• 
  The harbour in 1904
• 
  The harbour in 1908
• 
  The pierheads in 1913
• 
  The Albert Pier in 1930 by A E Le Riche
• 
  1930s
• 
  Potato boats in 1906
• 
  Commercial Buildings in 1906
• 
  The Harbour in 1907
• 
  A passenger at the harbour in 1910
• 
  The New North Quay was originally much narrower than it is today
• 
  The harbour by moonlight in 1910
• 
  The harbour in 1910

An amateur photographer's 1909 view of the Harbour from South Hill

• 
  1904
• 
  1930s or 1940s
• 
  The abandoned La Collette breakwater in 1929
• 
  The Harbour entrance in 1908
• 
  The harbour in 1900
• 
  A crane on its way from the Albert Pier to the Victoria Pier in 1932
• 
  The crane passes the Harbour Office
• 
  1922
• 
  Loading potatoes in 1928
• 
  Loading a potato boat
• 
  Fishing on the Albert Pier
• 
  Fishing at the harbourmouth

Potato boats

• 
  Strolling along the Albert Pier
• 
  Potato barrels
• 
  La Folie
• 
  Filling in the top of the old harbour
• 
  The Albert Pier full of potato barrels ready for export
• 
  The harbourmouth
• 
  Two steamers alongside on the New North Quay
• 
  French boat disembarks
• 
  Large crowds used to meet incoming boats
• 
  Jersey cattle being loaded to be shipped out of the island
• 
  Loading a potato boat
• 
  Busy harbour
• 
  English Harbour
• 
  The arrival of a French ferry in St Helier Harbour
• 
  Unloading the ss Guernsey by A Laurens
• 
  Carriages meet the incoming mailboat
• 
  A steamer on the Victoria Pier
• 
  On a very high spring tide water washes over the top of the Albert Pier
• 
  A queue of potato lorries photographed by Leonard Skingle
• 
  The arrival of a boat from France
• 
  Sailing boats in the harbour
• 
  The Southampton boat on the Victoria Pier
• 
  Dinghies at the top of the Albert Pier at high tide
• 
  Harbour entrance

A steamer on the New North Quay

• 
  La Folie and the harbour
• 
  Old Harbour
• 
  Sailing boats in the main harbour
• 
  Leisure craft in the English Harbour
• 
  A boat arriving through the pierheads
• 
  Loading potatoes for export on the Albert Pier
• 
  Potato barrels on the Albert Pier
• 
  The Albert Pier
• 
  Potato exports
• 
  English Harbour
• 
  New North Quay
• 
  A rock breaking platform in the harbour
• 
  A view from Fort Regent
• 
  The harbour mouth
• 
  Victoria Pier
• 
  Victoria Pier
• 
  The harbourmouth
• 
  English Harbour
• 
  English Harbour
• 
  A steamer on the Victoria Pier
• 
  La Folie
• 
  Passengers disembark on the Victoria Pier
• 
  Looking down on the New North Quay
• 
  English Harbour

Passengers disembark from the Southampton boat

• 
  Disembarking on the Victoria Pier
• 
  Victoria Pier
• 
  Potato boats on the New North Quay
• 
  New North Quay
• 
  La Folie
• 
  A steamer on the New North Quay
• 
  The Harbour viewed from Fort Regent with Elizabeth Castle beyond
• 
  Harbourmouth
• 
  Harbourmouth viewed from the Hermitage
• 
  An aerial view of the harbour looking east over the St Clement coast. Most harbour views are shown in the opposite direction, taken from a somewhat lower viewpoint on Fort Regent
• 
  A steamer enters the harbour
• 
  La Folie Inn
• 
  The harbourmouth viewed from La Folie
• 
  Looking down on the New North Quay
• 
  Looking down on the Harbour - the English Harbour is in the foreground
• 
  The Southampton mail steamer arrives
• 
  The Granville boat arrives
• 
  Hotel carriages meet the ss Alberta
• 
  Harbourmouth
• 
  The harbour viewed from the Victoria Pier
• 
  Potato export time
• 
  Small vessels in the French Harbour
• 
  Victoria Pier
• 
  The arrival of a boat on Victoria Pier

South Pier

• 
  A steamer docks on the Victoria Pier
• 
  Albert Pier
• 
  The outer harbour
• 
  1943
• 
  English harbour
• 
  Almost ....
• 
  Setting sail
• 
  An aerial view
• 
  Potato barrels
• 
  Albert Pier
• 
  Victoria Pier
• 
  English Harbour
• 
  The end of Victoria Pier in the 1930s
• 
  The harbour entrance from La Folie
• 
  A steamship in the harbour
• 
  Artillery carriers at the Liberation
• 
• 
  Leisure craft with mail steamers in the background
• 
  1933 aerial photograph by Aerofilms
• 
  1933 aerial photograph by Aerofilms
• 
  1935
• 
  Albert Pier
• 
  Albert Pier
• 
  Low tide, and no water in the harbour

A panoramic view of the harbour in the early 20th century

• 
  The Harbour during the Occupation
• 
  Occupation years
• 
  1925
• 
  New North Quay
• 
  1912
• 
• 
  1913
• 
  1900s
• 
  1909
• 
• 
  1900
• 
• 
• 
  1909
• 
  1900
• 
  1900
• 
• 
• 
• 
  Loading potatoes on the Albert Pier in 1908
• 
  Potato boats
• 
• 
• 

Ships dressed with flags, apparently in 1903, but why? This was the year after Edward VII's coronation and we cannot think of any other event which might have been celebrated then

• 
  Dredging the harbour bottom
• 
• 
  New North Quay
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
  Alberta departing through pierheads
• 
  Potato barrels on the New North Quay
• 
  1922
• 
  1922
• 
  1922
• 
  1922
• 
  c1900
• 
  c1900
• 
• 
  Stroud picture
• 
  The Old Harbour in the 1900s
• 
• 

Potato barrels on the Victoria Pier

• 
  1940s
• 
  New North Quay in 1900
• 
  ss Lynx on the Victoria Pier
• 
  A mailboat departs
• 
  Disembarking on the Victoria Pier in 1907
• 
  Top of the Old Harbour
• 
  Old harbour leisure craft
• 
  Recently arrived Breton farmworkers on the Albert Pier
• 
  The harbourmouth with a steamship alongside Victoria Pier
• 
  Unloading cargo on the Albert Pier in 1940
• 
  Unloading cargo on the Albert Pier in 1940
• 
  One of the Isle mailboats arriving to be greeted by a large crowd
• 
  The New North Quay in 1905
• 
  A view of the harbourmouth from Elizabeth Castle in 1925
• 
  1930s
• 
  1912

Dredger Karang at work in 1930 - picture Evening Post

• 
  Floating dock
• 
  An empty South Pier
• 
• 
• 
• 
  Unloading on the Albert Pier
• 
  English Harbour in 1924
• 
  The Old Harbour and Commercial Buildings
• 
  Red Gauntlet, a Guernsey-registered vessel, alongside Commercial Buildings in the Old Harbour
• 
  The Old Harbour
• 
  High tide in the Old Harbour
• 
  This aerial photograph was sent to us dated 1937, but we think it might have been taken by the RAF during the Occupation
• 
  Carriages at the Harbour in the early 20th century
• 
  La Folie in 1948 - picture Evening Post
• 
  The Harbour on 6 July 1940, photographed from a Jersey Airways aircraft
• 
  6 July 1940
• 
  The Albert Pier and the harbourmouth
• 
  English Harbour pre-1913
• 

Hotel carriages await guests in 1907

1933 photographs

• 
  These three photographs were taken within a short time of each other on Monday 26 June 1933. The Channel Island Shipping website confirms the details
• 
  On South Pier is Johann Ahrens which had arrived the previous Thursday with a cargo of timber. On the North Pier is Stephaniewhich arrived on Friday from Finland, again with timber. At No 1 Berth Albert Pier is the week old Brittany which was about to leave on an excursion to Sark. At No 3 Berth is Isle of Sark which was about to depart, and at No 4 was Isle of Jersey which had arrived on the Sunday, and would depart the next day. In the No 6 berth on the North Quay was St Julien. In this picture Isle of Sark is departing through the pierheads
• 
  This picture was taken 15 minutes later with Isle of Sark crossing St Aubin's Bay. In the English Harbour is the tug Duke of Normandy. The three images, published as postcards, are believed to be the work of Albert Smith's photographic business

• 
  1933 aerial view from the south ...
• 
  ... and the view had changed somewhat by 2024

1930s photographs

More pictures taken in the harbour in the 1930s. The quality of these images, taken from a set of negatives in 2020, leaves much to be desired, but they show interesting scenes of harbour life some 90 years ago

• 
  A steamer alongside the Albert Pier
• 
  Looking across the Albert Harbour to the New North Quay cargo sheds
• 
  Several ships drying out on the Albert Pier
• 
  ss Fermain
• 
  St Patrick
• 
  St Patrick
• 
  St Patrick
• 
  Isle of Jersey
• 
  Sailing vessel Anna on the New North Quay
• 
  St Patrick
• 
  New North Quay
• 
  Isle of Jersey
• 
  A dredger working in the small roads with Elizabeth Castle behind
• 
  Albert Harbour

---

A view from Victoria Pier in 1911