St Helier Harbour - undated pictures from the 19th century

St Helier Harbour: Undated pictures from the 19th century

One of the best photographs of St Helier Harbour in the 19th century we have ever seen. This is the top of the Old Harbour, between Commercial Buildings and the New North Quay. The area occupied by the variety of ships in the foreground was filled in in 1884 to allow the Weighbridge Garden to be built with a statue of Queen Victoria in the centre, and further down in 1928 to provide parking spaces. It's difficult to put a date to this picture, but we think that it could be as early as 1853, because although the Albert Pier is complete in the background, it does not look as if it is yet in use. That was the year it was completed.

A 19th century painting by an unknown artist

A paddle steamer, probably Brittany I, enters St Helier Harbour ...

... and this superb photograph shows another one, at first thought to be the same, but with a very different bow design, and different positioning of the twin funnels, manouevring in the Harbour. She has now been probably identified as Aquila, dating the photograph to 1892-94

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  A picture by Philip Godfray showing a harbour full of masted vessels
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  Loading potatoes on the Albert Pier
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  This picture was taken at the end of the 19th century when the New North Quay had been widened along its full length
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  Gladiateur moored alongside the North Pier
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  A busy Victoria Pier
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  La Folie
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  Dinghies in front of South Pier
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  Dinghies in the main harbour

Commercial Buildings and the Old Harbour in the 19th century

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  The top of the Albert Harbour
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  The Old Harbour (foreground), New North Quay and Albert Harbour in the late 1900s
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  A steamer docking on the New North Quay
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  An early picture of the Harbour by W Slater
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  The top of the Albert Harbour with the Pomme d'Or Hotel on the left and the Weighbridge beyond
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  Victoria Harbour
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  Victoria Pier side of the pierheads
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  St Helier Harbour
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  St Helier Harbour
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  St Helier Harbour
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  c1900
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  A paddle steamer approaches the harbour entrance. This engraving shows just how small some of the paddle steamers serving the island were

A paddle steamer berthed on the Victoria Pier

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  Breton workers arrive
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  Baudoux photograph
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  An unusual view of the English Harbour
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  The Hermitage before the Castle breakwater was completed
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  Fort Regent behind the New North Quay
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  The back of Victoria Pier photographed by Bashford
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  The top of the Old Harbour in the 1890s
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  A steamship about to depart from the Albert Pier
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  Old Harbour
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  Crowded piers
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  Victoria Pier by Ernest Baudoux
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  A 19th century drawing of the harbour
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  Crowds at the Harbour by Ernest Baudoux
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  Ladies stroll past the Abattoirs at the top of the Albert Pier, probably before 1900
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  Victorian stereoview image of the harbour
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  A Victorian lantern slide
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  Victoria at the pierheads by Ouless
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  Sailing vessels of various sizes in an undated 19th century photograph
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  A drawing of the weighbridge area before the widening of the North Pier was started
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  Victoria Pier
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  Albert Pier
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  Sailing vessels with the New North Quay in the background

The English and French Harbours are either side of La Folie

The outer section of the Victoria Pier had a wooden frame before it was widened and refaced in the 20th century

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  A picture by Albert Smith taken before 1900
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  Sailing vessels pack both sides of the New North Quay for this Ernest Baudoux photograph
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  Denham Percival picture
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  The harbour in the 19th century
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  English Harbour: 19th century
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  The top of the old harbour: 19th century
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  An Edwin Dale photograph
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  A photograph by Albert Smith
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  The harbour in the early 19th century
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  A view of the Harbour by Poulton
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  A large sailing vessel moored alongside Commercial Buildings with Fort Regent in the background
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  Sailing vessels pass the English Harbour
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  Carriages await passengers on the Victoria Pier
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  English Harbour
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  English Harbour
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  A paddle steamer about to leave the harbour
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  A horse-drawn carriage passes potato barrels
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  A hotel bus passing the Abbatoirs at the top of the harbour after collecting arriving guests
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  A busy time on the Albert Pier
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  The corner of the English Harbour looking towards the New North Quay
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  South Pier
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  The Southampton boat on the Victoria Pier

Sailing vessels leaving the Old Harbour

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  The Old Harbour from the New North Quay
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  The Weighbridge end of the Old Harbour
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  The upper harbour
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  View from the Albert Pier
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  Looking down on the Weighbridge
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  The Old Harbour
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  Victoria Pier
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  Plenty of smoke from an early paddlesteamer
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  The Albert Pier before the abattoirs were built
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  The Albert Pier before the abattoirs were built
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  Top of the Old Harbour
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  A steamer arrives at the Albert Pier
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  Back of the Victoria Pier
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  A sailing boat with a paddle steamer behind
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  Paddle steamer on the Albert Pier
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  The English harbour
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  Sailing vessels on either side of the New North Quay
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  The top of the Albert Pier
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  A view of the harbour in the days of sail
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  The end of Victoria Pier
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  The top of the old harbour
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  The old harbour
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  Sailing ships leave the French Harbour
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  St Helier Harbour shipyard

A view from Fort Regent of Pier Road, the English Harbour and La Folie

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  The old harbour
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  The weighbridge with the top of the New North Quay and the Albert Harbour beyond and the Albert Pier in the background
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  A ship alongside the Commercial Buildings quay
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  Inner Harbour
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  The top of the Albert Harbour
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  The Old Harbour
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  La Folie with the New North Quay being widened in the background
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  The South West Railway terminal building
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  Barrels on the New North Quay
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  The English and French harbours and La Folie
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  A busy harbour in the 19th century
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  A crane operating on tracks in the La Folie area
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  The back of the Victoria Pier
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  Looking down on the Weighbridge
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  The English Harbour
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  English Harbour
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  A water carnival
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  A view from the late 19th century
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  Paddle steamer on the New North Quay
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  Commercial Buildings from South Hill
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  St Helier Harbour
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  Victoria Harbour

Looking across the 'island site' towards the Albert Harbour in the 1870s

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  Albert Pier
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  A photograph by A Godfray showing an early passenger terminal on the Albert Pier
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  Floating dock
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  Paddle steamer Comete on the New North Quay undergoing an overhaul in 1865
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  A stone crushing rig (left) in the French Harbour
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  The North Quay before it was widened
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  French boat on the Victoria Pier
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  Taken in the last years of the 19th century
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  Paddle steamers in the Harbour in the 19th century
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  Victoria Pier
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  Albert Pier
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  The top of the Old Harbour, probably about 1880s
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  Top of the Albert Harbour
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  Harbourmouth
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  New North Quay
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  La Folie in the foreground. In the background the slipway on the Albert Pier, which was removed in the 20th century, can be clearly seen
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A panoramic view of the Old Harbour with Gladiateur , a vessel built in Jersey, moored in front of Commercial Buildings

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  Carriages pass the English Harbour
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  Mailboat arrives on Victoria Pier
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  Sailing ships in the English Harbour
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  The top of the Old Harbour at the end of the 19th century
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  Commercial Buildings in the 1880s
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  A boatload of French farmworkers arrives
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  Victoria Pier, photographed by Godfray, showing how the outer arm originally had a wooden framework on the harbour side
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  English Harbour
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  Old Harbour
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  Old Harbour
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  A print of a paddle steamer leaving the harbour
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  A paddle steamer enters the harbour
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  Victoria Pier
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  Victoria Pier
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  French Harbour
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  A mailboat departure from the Albert Pier
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  A brigantine in the Harbour
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  Boat building
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  Picture by Ernest Baudoux
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  Water carnival
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  Very early photograph of top of the Old Harbour
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  A 19th century print showing the Small Roads
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  Victoria Pier
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  Picture by Edwin Dale
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  Rowers pass the Channel Queen
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  Shipyard

English Harbour, 1860s. Note that the breakwater from Elizabeth Castle, in the background, has yet to be constructed

An early photograph of the La Folie area, from a 19th century stereo pair. It is not clear whether the vessel in the foreground is under construction or undergoing repair - probably the former because this was an area where a limited number of ships were built