Saint Sampson, Guernsey
| Saint Sampson | |
|---|---|
| Parish | |
.gif) | |
| Crown Dependency | Guernsey, Channel Islands |
| Government | |
| • Electoral district | St Sampson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.0 km2 (2.3 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 8,592 |
| • Density | 1,400/km2 (3,700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | GMT |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+01 (UTC) |
Saint Sampson (Guernésiais: Saint Samsaon; French: Saint Sampson), is one of the parishes of Guernsey, Channel Islands.
The Guernésiais nickname for people from St Sampson is roînes (frogs).
The parish is divided into two non-contiguous sections, the bulk of the parish lying on the east coast, with a smaller section lying on the west coast. The parish of Vale borders the parish to the north and also extends between the two parts of St. Sampson.
What is currently the northern boundary of the parish originally ran along the south coast of Le Braye du Valle, a tidal channel that made the northern extremity of Guernsey, Le Clos du Valle, a tidal island.
La Braye du Valle was drained and reclaimed in 1806 by the British Government as a defence measure. The eastern end of the former channel became the town and harbour (from 1820) of St. Sampson's, now the second biggest port in Guernsey. The western end of La Braye is now Le Grand Havre. The roadway called The Bridge across the end of the harbour at St. Sampson's recalls the bridge that formerly linked the two parts of Guernsey at high tide.
The parish church of St. Sampson claims to be the oldest of Guernsey's parish churches, standing on the coast where Samson of Dol arrived from Brittany in the sixth century, intending to convert Islanders to Christianity.
The parish of St. Sampson hosts:
- the island prison
- The Track
- Delancey Park
- the island's skate park
- the Guernsey studio of Channel Television and BBC Guernsey
- numerous industrial premises, and fuel farm
- Corbet Field – home of Vale Recreation F.C.
- St. Sampson's High School
- the Island Bowl
- the St. Sampson Douzaine
- Delancey Housing Project: construction of 34 apartments for the Guernsey Housing Association.
This is the first housing project carried out by the Guernsey Housing Association, its aim being to provide affordable high quality housing for the rental market. The construction of the 34 one and two bedroom apartments was carried out under an 18 month "design and build" contract, which was completed on time and on budget during the summer of 2004. Ground conditions dictated the use of piled foundations and ground beams. Surface water drainage required a difficult 400m connection to be made. The close proximity of a busy school and small local roads required considerable organisation and sensitivity during construction. A series of external paved courtyard areas provide "outdoor living", and the use of natural light within the flats has been maximised. The building sits on an underground residents car park. The development features two "turret" apartments, one with a flat roof terrace. Specific attention was given to details such as brick dentils, render bands and granite. The Guernsey Housing Association were delighted with the end result and commended all involved.
Coordinates: 49°28′55″N 2°32′28″W / 49.48194°N 2.54111°W