Torteval, Guernsey
| Torteval Tortévas | |
|---|---|
| Parish | |
.gif) Location of Torteval in Guernsey | |
| Crown Dependency | Guernsey, Channel Islands |
| Government | |
| • Electoral district | West |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.1 km2 (1.2 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 973 (2,001) |
| Time zone | GMT |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+01 (UTC) |
 Torteval Church |
Torteval (Guernésiais: Tortévas) is the smallest of the ten parishes of Guernsey, situated in the Western Parishes region. Its name comes from the Guernésiais words for 'twisting valley'. The parish is split in two by the parish of St. Pierre du Bois, with the part in the east known as Torteval. The detached peninsula to the west is named Pleinmont-Torteval. It features the westernmost point in Guernsey, and a nature reserve. The reserve, designed for birds in the 1970s, is to be redeveloped for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.[1]
In Guernésiais, people from Torteval were nicknamed "ânes à pid dé ch'fa", or 'donkeys with horse's hooves'.
The southern coast of the parish is composed entirely of rugged cliffs. To the northwest there is a small fishing harbour called Portelet and the southern end of Rocquaine Bay.
In the centre of the parish is a church built in 1818 with one of the oldest bells in the Channel Islands. The church is built on the site of an earlier church that had fallen into disrepair. The current church has the tallest steeple in Guernsey, and is intended to be used as a sea-mark.
Fort Pezeries located on Pleinmont point is the most westerly of the islands fortifications.
References
- ↑ BBC Guernsey (2011). "Torteval nature reserve to be renewed for jubilee". Bbc.co.uk. BBC News. Retrieved 19 June 2012.