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The Prince’s TowerLa Tour d’AuvergneThe Prince’s Tower (La Tour d’Auvergne) at La Hougue Bie was one of the most outstanding anddistinctive structures ever built in Jersey until it was unceremoniously demolished in 1924. Curator ofArchaeology Olga Finch describes this extraordinary example of Gothic Revival, which represents avital chapter in the 6,000-year history of La Hougue Bie.

Oil painting of the Prince’s Tower and pleasure ground from the west, c 1820

IN 1759 MAJOR-GENERAL JAMESd’Auvergne bought La Hougue Bieand in 1792 he gave it to his nephew,Philippe, who had already startedbuilding his ‘Prince’s Tower’. Philipped’Auvergne, born in Jersey in 1754,was an extraordinary individual whoenjoyed a most colourful career. Heentered the Royal Navy at therelatively old age of 16 where heserved on the Royal Yacht. As a 19-year-old midshipman he served onboard HMS Racehorse during theAdmiralty expedition to find the NorthPole where he was responsible for theastronomical and meteorologicalobservations. Another youngmidshipman on the same expeditionwas Horatio Nelson.

During the war of Americanindependence he was captured by theFrench and spent four years as aprisoner. During this time he attractedthe attention of the Duke of Bouillon,whose family name was ‘de la Tourd’Auvergne’. The two men becamefriends and in 1791 he was publiclydeclared the old duke’s successor to thetiny principality of Bouillon on theFrench-Belgian border. But sadlybefore he could claim his inheritance,the French Revolution broke down theold order and the new Prince deBouillon saw his opportunity for socialadvancement destroyed.

During the war that followed,d’Auvergne was recalled to the RoyalNavy to command the Channel Islandssquadron from his headquarters atMont Orgueil Castle. He was alsoresponsible for the welfare of thousandsof refugee French Royalists who hadfled to Jersey and he organised a spynetwork in France supplying arms andmoney to the ‘Chouan’ rebels inNormandy and Brittany. Over the next20 years the French Wars changed themap of Europe and by 1815 the tinyprincipality of Bouillon no longerexisted. Broken and bankrupt,d’Auvergne died in London inSeptember 1816, but he was buriedwith due pomp in St Margaret’s church,Westminster.

The Prince’s TowerD’Auvergne, as a Jerseyman and anadopted Prince, enjoyed a uniquesocial status in the Island. He was anaccomplished seaman and a scholar - atalented mathematician with a deepinterest in scientific discovery. He heldno strong religious beliefs and hislibrary of 4,000 books suggests that hewas an intellectual as well as a man ofaction. His architectural legacy toJersey, including the Prince’s Tower,show a man up to date with the latestfashions of his day, yet clearly lookingback to an idealised medieval past formore than just his architectural

inspiration. He aspired to live like alord, and was able to do so for someyears. His obsession with succeedingto the principality of Bouillon cost himeverything. His enchantment withroyalty and the aristocracy ranthroughout his life and its humiliatingfinale still obscures his genuineachievements.

Philippe d’Auvergne began theconstruction of the Prince’s Tower in1792. He developed the site in a verypersonal and unique way producingthe most flamboyant piece of Neo-Gothic architecture ever built in theisland. His design was inspirational andthe way in which the medieval chapeland the physical constraints of the sitewere handled was ingenious. ThePrince’s Tower gave the illusion of aminiature castle set on a hilltop.

In the middle of the 18th centurynumerous gothic follies sprang up inthe English countryside inspired bymedieval castles and monasticarchitecture. They were mostlydecorative features in the grounds ofcountry houses, or built for occasionaluse such as hunting or banqueting.The Prince’s Tower was differentbecause despite its small size it was, infact, a gothic country house, completewith essential facilities such as water

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Portrait of Philippe d’Auvergne

Watercolour of the Prince’s Tower, 1840

supply, kitchen, banqueting room,chapel and a pleasure ground.

His choice of medieval-stylebuilding, with a circular crenellatedtower, may also have been for personalreasons. His adopted family name was‘de la Tour d’Auvergne’, and thefamily emblem was a round castellatedtower.

D’Auvergne only occupied thetower on an occasional basis as hisprincipal base was Mont Orgueil Castleand from 1802 he lived at a housenamed Bagatelle in St Saviour.

He had also recognised thestrategic potential of La Hougue Bieand in 1792 he established it as thecentral nerve of an important Island-wide signalling system. While eachstation would have been inter-visiblewith its immediate neighbours, therewas only one elevated position fromwhich the entire system could becontrolled and that was from thePrince’s Tower.

A signalling mast was erected overthe south-west corner of the medievalchapel. It was this mast that gave thePrince’s Tower its raison d’être. Whilethere would be no practicaljustification for erecting a gothicextravaganza on the mound, the sitewas ideal for a signalling post.

Unfortunately when the Prince’sTower was demolished in 1924, nodetailed plans or descriptions weremade. Nonetheless, we have beenable to use antiquarian illustrations anddescriptions, and photographs takenjust before it was demolished to helpreconstruct its shape and design.Reused elements from around the siteand fragments found during the 1990sexcavations have also helped give aninsight into the high quality of thedecoration and furnishings – it seemsno expense was spared.

D’Auvergne’s alterationsD’Auvergne dramatically altered themedieval chapel. An elaborate gothicdoorway led into a tiny but formallyplanned octagonal entrance hall pavedwith Swanage limestone, all fourcorners contained round-headedalcoves which were a popular feature ofd’Auvergne’s work. He converted theJerusalem chapel into a library andinserted large windows to light theroom and a fireplace in the north wall.Part of the medieval chapel was kept asa domestic chapel. It was a grandroom on a small scale with a largegothic-style window and round-headed alcoves to display sculptures.The walls were painted in imitation

marble and the floor was a chequered(Italian) marble pavement with aspecial rectangular feature where thealtar stood.

A stone-paved lobby linked themedieval structure to a new brick-builtrange on the north side, which wasbased around an octagonal staircasehall. The spiral stairs led to all parts ofthe tower and were lit by a series oflarge quatrefoil windows. The octagonhad a flat lead roof.

A dining room, or banqueting hall,was built against the north side of themedieval chapel. It had a crenellatedparapet, two large windows in thenorth wall and a flat lead roof. Thestone-paved room had a fireplace inthe north-west corner, it measured 5.8metres by 4 metres and was serviced inthe proper manner, with two doors atthe eastern end where the ‘buffet’ (acounter for food and drink) waslocated between the two doors,following the usual Georgianarrangement.

A concealed staircase gave access tothe kitchen, which was located in thebasement. It had a brick-paved floor,large fireplace, oven and a well in thefloor – dug when the tower was erectedin 1792-3. Some of the foundations stillremain buried in the mound today. Themedieval chapel crypt may have beenused as a cellar or left open as an objectof antiquarian curiosity.

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Watercolour of the Prince’s Tower from the south, c 1810

The octagon and circular tower prior to demolition in 1924

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Reconstructed floor plans of the Prince’s Tower (after Warwick Rodwell)

A circular three-stage stair-turretwas built, literally on top of themedieval chapel’s stone vaulted ceiling,destroying the belfry. Each level hadthree single-light pointed windows.The top stage had a door opening outonto the roof of a circular tower whichwas built directly on top of themedieval elliptical rotunda. This maintower had two floors each containingone magnificent round room (4.6metres diameter). The first-floor roomwith its panoramic views would havebeen the drawing room. The secondfloor room was the bedchamber. Eachhad three windows north, east andsouth, two fireplaces and alcoves builtinto the curving walls. A bowed doorstill survives and was reused as theentrance to the lodge.

The flat, leaded roof of the towerwas given a crenellated parapet andhad uninterrupted views in alldirections. It served initially as alookout for d’Auvergne’s signal stationbut may later have been regarded as atiny prospect room. A flagstaff andweathervane were attached to theturret.

Tourist attractionIt is unclear when the Prince’s Towerand grounds were first opened as apublic attraction. It is possible that

d’Auvergne allowed people into thegrounds when he owned the site. Aletter dated October 2 1793 fromMatthieu Gosset, Vicomte tod’Auvergne reports hundreds ofpeople visiting on Sundays to watchthe tower being built ‘… I would adviseyou to have a Swiss at the Gate who shouldadmit no one under a shilling (theprospect from the top is worth half acrown) .’

After his death in 1816,d’Auvergne’s creditors sold LaHougue Bie for £350 to Major-General Hugh Mackay Gordon, theLieutenant-Governor of Jersey.Gordon put the tower into goodcondition and used it as an occasionalresidence. By 1822 the Prince’s Towerwas no longer used as a privateresidence and was developing as apleasure ground. Catering was beingprovided in the tower both for casualvisitors and for shooting parties.

In the first half of the 19th centuryJersey had become a fashionableRegency resort and residence forBritish ex-patriates. Improved roadsystems and developments in transporttogether with the aesthetic awarenessof the Romantic era all contributed tomaking La Hougue Bie a popular localbeauty spot and tourist attraction.

A gate lodge was built in the 1820s

in the northeast corner of the site. Thisrustic thatched cottage functioned as aticket office where visitors paid theiradmission charges. It was also atearoom and the residence for thekeeper of the grounds and his family.

The grounds, which wereextensively planted by d’Auvergne,were now maturing and were adornedwith various features such as a ‘bower’(summer house), nesting boxes fordoves, peacocks, wrought iron fences,tree protectors, ornamental arch, stonefeatures (font), urns and seats, flagpole and the mitred figure of a bishopwith his hand raised in blessing.

Prince’s Tower HotelThe site had become so popular thatfacilities were improved in the 1830s.The entrance lodge was extended tocreate a new building which becameknown as the Prince’s Tower Hotel.The new two-storey hotel providedaccommodation and banquetingfacilities. An external wooden staircaseand covered balcony lead to theballroom which occupied the whole ofthe upper floor and probably doubledas a tearoom by day. It was lit withbrightly coloured large gothicwindows, a number of which survivetoday incorporated into the (office)lodge built in 1925. The ground floorhad stables with large carriage doors

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Interior of the domestic chapel in the Prince’s Tower, c 1900(Courtesy of the Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive)

Wedding party (Photograph from a private collection)

and there were four servants’ rooms inthe attic.

The hotel owners dug a well, atoilet and an incinerator into theeastern side of the Neolithic mound.Remains of these were discoveredduring archaeological excavations inthe 1990s.

The old rustic lodge was rebuiltaround 1845 as a two-storey housewith pointed gothic windows. Ithoused the hotel bar and bedrooms. Abowling alley was constructed in aseparate building. The Prince’s TowerHotel soon became a popular venue

for eating, drinking and dancing andby the middle of the 19th century thehotel had acquired a reputation forrevelry.

By this time the Prince’s Tower wasregarded principally as an ornament inthe hotel’s grounds. Although the

condition of the tower haddeteriorated, the 19th-centuryfascination with ruins made thebuilding more rather than less

attractive as a local beauty spot. Thetourists and Sunday excursionists whocame to the beauty spot climbed to thetop to view the surrounding landscapeand seascape from the upper roomsand roof leads. The views would havebeen breathtaking.

MuseumVarious antiquities were displayed inthe grounds and some time in the late19th century the former domesticchapel in the tower was turned into aprivate museum, where objects withecclesiastical associations weredisplayed. The objects were displayedin order to enhance the antiquarianambience of the site. All over Europethis was an age of collecting, andantiquities were commonly handedover to local worthies for display intheir homes and gardens.

The Prince’s Tower was verypopular with artists, poets andmusicians. Apart from Mont Orgueiland Elizabeth castles, it is probably themost illustrated building in Jersey. Thepaintings and sketches are all quite‘atmospheric’ rather than accurate,many have been romanticised and aremore works of art than historicalrecords.

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Engraving of the Prince’s Tower pleasure ground, 1836

The weathervane - bearing the d’Auvergne family coat ofarms

Prince’s Tower Hotel from the northwest, c 1910 (Courtesy of the Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive)

By the late 19th century thePrince’s Tower had become derelict,covered with ivy, the coloured glasswindows were falling to pieces and thedining room was roofless. Structurally,however, the building was still in goodcondition.

In 1912 the property was beingvandalised and it was proposed that theStates of Jersey should buy the site andrestore it for the public. The Statesrejected the proposal by 28 votes to14. Eventually in 1919 the Société

Jersiaise purchased La Hougue Bie for£750. The original intention of theSociété was to restore the chapel andconsolidate the tower. However, adelay of five years caused by anunexpired tenancy agreement saw achange of attitude.

In 1924 a restoration committeewas set up which decided thatd’Auvergne’s gothic building shouldbe demolished and the fabric of themedieval chapel once again revealed tothe public. It was claimed that ‘the

tower was crushing under its weight thechapels upon which it had been sounscientifically erected. In fact the state ofthe whole group…we were likely to losetower and chapels in one fell smash! It wastherefore decided to save the chapels at theexpense of the tower’. Evening Post 24 Sept 1924

However, a structural reportcontained nothing to suggest that thebuilding was structurally unsafe orbeyond repair. Nevertheless thefindings were manipulated to soundthe death knell for the Prince’s Tower.

DemolitionAt the time Georgian gothic wasunfashionable in England and wasalmost universally regarded asworthless. The Société was alsopursuing a great interest in the Island’smegalithic structures. As a result, theurge to excavate the mound and desireto restore the chapels outweighed anyconsideration for the preservation ofJersey’s most outstanding monumentof the Gothic Revival.

The Prince’s Tower was demolishedat the cost of £135 during July andAugust 1924 against the wishes of themajority of Islanders. Tragically,d’Auvergne’s architectural legacy toJersey was completely lost over the next20 years. The Prince’s Tower wasdemolished, Mont Orgueil Castle wasstripped out and a mutinous faction ofthe German army blew up the familyhome at Bagatelle on 8 March 1945.

A number of remnants from thePrince’s Tower era can still be foundaround La Hougue Bie today. Theweathervane is now on the roof of thelodge, some of the marble paving fromthe chapel was re-laid on the veranda ofthe lodge next to a bowed door(originally from the circular tower’sbed chamber or drawing room) andtwo 18th century keys still open thechapel doors.

Olga Finch is the JHT Curator ofArchaeology. Tel: 01534 853823Email:olga.finch@jerseyheritagetrust.org

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Dining Room (Courtesy of the Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive)

The recently commissioned model of the Prince’s Tower by Ben Ruthven-Taggart.