Friday July 21, 2006



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This is Jersey >Out and About >Wildlife >Geology

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Geology

Warm, pink and gladdening to the eye, this unyielding stone has become the building block of everything from fortresses to farmhouses.

Jersey is not exclusively a granite island, but the masses of this hard crystalline rock which are so characteristic of the north and south-west portions of our coastline help to defend it against the might of the Atlantic.

As if following nature's lead, man discovered long ago that the granite of the cliffs was a first-rate material for building everything from fortresses to farmhouses.
Thus, although rocks ranging from shale to volcanic conglomerate are widespread in the Island, it is the fine-grained pink granite - much of it from the Mont Mado area of St John - that is most readily associated with Jersey architecture.

There is grey granite, too (although geologists may tell you that this should really be called diorite). It is, however, no match for the more colourful stone, which seems to exude welcoming warmth.

Mont Mado pink, in both its bright and paler, greyish forms, has been used widely for official buildings and even monuments, but it is at its best in domestic homes.

In particular, it helps traditional Jersey farmhouses built before or just after the turn of the 18th century to take on an organic quality, as if they grew out of the landscape without the aid of man.

When labour was cheap and it was difficult to import other materials, fine pink granite was even used for purely functional buildings such as stables and pigsties.

In its rough-hewn form, granite also contributes to the character of the Island through its use in the miles of walling which line roads and lanes. In many places the pink of the raw stone is enhanced by the even brighter oranges and greens of the lichens which grow profusely in our clean air.

This article updated: 2002/07/02 09:36:03













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John Wesley, the celebrated Methodist visited Jersey for ten days in 1787, preaching in the building facing the Royal Square which now houses the United Club.