St Clement
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Snuggly sitting between St Saviour and Grouville, just a short distance from the excitement of St Helier, St Clement offers all the vibrance of the capital with an element of calm and luxury. Whilst it may be the smallest parish, it is also the third-most densely populated on the island and St Clement has stacks of appeal for locals and tourists alike. Not only does the parish have a rich history, it is also an area of myth, legend and Jersey folklore. With the perfect blend of history, attractions and beautiful nature spots, St Clement has it all.
St Clement Historic Sites
The historic sites of St Clement are highly diverse ranging from defence towers to archaeological sites and even mythical spots. Jersey’s historic defence system is very present in St Clement with numerous towers and fortresses occupying the coastline. Sitting on a small islet on the border between St Clement and Grouville, Seymour Tower is an imposing 18th century defence tower located 2km off the mainland. Surrounded by the sea twice a day during high tide, Seymour Tower and the islet of L’Avarison can be accessed and explored during low tide. Due to the unpredictability of the tidal range in this corner of Jersey, Seymour Tower can only be visited through organised tours and access must not be attempted independently. Seymour Tower is also now available as a holiday let as part of Jersey Heritage’s historic accommodation collection.
Another iconic Jersey defence tower at home in St Clement is Le Hocq. Easily recognisable by its unique painted pattern, Le Hocq is another 18th century tower making up part of Jersey’s extensive fortification. Le Hocq is incredibly well-preserved and the history of the tower is well-documented at the site. The tower proudly looks over the beachfront and is arguably St Clement’s most scenic location.
Jersey features numerous dolmens scattered across the island and one of the most significant is in St Clement. Le Dolmen de Mont Ube was discovered in 1848 and at 6000 years old, is the oldest example of prehistoric Jersey. Whilst a lot of the dolmen was destroyed before discovery, Mont Ube is an important archaeological site on the island with some of the greatest finds including a grape cup unique to the Channel Islands.
Whilst the backstory of Witches Rock may be folklore, the legends of Witches Rock have been passed down since the 16th century. This eerie location at Rocqueberg Point is said to be the meeting place of witches and devil worshippers. On one side of the rock, a marking is clearly visible which is said to be the hoof print of the devil. Rocqueberg Point may have a chilling atmosphere but it is also a beautiful location to explore.
St Clement Other Points of Interest
Whilst St Clement has extensive history, the parish is also home to a number of other attractions. The mediaeval mansion of Samares Manor can be found in St Clement, a stunning property within magnificent grounds. The highlight of Samares Manor is the botanic gardens, created in the 1920’s and featuring some of the most unique and fascinating plant collections. The beautifully manicured grounds are one of Europe’s most outstanding gardens featuring a Japanese garden, seasonal gardens and one of the largest herb gardens on the continent. This family-friendly attraction is not only great for little ones to learn about plant life, the Botanic Gardens at Samares Manor also feature a playground, labyrinth and the ‘Jungle Path’.
When it comes to beaches, the coastline at St Clement is highly underrated. Greve d’Azette is the largest beach in St Clement, a sandy beach over 4km in length. Less popular than Jersey’s famous beaches, Greve d’Azette is a perfect base for a day by the sea away from the crowds. With less tourism than many of Jersey’s beaches, Greve d’Azette also boasts relatively untouched scenery and a more authentic beachfront.
The other notable beach in St Clement is Green Island Beach. Located opposite the island of La Motte, more commonly known as Green Island, the beach is the southernmost point in Jersey. One of the island’s most popular beaches for locals due to its abundance of parking and incredible landscape, Green Island Beach is a sun trap in a sheltered bay. Offering some of the clearest waters surrounding the island, Green Island Beach is also a popular spot for snorkelers looking to explore the underwater world. During low tide, visitors to the beach can walk across to Green Island and explore the islet which is a registered archaeological site.
St Clement Shopping, Dining and Nightlife
With such close proximity to St Helier, the main shopping in St Clement is limited to small town chain stores and local businesses. For those in search of a wider range of stores, Liberty Wharf shopping centre is a 10 minute drive away in St Helier.
Dining in St Clement has more to offer with incredible beach cafes, local bistros and family restaurants. There are plenty of dining locations to choose from in St Clement with a variety of cuisines on offer. A particular highlight is Cocorico at Samares Manor, a French inspired cafe serving up crepes, galettes and croque monsieur. Nightlife is low-key in St Clement and limited to traditional pubs, some of which have open mic nights and live entertainment.
St Clement Sport and Events
St Clement is a great parish for sport, home to both St Clement Golf Club and FB Playing Fields. St Clement Golf Club is one of Jersey’s leading golf clubs with a 9 hole championship parkland course, exceptional views and brilliant facilities. Meanwhile, the FB Playing Fields is one of Jersey’s best sporting facilities. FB Fields features football, cricket and hockey pitches in addition to a table tennis centre and a 400m athletics track. The track welcomes numerous field events throughout the year and is a great destination for sport enthusiasts.
Outside of the sporting world, the main events in St Clement are run by the St Clement Battle of the Flowers Association. The association has a busy calendar of events throughout the year including bingo nights, quiz nights, fairs, craft workshops and the Miss St Clement competition. All events are advertised through the St Clement Battle of the Flowers Association’s Facebook page.
St Clement Transportation
Travelling to and around St Clement is most easily done by car. There are two main roads that run through the parish, an inner road and a coastal road. The parish is very easy to navigate and for those not travelling with their own vehicle, car hire is available at the airport, ferry terminal and in central locations.
Alternatively, the parish is well connected to the rest of the island via LibertyBus. Services 1 and 1A take different routes from St Helier to Gorey with multiple stops in St Clement. Route 1 covers the coast whilst 1A has more inland stops including Samares Manor. In addition, the direct service 16 runs from St Helier to Greve d’Azette.
In addition, there are current proposals to extend Jersey’s Eastern Cycle Network connecting St Helier to the east coast. Many of these cycle routes will run through St Clement and provide a safer way for cyclists to travel. This will expand Jersey’s network of Green Lanes which are predominantly focused in the west of the island at present. A number of new cycling paths have recently opened in the parish as part of the proposed scheme.
