Historic Jersey buildings
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Property name
St Anastase
Location
Rue St Anastase, St Peter
Type of property
Late 18th century house on the site of a school built in the 16th century
Valuations
No recent transactions
Families associated with the property
None identified
Historic Environment Record entry
Listed building
St Anastase is a circa late 18th century house which retains its proportions and historic fabric, contributing to the rural setting.
The site is of particular interest for its association with early education provision in Jersey. A school is believed to have been founded on this site in 1494/95 by Vincent Tehy and Jean Neel in response to the need for the provision of schooling in west of the Island. [1]
As with its sister school, St Mannelier in the east, the school was responsible for preparing boys for university. These were the first schools in the Island. A single building is shown on the Richmond Map of 1795. The school had a master's house and school house.
The present house is believed to have been constructed around 1790/1800. The school closed in the 1860s, after Victoria College opened. The last Master (Regent) was The Rev George Poingdestre.
To the rear of the house is a single-storey building (former schoolroom) of granite rubble with tall quoined windows. A passage and steps connects the former schoolroom to Mont de l'Ecole.
History
St Anastase is now a private house, but it was built by Vincent Tehy and Jean Neel as a school to serve the west of the island. It was built either on the site of the former chapel of St Anastase, or close by - nobody knows when the chapel existed, or exactly where.
Respected 20th century historian the Rev J A Messervy gives a much later date for the construction of the school than has previously been suggested. In his history of the Pipon family of St Peter, from whom the land was acquired, he quotes a date of 1560, supported by Court records.
Together with St Mannelier in St Saviour, which opened earlier, but perhaps not before 1550, the two schools were intended to provide a free grammar-school style education. They had a chequered history and at times their reputation plummeted under incompetent headmasters and they catered for a very small number of pupils.
Both buildings were rebuilt around 1800, and the present St Anastase probably dates from then.
Notes and references
- ↑ This date is disputed and is more likely to have been 1560
