Houmet Paradis

Vale·Attraction

Part of The National Trust of Guernsey

Standout

Bought at auction by anonymous islanders (2004)

Story

Originally called Houmet de l'Eperquerie (used for fish gutting and drying on perches). Renamed after the Collas family's nearby Paradis estate. Quarried in the 1920s and used for cattle grazing. Purchased by James Watson of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1951 for £500. Sold in 2004 by his descendants at auction to an anonymous group of Guernsey islanders to maintain as a nature reserve.

Houmet Paradis is an uninhabited tidal islet in Vale, part of the Les Houmets group on Guernsey's north-east coast between Miellette Bay and Petils Bay. Managed by the National Trust of Guernsey as a nature reserve, it is accessible on foot only at low spring tides. The islet features granite outcrops, shingle beaches, and flora richer than any other Guernsey tidal island, and is a nesting site for terns, oystercatchers, and gulls. It appears in Victor Hugo's The Toilers of the Sea. Purchased in 2004 by local islanders for conservation. Free to visit.

Specialises in4

Each capability links to every business in the Baliwick that shares it.

Established

2004 · 22 years

Credentials

Memberships & accreditations

  • National Trust Guernsey

Hours

accessible only at low spring tides

Contact

History1

Key dates and recorded company events for Houmet Paradis.

  • 1951Purchased by James Watson of Newcastle upon Tyne

Compiled from public sources — mistakes are possible. If something here looks wrong, let us know.