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St James Place
Coordinates 49° 43’N 2° 66’W
Altitude 59.84 m
Built around 1760 as one of a pair of dwellings, St James’s Place is among the earliest houses on the street. The property is now listed and has been carefully restored and renovated, with a contemporary addition to the rear that complements and contrasts with the original structure. The pair of houses appears in the 1851 Panorama of Guernsey, drawn from the top of Victoria Tower, a reminder of their long-standing presence in the town’s architectural memory.
The surrounding gardens once served as pleasure grounds for public walking and Sunday promenades. This spirit of leisure and reflection informed the design of the new addition, conceived as an urban retreat away from the bustle of the town. A contemporary pleasure garden reinterprets its promenading past through materials such as white brick, concrete floor tiles and a central firepit. It supports present-day rituals of cinema, movement and gathering, offering a sheltered space with a clear identity in contrast to the surrounding urban bustle.
The new spaces open to light and landscape, connecting seamlessly to the basement level which now houses Le Petit Gaumont cinema, a gym, a hidden laundry and direct access to the garden for pets.
St James’s Place is a quiet fusion of old and new. It respects its listed status while breathing new life into the built fabric of Guernsey. A private home shaped by context, material clarity and care.
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