Guernsey Stamps Bulletin July 2015

GUERNSEY STAMPS & COLLECTABLES BULLETIN

July 2015 VOL 10 No 2

ALDERNEY FORTS SEPAC: ARTISTS OF GUERNSEY SARK: 450 YEARS AS A FIEF OF THE CROWN

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Alderney Forts Sepac: Artists of Guernsey Sark: 450 Years as a Fief to the Crown

Welcome to the July issue of our Stamp Bulletin.

We are just back from a very busy Europhilex exhibition in London and it was great to see some new faces amongst the familiar faces too. We now have two new Post & Go B-Series overprints available from both the Essen and Europhilex 2015 exhibitions - further details are available in this bulletin.

Guernsey 57

77p

et Bay Moulin Hu uste Renoir

Pierre-Aug

GUERNSEY

The tiny Channel Island of Sark celebrates 450 years as a Fief to the Crown this year. From dragon slaying to pirates and gold mines the fascinating history of Sark is brought to life with a beautifully illustrated set of stamps and miniature sheet.

This year’s SEPAC theme is ‘Culture’ and we have chosen to celebrate paintings from a variety of artists who had connections with Guernsey. This striking set includes two very different paintings of Moulin Huet Bay – one by Renoir and one by Naftel.

And last but not least our July issue for Alderney features just a small selection of the many historic forts on the island.

Some of the forts have undergone work already – including clearing of 70 years’ of scrub growth and debris as part of Alderney’s Living Islands project which is designed to promote Alderney’s incredible wildlife and history.

FORTSé ALDERNEY Fort Houmet Herb

SARK: 450 YE

ARS

62

How to Order By post Complete the order form and send to: Guernsey Philatelic Bureau FREEPOST GU267 Envoy House La Vrangue St Peter Port Guernsey Channel Islands GY1 5SS By phone Please call us on +44 (0) 1481 716486 between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Friday Online You can also order securely online at www.guernseystamps.com

www.guernseystamps.com

2014 Yearbook A beautiful hardback book containing all stamps, souvenir and miniature sheets of 2014 for both Guernsey and Alderney.

This price of the Yearbook is £62.84 - which is the face value of the stamps included.

You don’t pay any extra for the book.

FORTHCOMING 2015 STAMP ISSUES* GUERNSEY 6 NOVEMBER 2015 CHRISTMAS STAMPS 11 NOVEMBER 2015 STORIES FROM THE GREAT WAR: PART 2

ALDERNEY 9 SEPTEMBER 2015 HER MAJESTY: THE LONGEST REIGNING MONARCH 6 NOVEMBER 2015 CHRISTMAS STAMPS 10 NOVEMBER 2015 70th ANNIVERSARY OF HOMECOMING

FREEPOST GU267 Guernsey Philatelic Bureau Envoy House La Vrangue St Peter Port Guernsey Channel Islands GY1 5SS Tel: +44 (0)1481 716486 Fax: +44 (0)1481 712082 E-mail: philatelic@guernseypost.com www.guernseystamps.com

Vote for your best Europa Stamp of 2015

For more details please check the back cover!

www.guernseystamps.com

The Royal Philatelic Society If you wish to join or find out more contact: John Triggs, Channel Islands Representative for the Royal Philatelic Society Email: jtriggs@cwgsy.net Tel: 01481 725847 Channel Islands Specialists Society Anyone wishing to join the CISS, buy one of the Society’s excellent publications, or find out more, should write to: Moira Edwards 86 Hall Lane Sandon Chelmsford Essex CM2 7RQ www.ciss1950.org.uk

*Stamp programme subject to change without notice.

Sepac: Artists of Guernsey NEW ISSUE: Set of 6 Stamps: £3.62 Issue date: 22nd July 2015

The French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir spent around a month in Guernsey in the late summer of 1883. During this time he created about fifteen pictures, all showing views of the bay and beach of Moulin Huet, located at the east end of the island’s rocky south coast.

The paintings vary in theme, with panoramic views from the track leading down to the bay, scenes with groups of figures among the rocks on the beach and more simplistic sketches of rocks and the sea.

Nineteenth century guide books to Guernsey often noted Moulin Huet as the island’s finest scenic attraction, including one which commented: ‘This is a famous resort for artists, many of whom have committed to canvas the lovely and ever-changing aspect its locality presents; while poets too have sung of its charms in language which such scenes alone inspire’.

No reference to the island’s agricultural industry or commercial elements appear in Renoir’s paintings, though earlier in his career Renoir had often painted towns and villages in France, including a large canvas exhibited in 1880 depicting mussel gatherers on the Normandy coast.

During his time on the island the autumn seaweed harvest and its associated festivities would have taken place, but this event does not feature in any of his work, nor do the picturesque streets or harbour of St Peter Port.

At the time of his visit, French traditions for portraying the natural world were very different from the English. French observers tended to focus more on effect and mood, on the ways in which the play of light and weather transformed a scene. Close attention to detail was often sacrificed by the impressionist painters as they sought to recreate personal sensations and overall effect, and indeed Renoir’s views of Moulin Huet pay little attention to the details of flora or rock structure.

It is not known what attracted Renoir to Guernsey, but it is evident that the trip was instrumental in the development of his ideas about painting.

www.guernseystamps.com

Sheets of 10: £36.20 First Day Cover: £4.82

Presentation Pack: £4.52

42p Stamp: Moulin Huet Bay 56p Stamp: La Moye Harbour, Le Gouffre 57p Stamp: Cradle Rock & Pea Stacks 62p Stamp: La Saignée, Sark 68p Stamp: Grand Rocques Old Fort 77p Stamp: Moulin Huet Bay

Date of issue

22 July 2015

Designer

Andrew Robinson

Printer

BDT International

Values

42p, 56p, 57p, 62p, 68p, 77p

Process Stamp size Paper

Offset Lithography 28mm deep x 42mm wide 120gsm unwatermarked PVA adhesive

Sheets

10

Perforation

14

Cylinder

A

www.guernseystamps.com

Sark: 450 Years as a Fief to the Crown NEW ISSUE: Set of five stamps: £3.06 Issue date: 22 July 2015 42

GUERNSEY

SARK: 450 YEARS

57

GUERNSEY

SARK: 450 YEARS

62

GUERNSEY

68

GUERNSEY

Sark is the smallest of the four main Channel Islands and, although it lies at the heart of the archipelago and is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, its history was for centuries quite unconnected to its neighbouring isles.

When links were finally forged with another Channel Island it was not with nearby Guernsey but with the more distant Jersey. This bond came about when Helier de Carteret, Seigneur of St Ouen the most westerly parish in Jersey, devised a plan to rid Sark of the French invaders and pirates that used the island as a base for their attacks. He proposed to Queen Elizabeth the First that he establish a permanent settlement on the island and in 1565 the Letters Patent were signed making Sark a Fief of the Crown and Helier its first Seigneur.

Sark was divided into forty plots of land, called tenements, and each was assigned to a farming family, most of which came from Jersey. A feudal system whereby the tenants paid a proportion of their yield and other taxes to the Seigneur was founded. Primogeniture ensured that the tenements were never divided and from 1605 each of the forty landowning families had a seat in the island’s government, Chief Pleas.

www.guernseystamps.com

SARK: 450 YEARS

SARK: 450 YEARS

77

GUERNSEY

SARK: 450 YEARS

This system remained pretty much unchanged well into the twentieth century.

In 1922 twelve ‘People’s Deputies’ were elected to join the landowners in running Chief Pleas but it wasn’t until 2008 that Sark adopted a completely democratic system. The tenements persist and are still indivisible and the role of Seigneur, currently Michael Beaumont OBE Sark’s 22nd Seigneur, remains though his powers are much diminished.

Yet as Sark celebrates 450 years since the appointment of its first Seigneur, life on the tiny island with its strong community, lack of cars and immense natural beauty remains unique in the modern world.

Also available: First Day Cover: £4.26 First Day Cover Miniature Sheet: £4.20 Presentation Pack Miniature Sheet: £3.90

Presentation Pack: £3.96

Sheets of 10: £30.60

Miniature Sheet: £3.00

Date of issue Designer

22 July 2015 Nick Shewring

Printer

Lowe-Martin

Values

42p, 57p, 62p, 68p, 77p, £1, £2

Process Stamp size M/Sheet M/S stamp size Paper Sheets Perforation Cylinder

Offset Lithography 28mm deep x 40mm wide 80mm deep x 110mm wide 38mm deep x 32mm wide & 25mm deep x 40mm wide 110gsm unwatermarked PVA 10 13.3 A

42p Stamp: St Magloire, the Patron Saint of Sark 57p Stamp: Sark in the 15th Century 62p Stamp: The French invasion of Sark 68p Stamp: Le Manoir, home of Sark’s first Seigneur 77p Stamp: Silver and copper mining on Little Sark in the 19th Century

www.guernseystamps.com

Alderney Forts NEW ISSUE: Set of six stamps: £3.62 Issue date: 22nd July 2015

ALDERNEY FORTS

42

Fort Tourgis

ALDERNEY FORTS

ALDERNEY FORTS

56

Fort Clonque

62

Fort Houmet Herbé

ALDERNEY FORTS

Fort Château à l’Etoc

Living Islands is a pioneering tourism and community development project, which focuses on Alderney’s wildlife and history. Launched in 2013, the project was set up with the specific aims of: * protecting the environment and historic buildings; * supporting the local tourism demonstrating the value of heritage;

economy

by

* promoting Alderney’s history and wildlife to local people and visitors; and * improving local biodiversity by encouraging good management of valuable habitats In common with other Channel Islands and many other coastal communities across the British Isles, Alderney is witnessing population decline and new economic challenges. The Living Islands programme aims to help tackle these impacts, and has received significant support from the States and all levels of Alderney’s community.

Alderney’s concentration of historic fortifications, such as those depicted across our stamps, are an obvious choice for attracting new visitors whilst inspiring local people about their heritage. These include the Roman fort at Longis Bay, which in Alderney is known as The Nunnery.

www.guernseystamps.com

ALDERNEY FORTS

57

Fort Grosnez

68

ALDERNEY FORTS

77

The Nunnery Roman Fort

Arguably one of the most intact small Roman forts of the Western Empire, it is thought to have been built early in the 4th century AD and appears to have been occupied almost ever since - during the Middle Ages, then by the Tudors before eventually becoming the home of the Governor of Alderney for a time.

The second largest of the Victorian forts, Tourgis was designed to accommodate 346 men and mount 33 heavy cannon in five batteries, together with four 13-inch mortars. Following extensive clearance and conservation work, co-ordinated by the Living Islands project, Cambridge Battery has recently been restored and is now open to the public. A second site, at Bibette Head overlooking the harbour entrance, has recently been completed. Strongpoint Biberkopf was one of the most heavily fortified headlands in Alderney during the German Occupation of 1940-45. Living Islands has co-ordinated the drainage, clearance and interior painting of a series of bunkers including anti-tank, beach defence, heavy machine gun, and searchlight bunkers, personnel shelters, and a well preserved concrete-lined trench system. Both sites could not have been completed without the active co-operation of volunteers from Alderney Wildlife Trust, The Alderney Society, and not least, the heavy equipment and operators of the States of Alderney Works Department.

Another important strand of activity has been the development of niche marketing initiatives using social media, a new website: www.alderneylivingislands.com, and the targeting of wildlife and heritage tour operators and journalists.

Through the Living Islands initiative, Alderney is raising its profile in these new and growing specialist tourism markets, and bringing some of Britain’s most important historic sites to new audiences.

With special thanks to Martin Batt from Alderney Living Islands

Sheets of 10: £36.20

Presentation Pack: £4.52

First Day Cover: £4.82

Date of issue

22 July 2015

Designer

Mark Totty

Photography

Martin Batt

Printer

BDT International

Values

42p, 56p, 57p, 62p, 68p, 77p

42p: Fort Tourgis

Offset Lithography

56p: Fort Clonque

Process Stamp size Paper Sheets Perforation Cylinder

31.3mm deep x 40.64mm wide 120gsm unwatermarked PVA adhesive

57p: Fort Grosnez

10

62p: Fort Houmet Herbé

14 x 15

68p: Fort Château à l’Etoc

A

77p: The Nunnery Roman Fort

www.guernseystamps.com

Guernsey Post and Go Powered by Royal Mail SPRING STAMPEX, LONDON: Set of 6 £3.73

ESSEN, GERMANY: Set of 6 £3.62

B Series overprints available Spring Stampex, London 18th - 21st February Essen, Germany 7th - 9th May Europhilex, London 13th - 16th May Post & Go Exhibition strips will also be available from Autumn Stampex, London 16th - 19th September 2015 B Series strips will be available to pre-order from the bureau & on our website nearer the date.

www.guernseystamps.com

EUROPHILEX, LONDON: Set of 6 £3.62

Sark, the Jewel of the Channel Islands

Illustrated by Nick Shewring for the Jersey Post and Guernsey Post stamp issues

Sark – 450 Years as a fief to the Crown Issue date: 6 August 2015

On 6 August 1565, Helier de Carteret, the Seigneur of the Jersey parish of St.Ouen, was granted the island of Sark by Queen Elizabeth I in return for protection against pirates and French invasion.

Sark became an inheritable fief with a small population and the De Carterets remained Lords of Sark until 1720.

A special Miniature Sheet featuring the De Carteret Coat of Arms with a backdrop of the family’s historic Jersey residence, St.Ouen’s Manor, commemorates the 450th anniversary of the grant.

Also available as a First Day Cover and Presentation Pack.

Visit the website to see our full range and to order online.

www.jerseystamps.com Email: stamps@jerseypost.com Tel: +44(0) 1534 516320 www.facebook.com/jerseystamps @JerseyStamps

Free postage and packing for Standing Order customers Open your account today

TAKE A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE WITH OLD TOYS WITH THE 2015 EUROPA STAMP COMPETITION

In a digital growing world, it is becoming more common for children to grow up playing video games and watching television. This year’s EUROPA competition theme brought back many nostalgic memories on the toys which played a role for many Europeans growing up. The classical teddy bear, toy cars or rag dolls are favourites amongst children; some were even handcrafted toys and authentic pieces of art which inspired many children’s imagination and creativity.

So, philatelic designers delved into a part of Europe’s history between the 30’s and the 80’s, to work on their country’s interpretive designs and create the artworks that we see see on display.

View and Vote for Your Favourite EUROPA Stamp Today. View all the beautiful entries and vote for your favourite stamp on: www.posteurop.org/europa2015 The online competition will end on 31 August 2015 and the winning stamps will be announced at the PostEurop Plenary Assembly to be held on 14 October 2015 in Cyprus.

FOR VOTE EY NS GUER www.guernseystamps.com