Historic Jersey buildings
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Property name
Merryvale Farm
Other names
- Merryiale Farm [1]
- Dower Cottage
- Les Roches Spa
- Merryvale Cottage
- Pinacle Cottage
Location
Rue Vegueur, St Ouen
Type of property
19th century farm with earlier origins
Valuations
- In 2006 Merryvale Farm sold for £800,000 and in 2010 the sale price was £1,650,000, including the Dower Cottage
- Pinacle Cottage sold for £400,000 in 2006
- Les Roches Spa sold for £1,150,000 in 2007
- Merryvale Cottage sold for £335,000 in 2008
Families associated with the property
- Le Rossignol: J Le Rossignol on 1849 Godfray map [2]
- Le Blancq: In 1941 John Le Blancq (1881- ), who later made an agricultural war claim for damage to the property, his wife Doris Ada, nee Le Cornu (1895- ) and their children John Elias (1920- ), Kathleen Doris (1921- ), Arthur Francis (1923- ) and Edward Philip (1926- ) were living here
Historic Environment Record entry
Listed building
A fine example of early 19th century farm house with earlier property and unusual outbuildings, retaining historic character and features. The house emulates Georgian design but with a continuing local character.
Two-storey five-bay main house with east outbuildings and cottage and pigsties to west.
A classical mid-19th century glazed, timber porch, which appears to have been added circa 1840 and would probably have been glazed a few years later, covers the glazed timber doorcase with elaborate overlight within which is a six-panel timber door.
There are two marble fireplaces, one appears mid-19th century, the other with arched opening appears late 19th century - it has flanking arched alcove cupboards. Early/mid 19th century cast iron grates survive throughout, as do a pair of ground floor stone range openings. Most rooms retain internal shutters. The early 19th century timber roof survives.
Old Jersey Houses
Uses the spelling Merrivale.
'The pigsties, of the type with a vaulted or corbelled ceiling within a pitched roof, are very fine, and are built in two sections so as to separate the farrowing sow and piglets from the remainder. All the farm buildings are of quality workmanship, and the stables are paved with granite 'bricks'; that is to say granite trimmed to the shape and size of a brick, which is very rare. Ships' masts may be seen as beams.
'The whole group of buildings constitutes the superior residence of a prosperous farming family, believed to be the Le Rossignols, and associated with the man after whom Mont Rossignol in St Ouen was named. [3]
Notes and references
- ↑ There seems to be no consensus on how this property's name should be spelt. Recent property transactions have all shown Merryvale, as do records at Jersey Archive. Only OJH and HER seem to use Merrivale
- ↑ The property may have passed through the female line to the Le Blancq family who were living here in 1941
- ↑ A more detailed analysis of the Le Rossignol connection would have been welcome to perhaps help dispel some of the myths surrounding the early generations of the family and the name of the road.
