32 Facts About Guernsey

Guernsey is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.

Around the middle of the eleventh century, Guernsey was beset by a new breed of pirates who built a castle called Le Chateau des Sarrasins in the centre of the island near the present church of Catel; Duke William of Normandy commissioned his Esquire Sampson d'Anneville to fight them.

The Guernsey Militia was first mentioned as operational in 1331 and would help defend the island for a further 600 years.

Guernsey was very heavily fortified during World War II, out of all proportion to the island's strategic value.

Guernsey is the westernmost of the Channel Islands, and the jurisdiction is at the greatest distance from the coast of Normandy than any of the other islands.

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Guernsey's climate is temperate with mild winters and mild, sunny summers.

Guernsey has a geological history stretching further back into the past than most of Europe.

Guernsey has experienced a complex geological evolution with multiple phases of intrusion and deformation recognisable.

Guernsey is composed of nine main rock types; two of these are granites and the rest gneiss.

Guernsey is a parliamentary representative democracy and a British Crown Dependency.

The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey is the "representative of the Crown in right of the republique of the Bailiwick of Guernsey".

Deliberative assembly of the States of Guernsey is called the States of Deliberation and consists of 38 People's Deputies, elected on an islandwide basis every four years.

Guernsey has almost complete autonomy over internal affairs and certain external matters.

Guernsey has ten parishes, which act as civil administration districts with limited powers.

Guernsey has a public bus service, operated by CT Plus on behalf of the States of Guernsey Environment and Infrastructure Department.

In 2015, the Bailiwick of Guernsey established the Channel Islands Financial Ombudsman to resolve consumer complaints about financial services provided in or from the Channel Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark.

Guernsey is home to Specsavers Optical Group, and Healthspan has its headquarters in Guernsey.

Guernsey has been a tourist destination since at least the Victorian days, with the first tourist guide published in 1834.

Guernsey enters Britain in Bloom with St Martin Parish winning the small town category twice in 2006 and 2011, Saint Peter Port winning the large coastal category in 2014 and St Peter's winning the small coastal prize in 2015.

Guernsey has introduced a new lower £50k tax cap for new residents for three years, subject to buying an Open Market Part A house with a document duty in excess of that amount, and not having lived in Guernsey or Alderney for three years prior.

Since 2008, Guernsey has operated three levels of corporation tax, depending on the source of the income.

In 2016, the States of Guernsey voted to end the use of the 11-plus exams from 2019 onwards.

Guernsey cattle is an internationally famous icon of the island.

Guernsey gache is a special bread made with raisins, sultanas and mixed peel.

Guernsey's home in St Peter Port, Hauteville House, is a museum administered by the city of Paris.

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Guernsey participates in the biennial Island Games, which it hosted in 1987 and 2003 at Footes Lane.

Guernsey has participated as a country in its own right in Commonwealth Games since 1970.

The top tier of Guernsey football is the FNB Priaulx League where there are eight teams .

Guernsey became division champions comfortably on 24 March 2012, they won the Combined Counties Premier Challenge Cup on 4 May 2012.

Guernsey has the second oldest tennis club in the world, at Kings, with courts built in 1875.

Guernsey was declared an affiliate member by the International Cricket Council in 2005 and an associate member in 2008.

Sea angling around Guernsey and the other islands in the Bailiwick from shore or boat is a popular pastime for both locals and visitors with the Bailiwick boasting multiple UK records.