Delancey Park - Jewel of the North

Delancey Park is situated in the north east of the Island. It is thought that the park was named after Oliver Delancey (1749-1822) who was the Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1733 and Barrack Master General in Guernsey from 1794 until 1804.

There were several prehistoric burial chambers on the park. The Dolmen at Pointues Rocques was used in the procession of La Chevauchie de St Michel which took place every three years at mid-summer, when the Fief Court processed around the island. This was ostensibly to clear the highways for the passage of the host in the Corpus Christi procession, but it also referred to pre-Christian fertility rites and sun worship. This burial site was quarried away, as was another one on the Grosse Hougue. However the remains of one megalithic Passage Grave or Dolmen was discovered in 1919, and can still be seen as a row of massive slabs suggesting an elongated chamber. Finds of probable late Neolithic pottery were made when it was excavated by La Societe Guernesiaise soon after its discovery, and Beaker pottery (c 2000-1800 BC) has been found recently in the adjacent area. The earth/stone bank along the west of the park is probably pre-mediaeval.

The Delancey Barracks were built with a battery which took advantage of the area's high ground and its spectacular views of the east coast and adjacent islands. They were constructed to house resting Russian soldiers who in 1799 had been fighting with British soldiers in Holland and Belgium. St Sampson's school was built on the site of the Barracks in 1906, and at that time there was also a bandstand on the park.

This characteristic area of high ground was known as Les Monts and this name is echoed in roads and sites associated with the region. It was on this area of high ground that the monument to Lord Admiral James de Saumarez was built.

The existing area of the Park was gifted to the Parish of St Sampson after the war, which was charged with keeping it in good order for the use of the whole Island. In May 1989 the States Recreation Committee took on a 25 year lease of the Park from the Parish, and is now responsible for its maintenance and upkeep.

In 1999 the Douzaine of St Sampson unveiled plans for the rejuvenation of the park. 80% of the tree cover had been lost to Dutch Elm Disease within the previous 10 years, and the plans feature extensive tree planting, improved sporting facilities and children's playground, and provision for teenagers in conjunction with St Sampson's School.

Delancey Park - Taking the Community into the Millennium  

St Sampson's Douzaine put together a team of interested parties, including representatives from the Recreation Committee, Horticulture, Education, Heritage, Island Development and the Youth Services, to produce plans for the park which would draw in the whole community. The team consulted widely, including a survey of secondary school pupils in all island schools, and discussions with the Police Crime Prevention Officer. Organisations such as the Velo Club and the Lawn Tennis Association, as well as special interest groups like skateboarders, basketball players, parents of young children, park neighbours and youngsters who just like to kick balls around had an input into the pool of ideas, and the resulting proposals were then presented at a Public Meeting in April 1999.

The plans, which have received widespread support from Islanders, propose building three new tennis courts nearer to the school, turning the existing tennis courts into a car park, hidden out of view of the rest of the park, and creating a new children's playground on the site of the existing car park. A Skateboard Park has been created near the northern entrance, with help from local charities and Youth Services. The management of the park has been changed, with more areas left uncut and a crisscross of paths offering access to all parts. Areas of woodland have now been planted in wide swathes on the northern section, with mown paths winding between the trees, and more planting is planned in stages over the coming years.

Around the perimeter of the cricket pitch there will be a 4m cycle track, which will allow the Velo Juniors to hold off-road race meets several times a year. The path will also offer improved access to the park for wheelchairs, skateboarders and roller skaters, and provide a safe learning ground for young cyclists.

An area of the park that makes the corner with the existing school buildings will be turned into an enclosed hard-surface play area with raked seating for the school, which will be available for basketball, netball or 5-a-side football for all youngsters out of school hours.

One of the most exciting new facilities, and a first for the Island, was suggested by the Crime Prevention Officer. Specially designed seating areas where teenagers can hang out, called "Teenage Villages", will be going into the park in strategic areas, and two have been installed alongside the new Skateboard Park, thanks to the charitable fund Children’s Year of Promise. These facilities have been shown to reduce vandalism in many situations in the UK, when youngsters have felt that they have been included in the decision process, and had their needs genuinely considered and catered for.

Plenty of seating is planned around the park, and even in-situ barbeques to encourage family gatherings and social events. Some of the ideas which may come to fruition in the future are the reinstatement of a bandstand, interpretation boards at the various historical sites, a refreshment kiosk - or possibly a restaurant with one of the best views on the Island! There are even plans to rebuild the de Saumarez Monument in the not-too-distant future.

St Sampson's Douzaine are actively inviting possible sponsors for any and all of the exciting ideas proposed for the park, and donations will be very welcome. If you would like to help progress this millennium community project, please contact the Constables, Dean, or any of the Douzeniers of St Sampsons.

Donations

Donations are still needed towards facilities in the park, and can be made by contacting either:

• Michelle Levrier, Delancey Park Working Party, Tel: 247679 e-mail levrier@cwgsy.net
• Clive de la Haye, North Youth Worker, Tel: 242555

You can also make donations direct into the following bank account:

North Youth Centre account
Lloyds TSB
Sort code 30-93-73
Account No. 11536802