Fort Regent, Jersey - Virtual Reward Virtual Cache

This cache is temporarily unavailable.

Fauvic: Fort Regent is now closed to the public for major rebuilding work. I need to find some alternative location(s) in the area outside the Fort to use for proof of going there, or I may decide reluctantly to archive this cache. I don't want to do that, but equally I don't want the cache to be in limbo indefinitely.

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Hidden : 4/12/2018
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: virtual (virtual)

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Geocache Description:


History

Fort Regent was designed and built during the Napoleonic Wars to protect St Helier against the threat of a French invasion. This was no false threat – Jersey had been attacked as recently as 1781 in a raid that culminated in the Battle of Jersey in the Royal Square in St Helier, where the French were defeated. The foundation stone of Fort Regent was laid by the then Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant General Don, on 7 November 1806.

After its completion, the Fort was garrisoned continually by units of the British Army until 1927, with a detachment of Royal Engineers remaining for a few years after that. On the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the Jersey Militia was embodied and was stationed at the Fort until the entire complement voluntarily left the Island for service with the Hampshire Regiment, after it had been decided by the British Government that the Island should not be defended. During the subsequent German Occupation, guns at the Fort fired in anger for the only time, ironically against Allied planes.

Liberation came on 9 May 1945, and it was a Jerseyman, Major Hugh Le Brocq, who had the honour of demanding the surrender of the Fort. Thereafter the Fort fell into disuse, the central parade ground being used as a dumping ground for cars and electrical equipment, and a coal store.

In 1958, the British Government sold Fort Regent to the States of Jersey, and in 1967 plans were published to transform the whole site into a sports and leisure complex, including the building of an overall roof to enclose the three-acre area of the parade ground. Originally there were cable cars linking Snow Hill in St Helier with the East Outworks, but the cars ceased to run in 1991. The swimming pool, which was at the Southern end of the Fort and formed the most prominent feature of the Fort skyline, has now been demolished.

The cache

The published coordinates are for the entrance to Fort Regent. The Fort is open every day. It is free to enter. The ramparts and other outdoor areas, which you will need to access to complete this virtual cache, are only open during daylight hours, and they may also be closed during times of severe adverse weather, for safety reasons. Please also note that although the interior of the Fort is wheelchair and stroller friendly, the rampart walks involve steps in several places (marked on the History Tour leaflet mentioned below). Unfortunately this cache is not suitable for wheelchair users. There is no requirement to take photos to complete this cache, but photos of the views from the ramparts will be very welcome attached to your logs.

When you enter the Fort, we recommend that you pick up a copy of the leaflet entitled “Fort Regent The History Tour”. The leaflet is available in French and German, but unfortunately as at April 2023, the English version is out of print and not due to be reprinted, due to the scheduled closure of the Fort. It contains a route around the interior and exterior of the Fort, and shows 30 numbered areas of interest where there are information boards or metal plaques. Together, these provide a history of the Fort and the hill on which it is built, describe particular features of the Fort, and take you to places from where you can enjoy unrivalled views over the whole of St Helier, as well as St Clements Bay to the East and St Aubins Bay to the West.

You do not need to follow the Tour to complete the cache, but the answers to many of the questions can be found on information boards or metal plaques which are included on the Tour. If you decide to follow the Tour and read all of the information boards, this will take around 1.5 hours. In order to complete this virtual cache, please email or message the cache owner with the answers to the following questions. Please do not include any of the answers in your logs.

There are 6 locations, and 6 questions, in all. The first 2 locations have no GPS coords, as they are inside the Fort where there is no GPS reception.

Location 1 Find information board no. 1 for the Tour (Pre History of Mont de la Ville) at the end of the entrance passage to the Fort. Question 1 How many large Jersey stones are there in the reconstructed dolmen at Park Place, in the UK?

Location 2 Turn left once you are inside the Fort, go through the doors (signed to Active Gym) and find information board no. 5 for the Tour (Buying of the Land) beyond the Queens Hall and the Gloucester Hall. Question 2 How many miners were employed in 1806?

NB Sometimes access to this area is closed for an event. If this is the case when you visit, please instead of answering Question 2, tell us the name of the event.

The remaining locations are all found on the rampart walks, outside the roofed area of the Fort.

Location 3 Waypoint N49° 10.820 W002° 06.329 Question 3 Who was the writer in 1734?

Location 4 Waypoint N49° 10.980 W002° 06.244 Question 4 What is the name of the manufacturer of the padlock?

Location 5 Waypoint N49° 10.945 W002° 06.294 Question 5 According to the sign, when was the signal station established?

Location 6 Waypoint N49° 10.825 W002° 06.412 Question 6 How many white roundels are there on the railings at this location?

Location 7 Question 7 has been deleted as at 7 October 2024, as the location seems to be permanently locked. For interest purposes only, the question was, What sort of “hole” does the 1932 Royal Engineers plan of Fort Regent show? The answer is "an explosives testing hole".

 

You can message or e-mail the answers to us through our profile. You are free to log your find without waiting for our reply. If there are problems with your answers, we will contact you. We reserve the right to remove your log if we are not convinced that you completed the cache.

This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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