The Storm Hound of Bouley
The History Islands
The Storm Hound is one of Jersey's most fearsome legends. This savage carnivore roamed Bouley Bay on the rugged north coast, baying for blood. The truth would turn out to be more curious still. This story is taken from , my third book. (c) Paul Darroch 2026 Music: Chariots by Gavin Luke, courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
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Jersey's Atlantis - The Drowned Manor of La Brecquette
The History Islands
Legend tells of a lost manor house, swept away by the ocean. This is the tale of the doomed fortress of La Brecquette - seen through the eyes of a thief on the eve of its destruction. #Ad This story is taken from my second book, Jersey: Secrets of the Sea. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Music: Chariots by Gavin Luke, courtesy of Epidemic Sound
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Charlie Chaplin in Jersey
The History Islands
In the summer of 1912 an unknown Charlie Chaplin stepped onto the stage of the Jersey Opera House. He arrived in Jersey a complete unknown, just a few short years out of the London workhouse. Yet his performance as the Inebriated Swell drew rapturous applause, and he was captured on cine-camera for the very first time. Destiny was calling. ________________________ Reading from by Paul Darroch Music: Chariots by Gavin Luke, courtesy of Epidemic Sound
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The Ghost Bride of The Watermills
The History Islands
Welcome to Series 3 of the History Islands. In my new book, , I have shared some of the myths and legends that shaped our Island. There are many more yet to be told. This is one of them - the story of the Ghost Bride of the Watermills. It is one of Jersey's most haunting and poignant legends. __________________ Links to Paul's books (Amberley Publishing, 2025) (Seaflower Books, 2019) (Seaflower Books, 2015) (c) Paul Darroch 2025 Music credits - Chariots by Gavin Luke, courtesy of Epidemic Sound
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Into the Night - Louisa's Story
The History Islands
I’m Paul Darroch, and welcome to a feature-length episode of the History Islands. This is the true story of Louisa Journeaux, and it’s taken from my second book, . It is the Spring of 1886 when the tragic story of an ordinary Jersey girl grips the imagination of Jersey press and people alike. This unsettling series of events fulfilled so many of the sensibilities of any Victorian narrative, offering original sin, a damsel in distress, a dramatic court trial, a terrible ordeal and a surprising deus ex machina resolution. Yet this quintessentially Victorian tale belongs in no penny...
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Jersey's Lost Landmarks Part 2 - Prince's Tower
The History Islands
Have you heard of Prince's Tower, one of Jersey's lost landmarks? Let us turn east to the ancient site of La Hougue Bie, where in 1913, one of Jersey’s greatest monuments still stood, albeit in an advanced state of decay. Its story begins with Philippe Dauvergne – an astonishingly charismatic and restless young man, born in 1754. He travels to the ends of the earth. He heads into the icy death zone of the Arctic, fighting polar bears, travelling with Horatio Nelson. As a young naval officer visiting Russia, Empress Catherine the Great tries to seduce him. In the American Revolution, he...
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Jersey's Lost Landmarks - St Matthew's School
The History Islands
Welcome to another episode of The History Islands. This week, we begin a new series on Jersey’s lost landmarks - starting with the story of St Matthew's, a vanished school in Millbrook. This is the tale of a ragged school in a poor rural community, struggling to survive in the harsh land where the sand dunes met the potato fields. Long before Lalique's creative vision made the Glass Church famous, the Victorian school at St Matthew's struggled to educate the sons and daughters of the parish. Through the lens of the headmaster's log-book, we can catch a glimpse of a lost world. ...
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Inside the Ice Palace - The Great Exhibition of 1851
The History Islands
Today we meet Jersey’s Colonel John Le Couteur, who is attending the opening of the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London, in 1851. The Channel Islands occupy a prominent place at the event. The world is changing. Prince Albert, the scion of the Victorian age, puts it best – “the unity of mankind is within reach”. Technology drives his optimism. “The distances which separate the different nations and parts of the globe”, he declares, “are rapidly vanishing and we can traverse them with incredible ease; thought is communicated with the rapidity, and even the power, of...
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Elinor Glyn Part 4 - Homecoming
The History Islands
In this episode, we complete the story of Jersey's Elinor Glyn, who achieved international celebrity and reached the pinnacle of Hollywood in the Roaring Twenties. She had gained earthly fame, yet at what cost? This extract is taken from , available on Amazon and in all good Jersey bookstores. The music is Chariots by Gavin Luke, courtesy of .
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Elinor Glyn Part 3 - The Hollywood Hotel
The History Islands
Welcome to another episode of The History Islands. Elinor Glyn has now arrived in Hollywood, at the dawn of its Golden Age. It was a long way from St Saviour, Jersey to Beverly Hills. This is the story of how Elinor reinvented herself on the West Coast and ended up as a friend of Charlie Chaplin and working with Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow. This is an extract from my second book, . Elinor Glyn's story will conclude in the next episode. Artwork courtesy of (Library of Congress/ Public Domain). Music Chariots by Gavin Luke courtesy of Epidemic...
info_outlineThis week we follow Sir Walter Raleigh, the former Governor of Jersey, on his final, disastrous journey. Under The Line - Raleigh's Last Voyage is an extract from my second book, Jersey: Secrets of the Sea.