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Saumarez Park Pavilion
JAPANESE FISHING PAVILION
The Japanese Fishing Pavilion has stood as a well-loved structure in Guernsey’s Saumarez Park for more than eight decades. But its dilapidation meant that it had to be closed to the public for safety reasons in 2019. Now, a project spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Guernsey has seen the pavilion rebuilt and set to reopen for islanders’ enjoyment.
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L-R: Paul Vidamour, Nigel Dorey and Will Le Lievre
Being in the right place at the right time is a well-worn expression, but sometimes it’s a fitting one – and the team behind the restoration of the Japanese Fishing Pavilion benefited from exactly that. With the Rotary Club of Guernsey’s centenary approaching next year, the club was looking for a project to support the island and lit upon the pavilion. At the same time, the managing director of Pauls Joinery, Paul Vidamour, visited the park and decided that after 35 years in business, he wanted his firm to help the community by restoring the structure to its former glory.
Both contacted Guernsey’s Environment Department at the end of last year. They were delighted to have the support for the project, and the much-loved landmark was set for a new lease of life.
Now the rebuild of the pavilion is complete and the building is set to re-open to the public, but it’s taken a huge amount of work to get there. Paul Vidamour said he was determined from the start that they would do a thorough job of creating a precise replica of the previous structure: “Once we were committed to the project, I went to the park and took lots and lots of photos and measurements so that I could start drawing it out on my CAD programme. I worked on it all over the Christmas period, and it took me around 40 hours, but it was complete by the start of this year.”
Unfortunately, the island’s lockdown combined with the wait for planning permission meant they couldn’t start work on the project for a few months after that. Once they were ready to get going, it was joiner Will Le Lievre’s job to construct the structure, a challenge he was delighted to tackle: “This has been a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. As soon
WITH THANKS TO…
Completing the project has been a community effort involving a number of sponsors and contractors, who have worked together to preserve this piece of Guernsey history.
Main sponsors:
• Rotary Club of Guernsey • John Ramplin Trust • Butterfield Bank • Resolution IT • Constables of the Castel
Main contractor and sponsor:
• Pauls Joinery
Support contractors and suppliers:
• Norman Piette Ltd • Bob Froome & Son • Petersfield Plant Centre • PF&A Architects • Sarnian Roofing Ltd • Scaffolding Services • Fusion Engineering
as I knew we were going to be doing this job, I hoped that I would be the one who would get to work on it. It’s certainly been challenging but I know I’ll never get the chance to make something of this iconic stature again, so I’ve been very happy to have the opportunity.”
While the previous iterations of the pavilion (in 1935 and 1989) were built on site, Paul was adamant from the start that this time it should be built in his workshop: “We have all the machinery in the workshop so it’s much easier and more efficient to build there. It also means that we’re not dependent on the weather and we don’t need to pack our gear up at the end of the day so overall it made much more sense.”
The benefits of working indoors mattered even more once the scale of the project became clear. For Will, it was a case of tackling it one step at a time: “Norman Piette supplied a huge amount of timber to us and then we needed to get it sawn, straighten it and then plane it and then cut it to the right lengths, mortise and tenon it. I had to draw out the roof full-scale in CAD because we didn’t have any exact replica of the roof. The floor was more straightforward as it was just beams and braces, but the roof was complex. The front pitch flies up into another pitch which also has a second pitch, which makes it very complicated. But it was a joy to make, and I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved.”
Working in the workshop meant that progress went well, but it still left a major challenge – transporting the deck and roof to Saumarez Park to be reassembled on site. Paul had known that would be a difficulty from the start: “In the workshop we worked on the deck and the roof separately, and then the bridge afterwards. We knew we would need to transport it, so we had a ring beam which we split in two, so the bottom half of the ring beam was part of the base and the roof was built off the top half. We knew in theory that the six holes and six pegs should line up, but it was still a very nervous time as the crane driver dropped it on. Luckily it matched up perfectly first time, and it was really quite an emotional moment.”
Rotary committee member Nigel Dorey has been the site manager for the project. For him, the pavilion holds a special significance – as the former manager of States Works he was responsible for the previous renovation of the structure in 1989. But he was still happy to get handson when it came to its demolition: “As a club, we like to get involved with our projects. Building the pavilion clearly required more specialist input than we could provide, but we were certainly qualified to pull it down. A team of ten volunteers from the club came down to dismantle it and we had a rather satisfying time.”
While the previous structure had lasted a fairly impressive 30 years, it’s hoped that the new one will be standing for even longer. Paul explained that, along with good workmanship, their choice of materials was crucial: “The timber we’ve used is accoya, which is grown in New Zealand and then treated in Holland with a preservative. It’s a modified timber which was developed around 15 years ago and it’s very durable and stable. Although it’s quite expensive, we use it often. So the main structure, along with the
The Pavillion
IN NUMBERS
The original pavilion was built in 1935 by C Mallandaine, K D Rich and John Parsons, who all worked for Lovell & Co.
It was rebuilt in 1989 by States Works from the pond bed up to the roof.
The 2021 replacement has used around four tonnes of wood.
The team at Pauls Joinery has spent around 700 hours building the replica of the original pavilion.
Thanks to support from local suppliers and contractors, the project has cost the Rotary Club around £45,000, although the true value of the materials and work is £78,000.
The accoya wood used in the new structure should last 50 years.
handrails and decking, is made with the accoya and then there are cedar shingles on the roof.”
The accoya is expected to last for around 50 years and need very little maintenance, so it should provide a lasting legacy for both the carpentry firm and Rotary.
While Pauls Joinery has contributed a lot to the project, Rotary also needed to source other contractors, as Nigel explained: “I called in lots of favours for this project and people have been really generous. Some have offered their services for free while others have given us huge discounts to make the project viable. I think everyone in Guernsey appreciates how important the pavilion is to islanders, and especially children, so they wanted to help.
“Through sponsorship, we’ve covered the costs of the initial part of the project, but we still need to raise the funds to pay for the extra balustrading. We were originally planning to use a stainless steel mesh for health and safety, but as the quality of the work became obvious we realised that would jar. We found out that many similar buildings in Japan now use vertical balustrading so we’ve added that in. It works really well, but has come at an additional cost which we’re looking for support with.”
Along with the new health and safety measures, the other important change for the new pavilion is its improved accessibility. The surrounding ground levels at the pavilion’s entrance are being adjusted to ensure step-free access, so that the new facility can be enjoyed by everyone.
For Rotary, it was the perfect project to commemorate the club’s centenary, which they will celebrate in 2022-2023. With the pavilion finished a year early, in 2021, the club is planning to hold an event in Saumarez Park next year to mark the achievement.
An official opening for the newly rebuilt pavilion will be held in September. Anyone still wishing to donate funds for the project can visit giving.gg and search for Rotary Guernsey.
JAPANESE INFLUENCES
While the pavilion has been the only Japanese-style structure in Saumarez Park for many years, there is a longer history of Japanese influence at the park.
Prior to World War II, a Japanese house and temple used to sit near to the fishing pavilion, having been brought to the island by Baron James de Saumarez, the grandson of Admiral Lord James de Saumarez. He was said to be fascinated by Japanese culture following a visit to the country.
He had a complete Japanese house transported to the island, as well as an old temple which was dismantled, numbered and rebuilt in his grounds. They became dilapidated during the Occupation and were vandalised afterwards, which led to their removal from the park, which had passed to States of Guernsey ownership in 1937.
Now the pavilion and the bamboo found in the park are the only reminders of Baron de Saumarez’s love of Japan.
