Tree felling to temporarily close Occupation Museum

The museum is open seven days a week throughout the year and owner Richard Heaume said this was the first time he could remember having to close, apart from Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The museum even opened the day after Storm Ciaran, when the trees were originally damaged.

It will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday 11 and 12 December, but remained open yesterday as the first of the seven Monterey pines, which had begun to lean, was cut down.

‘Unfortunately the trees need to be removed as they are near the end of life,’ said Mr Heaume.

‘I am actually very thankful to the pines as during the storm – they protected the windmill on the site that dates back to before First World War from the worst of the wind.’

As it was, the windmill lost its blades in the 70mph wind that battered the island on the first day of November 2023.

Mr Heaume said the blades were currently being remade and he hoped to have them back on site in the spring.

The windmill worked the water pump which used to provide water to the surrounding greenhouses which occupied the site before the museum was built, and is the only one of its type left in the island.

Ric David from Guernsey Tree Services said bringing down the pines would mark the end of his Storm Ciaran catch-up.

‘We had practically caught up by the end of the summer,’ he said.

‘We are all hoping there will be less wind and a quieter time this winter.’

The wood from the trees will be split and seasoned for two years before it is ready to be used as firewood.

‘One result of the storm is that if it turns cold, we have plenty of firewood for sale. No one should run short this winter.’