View source for Herm

{{Short description|Island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands}}
{{about|the Channel Island called Herm}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox dependency
|name                     = Herm
|native_name              = {{lang|nrf-GG|Haerme}} ([[Guernésiais]])
|settlement_type          = [[Guernsey|Part of Guernsey]], [[Bailiwick of Guernsey]]
|linking_name             = Herm
|image_flag               = Flag of Herm.svg
|flag_size                = 125px
|flag_link                = Flag of Herm
|image_seal               = Blason Ile Herm.svg
|seal_size                = 70px
|seal_type                = Coat of arms
|seal_link                = 
|anthem                   = ''[[Sarnia Cherie]]''{{nbsp|2}}{{small|([[Guernsey]])}}
|image_map                = Guernsey-Herm.png
|mapsize                  = 
|map_alt                  = Location of Herm
|subdivision_type         = [[Sovereign state]]
|subdivision_name         = [[United Kingdom]]{{efn|The UK is the sovereign state that is responsible for Guernsey internationally, Guernsey not being sovereign in its own right. But Guernsey is not part of the UK.}}
|subdivision_type2        = [[Crown Dependencies|Crown Dependency]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Guernsey]]
|subdivision_type3        = [[Parishes of Guernsey|Parish]]
|subdivision_name3        = [[Saint Peter Port]]
|established_title        = [[Duchy of Normandy]]
|official_languages       = {{hlist|[[English language|English]]|[[Guernésiais]]|[[French language|French]]}}
|capital                  =
|coordinates              =
|largest_city             = 
|ethnic_groups            =
|government_type          = [[Parliamentary system|Parliamentary]] [[constitutional monarchy]]
|leader_title1            = [[Duke of Normandy|Duke]]
|leader_name1             = [[Charles III]]
|leader_title2            = [[Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey|Lt Governor]]
|leader_name2             = [[Richard Cripwell]]
|leader_title3            = [[List of tenants of Herm|Tenants]]
|leader_name3             = John and Julia Singer
|area_km2                 = 2
|area_rank                = 
|area_sq_mi               = 0.77
|percent_water            = negligible
|population_estimate      = 
|population_census        = 60
|population_estimate_year = 
|population_estimate_rank = 
|population_census_year   = 2002
|population_density_km2   = 30
|population_density_sq_mi = 77.7
|population_density_rank  = 
|GDP_PPP                  = 
|GDP_PPP_year             = 
|GDP_PPP_rank             = 
|GDP_PPP_per_capita       = 
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank  = 
|currency                 = [[Pound sterling]]<sup>a</sup>
|currency_code            = GBP
|timezone                 = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
|utc_offset               = {{sp}}
|utc_offset_DST           = +1
|timezone_DST             = [[British Summer Time]]
|date_format              = dd/mm/yyyy
|drives_on                = left
|calling_code             = [[Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom#Guernsey|+44]]
|postal_code_type         = [[Postcodes in the United Kingdom#Crown Dependencies|UK postcode]]
|postal_code              = [[GY postcode area|GY1–GY8]]
|iso_code                 = [[ISO 3166-2:GG|GG]]
|cctld                    = [[.gg]]{{nbsp|2}}{{small|([[Guernsey]])}}
|footnotes               = The States of Guernsey, of which Herm is part, issue their own [[pound sterling|sterling]] coins and banknotes; see [[Guernsey pound]].
}}
{{Designation list
| designation1 = Ramsar
| designation1_offname = Herm, Jethou and The Humps
| designation1_date = 19 October 2015
| designation1_number = 2277<ref>{{cite web|title=Herm, Jethou and The Humps|website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2277|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>}}
'''Herm''' ([[Guernésiais]]: {{lang|nrf-GG|Haerme}}, ultimately from [[Old Norse]] {{lang|non|armr}} 'arm', due to the shape of the island, or [[Old French]] {{lang|fro|eremite}} 'hermit') is one of the [[Channel Islands]] and part of the [[Saint Peter Port#Subdivisions|Parish of St Peter Port]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/gg.html |title=Bailiwick of Guernsey |publisher=Crwflags.com |access-date=4 October 2012}}</ref><ref>[http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3102411 National Archives] accessed 11 February 2016</ref> in the [[Bailiwick of Guernsey]]. It is located in the [[English Channel]], north-west of France and south of England. It is {{cvt|2183|m}} long and under {{convert|873|m}} wide; oriented north–south, with several stretches of sand along its northern coast. The much larger island of [[Guernsey]] lies to the west, [[Jersey]] lies to the south-east, and the smaller island of [[Jethou]] is just off the south-west coast.

Herm was first discovered in the [[Mesolithic|Mesolithic period]], and the first settlers arrived in the [[Neolithic Age|Neolithic]] and [[Bronze Age|Bronze]] Ages. Many tombs from that period remain today, the majority in the north of the island. The island was annexed to the [[Duchy of Normandy]] in 933, but was transferred to the English Crown with the division of Normandy in 1204. It was occupied by Germany in the Second World War and the scene of [[Operation Huckaback]], but was largely bypassed. Herm is currently managed by Herm Island Ltd, formed by Starboard Settlement, who acquired Herm in 2008, following fears during the sale of the island that the 'identity' of the island was at threat.

Herm's harbour is on its west coast. There are several buildings of note in the vicinity, including the [[White House (Herm)|White House]], [[St Tugual's Chapel]], Fisherman's Cottage, The Mermaid pub and restaurant, and a small primary school with about eight pupils. During a busy summer season, up to 100,000 tourists visit the island, arriving by one of the [[catamaran]] ferries operated by the [[Trident Charter Company]]. [[Auto-free zone|Cars are banned]] from the island as are bicycles, although [[all-terrain vehicle|quad bike]]s and [[tractor]]s are allowed for staff and luggage transport, respectively.

==History==
{{see also|History of Guernsey|Archaeology of the Channel Islands}}
[[File:Hermdunord.jpg|left|thumb|The common in the north of the island. Standing stones can be seen on the grass, while the island of [[Sark]] lies in the background.]]

===Prehistory===
Herm was first found in the [[Mesolithic]] period (between 10,000 and 8,000 BC), when hunters were in search of food.<ref name="History">{{cite web | url=http://herm.com/files/pdf/History_-_16th_to_21st_Century.pdf | title=History – Up to the 16th Century | publisher=Herm Island | access-date=28 December 2013 | archive-date=2 January 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102200403/http://herm.com/files/pdf/History_-_16th_to_21st_Century.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> In the [[Neolithic]] and [[Bronze Age]]s, settlers arrived; the remains of [[chamber tomb]]s have been found on the island, and may be seen today; specifically on the Common, and the Petit and Grand Monceau;<ref name="History"/> it has been suggested that the northern end of the island, i.e. the Common, was set apart for burials.<ref name="Durham"/> After a three-year project by the [[University of Durham]], supported by specialists from the [[University of Cambridge]], the [[University of Oxford]], and the Guernsey museum, they stated that the "density of tombs suggests that the northern end of Herm may have been a place set apart for funerary activity".<ref name="Durham">{{cite web | url=http://www.dur.ac.uk/herm.project/ | title=Introduction | publisher=Durham University | access-date=31 December 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Roberts Cross Herm.jpg|thumb|right|A prehistoric grave, known as Robert's Cross]]

===Middle Ages===
The first records of Herm's inhabitants in historic times are from the 6th century, when the island became a centre of [[Monasticism|monastic activity]]; the followers of [[Saint Tugual]] (also called Tudwal) arrived, establishing [[Saint Tugual's Chapel]].<ref name="History"/> In 709 AD, a storm washed away the strip of land which connected the island with [[Jethou]].<ref name="Island life">{{cite web|url=http://www.islandlife.org/herm.htm |title=Welcome to the Herm Home Page |publisher=Island Life |date=2011 |access-date=31 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150816183442/http://www.islandlife.org/Herm.htm |archive-date=16 August 2015}}</ref>

An important moment in Herm's political history was in 933 AD, when the [[Channel Islands]] were annexed to the [[Duchy of Normandy]],<ref name="History "/><ref name="Annex">{{cite web | url=http://www.iexplore.com/travel-guides/europe/united-kingdom/channel-islands/sark-and-herm/history-and-culture | title=Sark and Herm Travel Guide | publisher=iExplore | access-date=31 December 2013}}</ref> they remained so until the division of [[Normandy]] in 1204, when they became a [[Crown Dependencies|Crown Dependency]].<ref name="Legal">{{cite web | url=http://herm.com/files/pdf/History_-_Legal_Dispositions.pdf | title=Legal Dispositions of Herm Island | publisher=Herm Island | access-date=28 December 2013 | archive-date=2 January 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102195909/http://herm.com/files/pdf/History_-_Legal_Dispositions.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1111 Brother Claude Panton was a hermit in "Erm"<ref name=WBhist/>{{rp|126}} and in 1117 the then hermit, Brother Francis Franche Montague is recorded as living on "Erm".<ref name="WBhist">{{cite book |first=William |last=Berry |title=The History of Guernsey from the remotest period of antiquity to the year 1814}}</ref>{{rp|131}} After the annexation, Herm gradually lost its monastic inhabitants, and between 1570 and 1737 the governors of Guernsey used it as a hunting ground; visiting to shoot, hunt, and fish.<ref name="History"/><ref name="Annex "/>

===19th century to the Second World War===
In 1810, an inn was founded; and during the [[Industrial Revolution]], roads, paths, a harbour, accommodation, a forge, blacksmiths, a brewery, a bakery and a prison were built to cater for the largest number of inhabitants since prehistoric times. Most were quarrymen working in new [[granite]] quarries.<ref name="History"/> Several quarries can still be seen at present, such as on the Common.<ref name="History"/> When Prince Gebhard Fürst Blücher von Wahlstatt <ref name="History "/> and [[Evelyn Princess Blücher|Princess Blücher]]{{sfn|Evelyn|1921|p=vii}} leased the island from the British government in 1889, he introduced a colony of [[Red-necked wallaby|red-necked wallabies]] to the island, which lasted until 1910. Offspring were "said to have been eaten as food by English soldiers occupying the island during World War 2".{{sfn|Long|2003|p=42}}

[[Compton Mackenzie]], an English-born Scottish novelist, acquired the tenancy in 1920. He recalled that his three years there had numerous logistical problems. It has been suggested that Mackenzie was the basis for the character Mr Cathcart in [[D.H. Lawrence]]'s ''The Man who Loved Islands'', about a man who moved to ever smaller islands much as Mackenzie moved from Herm to the smaller [[Jethou]], but Lawrence himself denied it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/mac/comptonmackenzie.html |title=Compton Mackenzie: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland |work=Undiscoveredscotland.co.uk |access-date=29 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Bunting, Madeleine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/08/hebrides-shaped-british-culture-madeleine-bunting |title=Island mentality: how the Hebrides shaped British culture |work=The Guardian |date=8 October 2016 |access-date=29 November 2018}}</ref> [[Percival Lea Dewhurst Perry]] was the tenant from 1923 to 1939.

The [[German occupation of the Channel Islands]] during the Second World War essentially by-passed Herm. The island was claimed on 20 July 1940 by [[Nazi Germany]],<ref name="History"/> a few weeks after the arrival of German troops in [[Guernsey]] and [[Jersey]]; German soldiers landed on the island to shoot a propaganda film, ''The Invasion of the [[Isle of Wight]].''<ref name="History"/> Herm's sandy beaches were soon used for practising landings from barges, in preparation for the [[Operation Sealion|invasion of England]], but otherwise the island saw little of the Germans beyond officers making trips to shoot rabbits.{{sfn|Page|1995}} Herm had only a little German construction during the war; a [[flak|flak battery]] was placed on the island for a few weeks, and mines were placed in an area.{{sfn|Page|1995}} Occasionally German soldiers would travel to Herm to cut wood for fuel.<ref>{{cite book |first=Martin |last=Le Page |title=A Boy Messenger's War: Memories of Guernsey and Herm 1938-45 |publisher=Arden Publications (1995) |isbn=978-0952543800}}</ref>

====Operation Huckaback====
[[Operation Huckaback]] was a British Second World War military operation that was originally designed to be a raid on Herm, Jethou and Brecqhou, but instead became only a raid on Herm undertaken on the night of 27 February 1943, following an earlier attempt that had been aborted.{{sfn|Forty|2005|p=195}} Ten men of the [[Small Scale Raiding Force]] and [[No. 4 Commando]] under Captain [[Patrick Anthony Porteous]] {{post-nominals|country=GBR|VC}} landed 200 yards to the north-west of Selle Rocque on a shingle beach and made several unsuccessful attempts to climb the cliff in front of them. Porteous finally managed to climb up the bed of a stream and pulled the others up with a rope. They later reported that they had found no sign of any Islanders or Germans (who were supposed to be billeted near the harbour).{{sfn|Messenger|1985}} They had failed to make contact with the few civilians on the island whose duties included looking after the sheep.

===Since 1945===
[[File:White House Hotel, Herm 1968 - geograph.org.uk - 85.jpg|thumb|left|[[White House (Herm)|White House]], Herm]]
In 1949, the [[States of Guernsey]] bought Herm from [[the Crown]] because of the "unspoilt island idyll that could be enjoyed by locals and tourists alike".<ref name="Independent"/> One of the island's most influential tenants was Major Peter Wood, who looked after the island from 1949 to 1980 with his wife.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wood |first1=Jenny |title=Herm, Our Island Home |date=1986 |publisher=Linton |location=Guernsey |isbn=978-0951118702}}</ref><ref name="Independent"/><ref name="Staff "/> The island was run down when he arrived, with the manor hidden in undergrowth, the windows and roofs of the houses having been blown off by a sea mine drifting into the harbour shortly after their arrival,<ref name="tig">{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisguernsey.com/latest/2006/03/20/a-life-less-ordinary/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629095005/http://www.thisisguernsey.com/latest/2006/03/20/a-life-less-ordinary/|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 June 2013|title=A Life Less Ordinary|date=20 March 2006|access-date=29 June 2013}}</ref> but they created a school, and restored St Tugual's Chapel.<ref name="Staff">{{cite web | url=http://herm.com/files/pdf/staff_handbook_2013.pdf | title=Herm Island Staff Handbook 2013 | publisher=Herm Island | date=2013 | access-date=29 December 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102200546/http://herm.com/files/pdf/staff_handbook_2013.pdf | archive-date=2 January 2014 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> Major Wood's daughter Pennie Wood Heyworth and her husband Adrian succeeded them;<ref name="Staff"/> Major Wood died in 1998.<ref name="Staff"/> Their early efforts are recorded in ''Herm, Our Island Home'', written by Major Wood's wife Jenny Wood.{{sfn|Wood|1972}}

On 17 May 2008, the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] reported<ref name="BBC Date">{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/guernsey/7406165.stm | title=Lease on Channel Island for sale | publisher=BBC | date=17 May 2008 | access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref> that the tenants had put the remaining 40 years of their lease up for sale, with an asking price of £15,000,000.<ref name="BBC Price">{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/guernsey/7522028.stm | title=Candidate picked for Herm tenancy | publisher=BBC | date=23 July 2008 | access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref> Within four days, there were over 50 potential buyers.<ref name="Buyers">{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/internationalproperty/3361507/Island-for-sale-A-Herm-from-home.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129194018/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/internationalproperty/3361507/Island-for-sale-A-Herm-from-home.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=29 November 2013 | title=Island for sale: A Herm from home | newspaper=The Telegraph | date=7 June 2008 | access-date=1 January 2014 | author=Eames, Andrew}}</ref> In September 2008 it was announced that Starboard Settlement, a [[Trust law|trust]], had acquired the remainder of the lease<ref name="Lease">{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/guernsey/7657576.stm | title=New company is set up to run Herm | publisher=BBC | date=7 October 2008 | access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref> for considerably less than the asking price.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thisisguernsey.com/latest/2008/09/23/new-herm-tenants-vow-to-keep-it-open-to-all/ |title=New Herm tenants vow to keep it open to all |date=23 September 2008 |publisher=This Is Guernsey |access-date=22 May 2013 |archive-date=22 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522150840/http://www.thisisguernsey.com/latest/2008/09/23/new-herm-tenants-vow-to-keep-it-open-to-all/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The trust formed a company based in Guernsey, Herm Island Ltd, to manage the island for the trustees.<ref name="Lease"/>

In 2013, negotiations for a 21-year extension to the lease broke down, with the tenant offering £440,000 and the owner requesting £6,000,000 plus improvements to infrastructure,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://guernseypress.com/news/2013/10/04/deputies-want-to-know-why-herm-talks-broke-down/ |title=Deputies want to know why Herm talks broke down}}</ref> the offer was later reduced to £2.44 million. In 2023 the lease to Starboard Settlement Charitable Trust was extended to 2069 for an undisclosed sum.<ref>{{cite web |title=P&R refuses to reveal cost of Herm lease extension |url=https://guernseypress.com/news/2023/06/07/pr-refuses-to-reveal-cost-of-herm-lease-extension/ |date=7 June 2023}}</ref>

==Geography and geology==
[[File:Herm, Sark and Jethou.jpg|thumb|right|260px|An aerial shot showing Herm (centre), [[Jethou]] to the right, [[Sark]] in the right background and [[Guernsey]] in the foreground]]
Herm is only {{frac|1|1|2}}&nbsp;miles long (north-south) and less than half a mile wide (east-west).<ref name="Staff"/> In the northern part of the island are two hills, Le Petit Monceau and Le Grand Monceau. To the north of these is a common, leading to Mouisonniere Beach on the northern coast, with Oyster Point in the northwestern corner and La Pointe du Gentilhomme or Alderney Point at the northeastern corner.<ref name="map2">{{cite web|url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/maps/ci/3/53/54/ci.3.538000.5479000.1986.jpg|title=Herm map|publisher=BBC|date=1986|access-date=30 January 2014}}</ref> To the east of the common is Shell Beach and to the west is The Bear's Beach, leading down to the harbour.<ref name="map1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/guernsey/content/images/2008/04/10/walk_herm_map_470x352.jpg|title=Herm map|publisher=BBC|access-date=30 January 2014}}</ref> Half of the coastline of the northern part of the island is surrounded by sandy beaches; the southern half is rocky.<ref name="Map"/> Much of Herm's bedrock is [[granite]].<ref name="Dur">{{cite web | url=http://www.dur.ac.uk/herm.project/trenches/trench_b.html | title=Trench B | publisher=Durham University | access-date=30 December 2013}}</ref> In 2008, Adrian Heyworth, who was at the time the island's tenant, said that two or three metres of sand were being lost annually at Alderney Point.<ref name="Erosion">{{cite web | url=http://www.thisisguernsey.com/latest/2008/04/18/herm-struggling-to-stem-tide-of-erosion/ | title=Herm struggling to stem tide of erosion | publisher=The Guernsey Press | date=18 April 2008 | access-date=30 December 2013 | archive-date=2 January 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192851/http://www.thisisguernsey.com/latest/2008/04/18/herm-struggling-to-stem-tide-of-erosion/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> The northernmost point of the island, Alderney Point, sits directly south of the [[Isle of Portland]].

{{multiple image
| align     = left
| direction = vertical
| width     = 
| image1    = HermShellBeach.JPG
| width1    = 200
| alt1      = 
| caption1  = Shell Beach, northeastern coast
| image2    = Caquorobert.jpg
| width2    = 200
| alt2      = 
| caption2  = [[Caquorobert]], east coast of Herm
}}

Off the northwestern coast of Herm is the islet of Le Plat Houmet, and beyond that Fondu, which like Herm belongs to Guernsey.<ref name="map2"/> In Belvoir Bay on the eastern side of the island are the islets of Mouliere, situated off Frenchman's Point, which is to the northeast of the manor village, and [[Caquorobert]],<ref name="map1"/> the latter of which can be accessed at low tide via a vaguely marked path. To the south of this off the southeastern coast is Puffin Bay, which contains the islet of Putrainez near the coast and the islet of Selle Rocque further out to the south.<ref name="map1"/> The far southwestern point of the island is Point Sauzebourge, and Bishop's Cove is just to the north of this.<ref name="map2"/> North of the cove and south along the beach from the harbour and White House are the Rosiere Steps, with a quarry and cottage of the same name in the vicinity. The Mouette and Percee reefs are offshore here. Hermetier, also known as Rat's Island, lies about {{cvt|250|m|ft}} off the western coast between Fisherman's Beach and The Bear's Beach, to the north of the harbour, linked by a low causeway from the beach.{{sfn|Stevens|Jee|1987|p=128}} The islet can be accessed at low tide from the beach around Fisherman's Cottage.

The isle of [[Jethou]] is around three-quarters of a mile to the southwest beyond Point Sauzebourge.<ref name="map2"/><ref name="Jethou distance">{{cite web | url=https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&t=h&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=100914396836643406446.00047adaa01c57930c5ae | title=Google Maps | publisher=Google Maps | access-date=20 January 2014}}</ref> It is possible that in AD 709 a storm washed away the strip of land that connected Jethou to Herm.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.islandlife.org/Herm.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704190249/http://www.islandlife.org/Herm.htm |archive-date=4 July 2008 |title=About Herm |publisher=Island Life |access-date=22 May 2013}}</ref> About {{cvt|215|m}} off the northern coast of Jethou is the islet of [[Crevichon]], which measures about {{cvt|212|by|168|m}}, with an area of less than three hectares. To the west, between Herm and Guernsey, lies the [[Channel (geography)|channel]] [[Little Roussel]] (Petit Ruau); between Herm and Sark, to the east, lies the [[Big Roussel]] (Grand Ruau).<ref name="Map"/> [[Bréhon Tower]], a Victorian-era fortification, is in the Little Roussel between Herm and [[Saint Peter Port]].<ref name="Tower">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/guernsey/content/articles/2008/07/01/brehon_tower_history_feature.shtml | title=Brehon Tower | publisher=BBC | date=1 July 2009 | access-date=30 December 2013}}</ref> The tower was created between 1854 and 1856 by Thomas Charles de Putron (1806–1869) using granite from Herm.{{sfn|Lowry|2006|p=53-4}}

==Politics==
Herm is part of the St Peter Port parish of Guernsey but is not part of any canton. It belongs to the Electoral District of Saint Peter Port South.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.islandlife.org/guernsey_election2008.htm |title=Guernsey Election of States Deputies, 2008 |publisher=Islandlife.org |date=23 April 2008 |access-date=4 October 2012}}</ref> It is rented out to various tenants.<ref name="Administration">{{cite web | url=http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/human-rights/ccpr-7th-periodic-report.pdf | title=Seventh Periodic Report from the United Kingdom, the British Overseas Territories, the Crown Dependencies | publisher=UK Government | date=December 2012 | access-date=22 May 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217013711/http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/human-rights/ccpr-7th-periodic-report.pdf | archive-date=17 December 2013 | df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gov.gg/ccm/navigation/government/general-election---23-4-2008/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521190537/http://www.gov.gg/ccm/navigation/government/general-election---23-4-2008/ |archive-date=21 May 2011 |title=General Election – 23.4.2008 |publisher=Guernsey Government |access-date=22 May 2013}}</ref> Unlike the largely autonomous islands of Sark and [[Alderney]] within the Bailiwick, Herm is administered entirely by the States of Guernsey.

[[Auto-free zone|Cars]] and bicycles are banned from Herm,<ref name="Independent">{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/herm-island-lovers-rock-941471.html | title=Herm Island: Lovers' rock | work=The Independent | date=25 September 2008 | access-date=29 December 2013 | author=Taylor, Jerome}}</ref> in order to keep "peace and tranquillity".<ref name="Staff "/> Herm does allow [[All-terrain vehicle|quad bike]]s and [[tractor]]s for staff and luggage transport, respectively.<ref name="Staff"/>

===Tenants===
Holders of the post of '''tenant of Herm''':
*Prince Gebhard Fürst Blücher von Wahlstatt (1889–1914)
*[[Compton Mackenzie]] (1920–1923)
*[[Percival Perry, 1st Baron Perry|Percival Lea Dewhurst Perry]] (1923–1939)
*[[A. G. Jefferies]] (1948–1949)
*Major [[Alexander Gough (Peter) Wood]] (1949–1998){{citation needed|date=November 2015}}
*Adrian Heyworth and Pennie Wood Heyworth (c.1980–2008) <ref name=gp2008>[http://guernseypress.com/news/2008/09/23/new-herm-tenants-vow-to-keep-it-open-to-all/ "New Herm tenants vow to keep it open to all"], This is Guernsey, 23 September 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2015.</ref>
*The Starboard Settlement (John and Julia Singer) (2008- ) <ref name=gp2008 />

==Economy and services==
{{multiple image
| align     = right
| direction = horizontal
| width     = 
| image1    = Herm Harbour in 1968 - geograph.ci - 77.jpg
| width1    = 220
| alt1      = 
| caption1  = Herm Harbour in 1968
| image2    = Haven van Herm bij eb.JPG
| width2    = 200
| alt2      = 
| caption2  = The inner harbour in 2004
}}

===Tourism===
Tourism is Herm's main source of income.<ref name="Staff"/>
During a busy summer season, up to 100,000 tourists visit the island,<ref name="Staff"/> arriving by one of the Travel Trident [[catamaran]] ferries operated by the [[Trident Charter Company]].<ref name="Travel trident">{{cite web | url=http://www.herm.com/getting-here/ | title=Getting Here | publisher=Herm Island | access-date=30 December 2013 | archive-date=2 January 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102194244/http://www.herm.com/getting-here/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> Money is also made from vegetable growing, livestock and the occasional issue of [[postage stamp]]s,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pabay.org/cdinfo.htm |title=CD of British Locals (Including English, Welsh and Scottish Islands) |publisher=Pabay.org |access-date=22 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206192250/http://www.pabay.org/cdinfo.htm |archive-date=6 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> which occurred between 1949 and 1969.<ref name=Stamp>{{cite news |title=There's no place like Herm |author=Richard Ashton |work=Stamp Magazine |publisher=My Time Media |date=April 2019 |pages=78–83|volume=85|number=4|issn=0307-6679}}</ref> The residents in Herm are workers on the island and their families.<ref name="Residents">{{cite web | url=http://herm.com/recruitment/ | title=Recruitment | publisher=Herm Island | access-date=1 January 2014}}</ref> The island is very popular for camping, particularly favoured by schools in nearby Guernsey or Jersey conducting overnight field trips. There are ample camping grounds.

===Crime and law enforcement===

There are three volunteer [[Special Constables]] resident on the island, trained and supervised by the [[States of Guernsey Police Service]].<ref name="Blog">{{cite web |url=https://blog.herm.com/post/Policing-on-Herm.aspx |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140329012455/http://blog.herm.com/post/Policing-on-Herm.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 March 2014 |title=Policing on Herm |publisher=Herm Island |date=26 September 2011 |access-date=30 December 2013}}</ref> On [[Bank Holiday]]s they are augmented by a visiting full-time [[Connétable (Jersey and Guernsey)|Constable]] from Guernsey.<ref name="hermpol">{{cite web |url=https://blog.herm.com/post/Policing-on-Herm.aspx |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140329012455/http://blog.herm.com/post/Policing-on-Herm.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 March 2014 |title=Policing on Herm |date=26 September 2011 |access-date=5 August 2013}}</ref> Crime rates on the island are low.<ref name="Blog"/>

===Health===
There are no medical facilities on Herm and no resident doctor.<ref name="Staff"/> A small team of [[first aider]]s and [[community first responder]]s is maintained amongst the resident population,<ref name="First Responders">{{cite web |url=https://blog.herm.com/post/Herm-has-more-First-Responders.aspx |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140412080936/http://blog.herm.com/post/Herm-has-more-First-Responders.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 April 2014 |title=Herm has more First Responders |publisher=Herm.com |date=2 November 2012 |access-date=22 May 2013}}</ref> and receives regular training from the [[Guernsey Ambulance and Rescue Service]], a private company operating on a charitable basis under the umbrella of the [[Venerable Order of Saint John]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ambulance.org.gg/about-us/75th-anniversary/ |title=About Us › 75th Anniversary |publisher=Guernsey Ambulance & Rescue Service |access-date=22 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926182810/http://www.ambulance.org.gg/about-us/75th-anniversary/ |archive-date=26 September 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Medical evacuation to hospital in Guernsey, where necessary, is achieved by means of the ambulance launch ''Flying Christine III'' operated by the Guernsey Ambulance and Rescue Service.<ref name="First Responders"/>

===Public toilets===
There are three sets of public toilets on the island, one in the west and two on the east coasts. The facilities on the east coast sit in between Shell Beach and Belvoir Bay, serving both beaches.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shell Beach to Belvoir Bay Beach Path - Public Toilets |url=https://www.accessable.co.uk/venues/shell-beach-to-belvoir-bay-beach-path-public-toilets |website=AccessAble |access-date=12 August 2021}}</ref> The other set of facilities sit about a minute's walk north of the harbour, serving the shops in the village and the harbour itself.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harbour Village Public Toilets |url=https://www.accessable.co.uk/venues/harbour-village-public-toilets |website=AccessAble |access-date=11 August 2021}}</ref>

===Fire service===
A [[voluntary fire service]] operates on the island. Herm Fire Brigade operates a tractor-hauled [[fire tender]] with a [[hose-reel]], a pump, a 2,000-litre water tank, and basic fire-fighting equipment<ref name="Fire">{{cite web | url=http://www.thisisguernsey.com/latest/2003/01/11/new-trailer-for-herm-firefighters/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514161016/http://www.thisisguernsey.com/latest/2003/01/11/new-trailer-for-herm-firefighters/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=14 May 2013 | title=New trailer for Herm firefighters | publisher=This is Guernsey | date=11 January 2003 | access-date=22 May 2013 }}</ref> which they use while waiting for assistance from the [[Guernsey Fire Brigade]], who also provide the Herm volunteers with training and support.<ref name="Fire"/>

===Transport===

Herm is entirely car free. Transport around the island is mostly on foot via the footpaths snaking through the island, but quadbikes and tractors are also used by farm and island staff for agricultural activities and carrying luggage. Travel to the island can be completed through the Travel Trident ferry, which runs ferries throughout the day from [[Saint Peter Port]] in Guernsey. In 2022 a second ferry was run by the Herm Island owners, but this appears to have been discontinued as of 2024. Supplies also arrive on the Travel Trident ferry daily, such as newspapers and stock for island businesses. The ferry docks in Herm at the Harbour during high tides, but at low tides Rosaire Steps are used, which is approximately a 5 minute walk from the village centre.

==Notable landmarks==
[[File:St Tugual's Chapel op Herm.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[St Tugual's Chapel]]]]
The nondenominational [[St Tugual's Chapel]] dates to the 11th century, but it is believed that there was a place of worship on Herm as far back as the 6th century, although it has not been confirmed whether the chapel was founded by [[St Tugual]] himself or his followers at a later date.<ref name="BBC0510">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/guernsey/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8695000/8695672.stm|title=1,400 years of religious history in Herm's chapel |publisher=BBC|date=21 May 2010|access-date=8 February 2014}}</ref> The current building is Norman and appears to have been a monastery during medieval times. Of particular note is its stained glass windows featuring [[Noah's Ark]] and Guernsey cows and Jesus talking to the fisherman at Herm harbour.<ref name="BBC0510"/> In 2010 and 2011, the chapel was closed for [[Building restoration|restoration work]].<ref name="This is Guernsey">{{cite web | url=http://www.thisisguernsey.com/latest/2010/12/10/church-out-of-service/ | title=Church out of service | work=Guernsey Post | date=10 December 2010 | access-date=8 February 2014 | archive-date=4 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204005315/http://www.thisisguernsey.com/latest/2010/12/10/church-out-of-service/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{multiple image
<!-- Essential parameters -->
| align     = right
| direction = horizontal 
| width     = 
| image1    = Herm Obelisk.jpg
| width1    = 160
| alt1      = 
| caption1  = The obelisk on The Common on Herm
| image2    = Antony Gormley's "Another Time XI" on Herm - facing right.JPG
| width2    = 180
| alt2      = 
| caption2  = A picture of Antony Gormley's statue, XI (11) in his Another Time series
}}

Other buildings on the island include the [[White House (Herm)|White House hotel]], "The Mermaid" pub and restaurant, and 20 self-catering cottages.<ref name="Staff"/> The most notable cottages are Fisherman's Cottage, north of the harbour, and Manor Cottage.<ref>{{cite news|author=Mann, Clare|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/channelislands/5651244/Herm-Channel-Islands-a-swell-place.html|title=Herm, Channel Islands: where small is beautiful |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=29 June 2009|access-date=8 February 2014}}</ref> There is an [[obelisk]] on The Common, in the north of the island.<ref name="History"/> The White House has no clocks, televisions, or phones, which is described as "part of its charm", and has a customer return rate of 70% (i.e. each year, 70% of customers have been before).<ref name="Buyers"/><ref name="WH Review">{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hotel/66741/The-White-House-hotel-Herm-Channel-Islands-review.html | title=The White House hotel, Herm, Channel Islands: review | work=The Daily Telegraph | access-date=1 January 2014 | author=Duncan, Fiona}}</ref> Herm has no [[consecrated]] religious buildings or resident professional clergy,<ref name="Chapel">{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/guernsey/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8695000/8695672.stm | title=1,400 years of religious history in Herm's chapel | work=BBC News | date=21 May 2010 | access-date=22 May 2013}}</ref> but visiting clergy conducts non-denominational weekly services during the summer months, and monthly services, led by local lay people, are held during the winter.<ref name="Chapel" />

Sculptor [[Antony Gormley]] had a sculpture installed on Herm in 2010,<ref name="Statue install">{{cite web|url=https://blog.herm.com/post/Antony-Gormley-statue-on-Herm.aspx |title=Antony Gormley statue on Herm |publisher=Herm Island |date=31 March 2010 |access-date=30 December 2013 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211054155/http://blog.herm.com/post/Antony-Gormley-statue-on-Herm.aspx |archive-date=11 February 2015}}</ref> originally planned to be removed after one year, but it received such a positive reception that it was kept for two years, and removed in 2012.<ref name="Statue rm">{{cite web |url=https://blog.herm.com/post/Antony-Gormley-leaves-Herm.aspx |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140416065320/http://blog.herm.com/post/Antony-Gormley-leaves-Herm.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 April 2014 |title=Antony Gormley leaves Herm |publisher=Herm Island |date=11 June 2012 |access-date=30 December 2013}}</ref> The statue was number XI (11) of the Another Time series.<ref name="Gormley">{{cite web | url=http://www.antonygormley.com/news/item-archive/type/news/id/98 | title=Another Time XI On Herm, Guernsey | work=Antony Gormley | access-date=30 December 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192143/http://www.antonygormley.com/news/item-archive/type/news/id/98 | archive-date=2 January 2014 | df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Walking around Herm===
The distance around the perimeter of the island is {{cvt|6.3|km|1}} and walking it takes about two hours. If one cuts across the common the distance is {{cvt|4.5|km|1}} and takes about an hour and a half. One can walk from the harbour to Rosaire Steps in about seven minutes. The walk from the harbour to Shell Beach takes about 20 minutes and from the harbour to Belvoir Bay it takes about 15 minutes. One can also walk in between Belvoir Bay and Shell Beach along the rocky eastern coast of the island. Beginning at the rock pools at Belvoir Bay's northern end, the route passes below the round-island path, and the walk takes about 20 minutes but does not follow a marked path.

Film of walking around Herm in 1948 is held by the [[Cinema Museum (London)|Cinema Museum]] in London Ref HM0364 <ref>{{Cite web|title=Cinema Museum Home Movie Database.xlsx|url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OJqSWnOFAn6RJ24jtwb21Z4Hv5svJjbp/edit?usp=embed_facebook|access-date=2021-12-25|website=Google Docs|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Education and culture ==
[[File:Ferry approaching the Rosaire Landing, Herm - geograph.org.uk - 87.jpg|thumb|right|Travel Trident ferry approaching Herm]]
A number of French/Norman place names remain, from the period when the island was in the jurisdiction of the Duchy of Normandy.<ref name="History "/> The Herm Island map, published by the tenant of Herm, states that main place names, including the island name itself, have unclear origins, although there is an unofficial Anglicisation of names; for example, {{lang|fr|La Pointe du gentilhomme}} was changed to ''Alderney Point''.<ref name="Map">{{cite book | title=Herm Island Map | publisher=Herm Tenant}}</ref> The primary present language on Herm is English.

Herm has one primary school, with around eight pupils; their teacher travels from Guernsey daily.<ref name="Staff"/> Children over eleven are schooled in Guernsey, usually as boarders.<ref name="Staff"/>

Herm has won [[Britain in Bloom]] categories several times:<ref name="BIB 2">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-21204510 | title=Herm aims for fourth gold medal in Britain in Bloom | publisher=BBC | date=27 January 2013 | access-date=31 December 2013}}</ref> in 2002, 2008, and 2012, Herm won the Britain in Bloom Gold Award.<ref name="BIB Dates">{{cite web | url=http://herm.com/activities/herm-garden-tours/ | title=Herm Garden Tour | publisher=Herm Island | access-date=1 January 2014 | archive-date=16 February 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216104907/http://herm.com/activities/herm-garden-tours/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The island and its history has been depicted in a number of works of literature: the author [[Compton Mackenzie]], who was the island tenant 1920–23, represented it in ''Fairy Gold'', albeit in a fictional portrayal.<ref name="History"/> Jenny Wood, the wife of tenant Major Peter Wood, published her memoirs in 1986.<ref>Wood, Jenny, ''Herm, Our Island Home'' (Linton, 1986)</ref> The island's history is told in ''Hidden Treasures of Herm Island'' by Catherine Kalamis.<ref>Kalamis, Catherine, ''Hidden Treasures of Herm Island'' (Herm, 1996)</ref> Paul Sherman has written two collections of short stories set on the island: ''Where Seagulls Dare''<ref>Sherman, Paul, ''[https://blueormer.gg/product/where-seagulls-dare/ Where Seagulls Dare and other tales from Herm Island]'' (Blue Ormer, 2018).</ref> and ''One Flew Over the Puffin's Nest''.<ref>Sherman, Paul, ''[https://blueormer.gg/product/one-flew-over-the-puffins-nest-2/ One Flew Over the Puffin's Nest - more tales from Herm Island]'' (Blue Ormer, 2023).</ref>

The northern part of the island was recognised in 2016 as an area of international environmental importance under the [[Ramsar Convention]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://guernseypress.com/news/2016/01/28/herm-and-jethou-get-ramsar-status/ |title=Herm and Jethou get Ramsar status |publisher=Guernsey Press |date=28 January 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of car-free places]]
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==References==
* Backman, Anders & Forrester, Bob (1981). ''The Postage Stamps of the Smaller Channel Islands''. Channel Islands Publishing.
*{{cite book |last=Evelyn |first=Princess Blücher | title=An English Wife in Berlin |url=https://archive.org/stream/englishwifeinber00bluoft#page/1/mode/1up |publisher=Constable |year=1921 }}
* {{cite book |last=Forty |first=George |title=Channel Islands At War: A German Perspective |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zv9mAAAAMAAJ |year=2005 |publisher=Ian Allan |isbn=978-0-7110-3071-8 }}
* {{cite book |last=Long |first=John |title=Introduced Mammals of the World: Their History, Distribution and Influence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7YC3cYhGMOcC&pg=PA42 |date=2003 |publisher=Csiro Publishing |isbn=978-0-643-09916-6 |postscript=none}} (citing G. Niethammer, ''Die Einburgerung von Saugetiere und Vogeln in Europa'' (Hamburg & Berlin: 1963)).
* {{cite book |last=Lowry |first=Bernard |title=Discovering Fortifications: From the Tudors to the Cold War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zqD1fiJFRJwC |year=2006 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=978-0-7478-0651-6 }}
* {{cite book |last=Messenger |first=Charles |title=The Commandos: 1940–1946 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qN-fAAAAMAAJ |year=1985 |publisher=Grafton Books |isbn=978-0-586-21034-5 }}
* {{cite book |last=Page |first=Martin J. Le |title=A Boy Messenger's War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ATWFAAAAIAAJ |year=1995 |publisher=Arden Publications |isbn=978-0-9525438-0-0 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Stevens |first1=Joan |last2=Jee |first2=Nigel |title=The Channel Islands |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CZBSQzWHmfQC |year=1987 |publisher=M. Joseph |isbn=978-0-7181-2765-7 }}
* {{cite book |last=Wood |first=Jenny |title=Herm: Our Island Home |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZStiAgAACAAJ |year=1972 |publisher=New English Library |isbn=978-0-450-02080-3 }}

== External links ==
<!-- Per [[WP:ELMINOFFICIAL]], choose one official website only -->
{{Commons category|Herm}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150816183442/http://www.islandlife.org/Herm.htm Herm, Channel Island website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140202095714/http://www.paulveron.com/Herm.jpg Map]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140219063758/http://stanfords.s3.amazonaws.com/sample/11140_HermJethou_carto.jpg Map of the harbour and manor showing some landmarks]
* [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-major-peter-wood-1177766.html Major Peter Wood] – ''The Independent'' obituary
* [http://www.blueislands.com/ Blue Islands] – Airline servicing the Bailiwick of Guernsey
* Ralph Phillips. Modern British Locals Catalogue. Part I [CD-ROM] (title from CD-ROM label). [S.l.]: British Locals Philatelic Agency, 2009.
* [http://www.ukotcf.org/pdf/Ramsar/22BailOfGuernsey.pdf Ramsar wetland]

{{Channel Islands |title_style=background:#eee;}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Herm| ]]
[[Category:Car-free islands of Europe]]
[[Category:Geography of the Channel Islands]]
[[Category:Private islands of the Channel Islands]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Guernsey]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in Guernsey]]