Welcome to the Let’s Explore series where we look deeply into a notable place and see how its layout and design influences the experience of being there.

  • St Peter Port, Guernsey

Guernsey is a charming 24 sq mile island, nestled in the English Channel with a strong sense of place: Cobbled town streets, narrow country lanes, small bays with steep cliffs and a shimmering sea, old parish churches, and cows munching lazily in the fields.

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Guernsey and its neighbor Jersey lay between England and France.

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St Peter Port is Guernsey’s capital.

For today’s Let’s Explore, we’re going to walk around Guernsey’s beautiful capital town of St Peter Port, which features an extensive pedestrian area with twists, turns, and hidden paths. This area can teach us many lessons about creating beautiful places where people want to go.

Guernsey is where I was born and raised, so you’re in good hands for today’s adventure.

Our route

Map key

1. Start of pedestrian area     
2. The Pollet
3. Start of the High Street
4. The High Street
5. The Arcade
6. Market Square

Guernsey High Street area map b


1. Start of the pedestrian area

End of Pollet

Imagine having the air conditioning on your whole life. Then one day someone switches it off. You got so used to the sound that you forgot it was there. But how wonderful it feels when it’s switched off.

That’s what it’s like walking from a vehicular street into a pedestrian-only area. The unpleasantness of vehicular streets becomes obvious. You enter the pedestrian zone and it feels like home.

Approached from the north, St Peter Port’s pedestrian area starts un-momentously. Only a small round sign on the left indicates that vehicles may proceed. The street curves to the left, beckoning us to proceed and see what unfolds. Flags criss-crossing overhead provide a hint of a roof, creating an outdoor room effect and enhancing the sense of intimacy.

2. The Pollet

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We walk for half a minute and the street narrows. There’s that classic 15 foot street width, seen in traditional towns and cities across the world. Even when walking down the middle of the street, window displays are easily visible on both sides. The windows are large, the shop frontages are narrow, you pass a door every couple of seconds. This adds up to an engaging environment; lots to see, constant opportunities to enter buildings, variety all the time.

3. Start of the High Street

st peter port

Walking another 30 seconds, we’ve come down the street on the right, arriving in front of the bank building’s large door in the center. The bank is an eye-catching structure and acts as a visual marker for people walking up the High Street. Markers help break up journeys into smaller segments, making them more interesting. Notice too how the bank’s position communicates its importance.

From this height we see that apart from a small number of special buildings, such as the bank, most of the buildings are similar but different. This gives the environment a pleasant harmony. What a contrast to many modern buildings which all try to stand out and in the process create a disjointed jarring landscape.

We could continue straight down the High Street or turn to go up Smith Street on the right…

Up Smith St

However, Smith Street is much wider than the Pollet. It feels less intimate and takes more people to make it feel lively. There’s also fewer entrances and longer storefronts so there’s less reason to be on that street and thus fewer people there.

We turn to our left and face the top of the High Street…

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Now the people density is high. Two men talk on the side. A pedestrian street is the supreme social environment. In all these photos, notice the higher number of smiles and wider range of ages compared to an average vehicular street. Older people are often used as a reason not to pedestrianize streets but in fact they tend to be seen more on such streets, compared to vehicular streets.

Here’s what’s down that entryway on the far left…

Exit

This is something to note about this part of Guernsey. A pedestrian can head down the main street or escape from the hustle and turn down a quieter, narrow alley leading to the waterfront. This part of town has many small alleys branching off the High Street, presenting plenty of options for walking routes. People love environments with lots of options. It feels liberating.

4. The High Street

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Facing down the High Street. Notice all the smiles.

This is the heart of town. As a child, I couldn’t walk for a minute down this street without encountering a familiar face. And because the area is vehicle-free I didn’t need an adult with me.

The street’s a little wider than before but it’s still intimate. We still have those narrow, detailed shop frontages, criss-crossing flags overhead, and a curvy street.

Photo credit: Visit Guernsey.

Looking back up the High Street, see how the bank building at the top “caps” our view, providing something visual to head toward.

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Like the bank building as we looked uphill, the Town Church caps our view in the other direction and provides a destination to head toward.

5. The Commercial Arcade

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Walking down the High Street, we turn right and enter the Arcade, a small network of narrow streets which feels like its own self-contained area. Again, we have a sense of entering another zone, breaking up the journey into another small segment.

Unlike the Pollet and High Street, the Arcade’s streets are straight, which adds variety. But the street lengths are still short, thus avoiding the monotony of long straight streets.

6. Market Square

  • Market Square, Guernsey
    (SU)

Market Square is surrounded by anchor destinations: Cafes, restaurants, grocery stories, the library, and so on. These varied destinations keep people passing through at all hours. The square isn’t too large, though, which means that only a modest number of people are required to keep it lively.

The square feels open, in contrast with the narrow streets. Narrowness is enjoyable but too much of it can feel oppressive. Market Square comes at the right moment. This is the first place we’ve encountered that feels like a focal point, a destination.

This destination effect is largely produced by the square’s high number of seats, which most of the High Street area lacks; one of its biggest drawbacks. Outdoor seating increases “people presence” on the street. One person sitting outside for an hour generates as much presence as 60 people spending a minute walking by.


Summary: The 7 Qualities of St Peter Port

St Peter Port offers a superb insight into human-centric urban design, providing a sense of place, somewhere that fosters community and attracts locals and visitors. Here are what we observed on today’s walk:

  1. The entire area is prioritized for pedestrians
  2. Most streets are narrow (under 20 feet wide)
  3. Most streets curve, which lets the environment unfold itself gradually to pedestrians
  4. Shop frontages are narrow with large windows and plenty of detail
  5. Buildings are similar but all different, leading to a harmonious environment
  6. Buildings provide a terminating vista at both ends of the High Street, providing visual destinations to head toward
  7. Market Square provides an open contrast with the narrow streets and a place to sit and rest
My wife Amy, me, and my father John (right) on a terrace overlooking St Peter Port.

Amy, me, and my father John (right) on a terrace overlooking St Peter Port.