Lot 71: Colonel Joshua Gosselin (British, 1739-1813) An important panoramic view of St Peter Port, Guernsey

Colonel Joshua Gosselin (British, 1739-1813)
An important panoramic view of St Peter Port, Guernsey
inscribed, signed and dated 'Town of St Peter's port in the Island of Guernsey/Ja Gosselin delt. 1793.' (verso)
pen, ink and watercolour
22 x 133.4cm (8 11/16 x 52 1/2in).
The present lot shows the town of St Peter Port, Guernsey as seen from the ramparts of Cornet Castle. The castle is situated on a small island just off the town and is now connected to Guernsey by a breakwater. It was a significant military stronghold guarding the entrance to the harbour until, in 1672 it was struck by lightning which ignited the powder magazine destroying much of the masonry. During the Civil War the castle was occupied by the Royalist Governor of Guernsey, Sir Peter Osborne (1584-1653), where he was besieged by the people of Guernsey who favoured Parliament. Cornet Castle eventually fell in 1651 after an eight year siege, the last Royalist stronghold in the British Isles to fall.
Visible across the water is the original harbour of St Peter Port next to the town church, the finest ecclesiastical building in the Channel Islands dating back to the 13th Century.