Victor Hugo's Guernsey home is reopening soon

"From now on, I will be home; the walls, the floorboards and the ceilings will be mine; I will be an owner, a landlord, such a sacred thing in England. The joists and the rubble stone will be mine; I am curious to see how English stones will manage to protect a French exile. The experience is unusual and is worth being done.” - Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo by Étienne Carjat 1876

Situated on a high point above St Peter Port, Hauteville House was home to Victor Hugo and his family during their exile for nearly 15 years, from 1856 to 1870. These important years contributed to forging Victor Hugo’s political stature and reinforcing his image as an activist republican and committed opponent of the Second Empire. Hauteville House therefore offers a rare perspective on the poet’s work and political commitments. In addition to writing the major works of the second part of his career here, he also created the space and redesigned the architecture of the home, showcasing an extremely modern aesthetic involving contrastsand inventions, testifying to his artistic freedom.

Belonging to the City of Paris since 1927 and managed by Paris Musées, which is also responsible for the conservation of Victor Hugo’s other house on the Place des Vosges in Paris, Hauteville House welcomes more than 20,000 visitors per year from April to September. Because of this popularity, the place underwent a comprehensive renovation scheme financed by Pinault Collection and the French Fondation du Patrimoine. 

“Victor Hugo, a freedom fighter, made Hauteville House in Guernsey into a place that reflected his own image. He created the décor with artisans from Guernsey and wrote Toilers of the Sea there, which he dedicated to the whole island. He finished Les Misérables there and hosted 'dinners for poor children'”. Anne Hidalgo

The official reopening ceremony will take place on the 5th of April. More information on the website.