La Coupee
La Coupee is an Isthmus (narrow strip of land with sea either side) made up of sedimentary rock. The rock is made up of sediments of various types of rock but is crumbly and the sea is eroding both sides of the this walkway.
Until 1900 there were no railings extending the whole length and on windy days the school children would crawl over the crumbling path on their hands and knees.
During WWII, July 1943. La Grand Greve was to be opened for bathing and the steep path and steps from La Coupee had been repaired and renovated. The bay was to be divided into 3 sections: One for the officers , one for the troops and the for other civilians.
In 1944, Little Sark was to be evacuated by all the inhabitants who were sent to live on Big Sark.
Little Sark was planted with potatoes and people were allowed to return to Little sark between 7am and 7pm to attend the crops and animals. Germans also allowed ormering parties to reach the bays by boat ( as the cliffs had been mined)
Following the Liberation of the CI after WWII in May 1945, the British Royal Engineering Regiment put the captured German soldiers (Prisoners of war) to work on rebuilding the roadway in concrete, erecting the concrete support and handrails on both sides of the Isthmus that we see today. There is a Plaque commemorating this on the rock in the middle of La Coupee and an inscription in the cement at the end of the Coupee nearest Little Sark. The reconstruction took around 6 months and the POWs lived in the barracks at Before leaving in the November, the German POWs had made presents to give to the Sark children at Christmas.
La Coupee was painted in Watercolour by Toplis and Cheeswright who were resident Artists of Sark. It was also sketched by Joseph Mallord William Turner and this sketch currently hangs in the Tate.