Guernsey is divided into ten parishes and St Andrews is the only landlocked parish on the island. It shares borders with St Saviour's, Castel, St Peter Port, Vale, St Martin’s and Forest.
The parish church is traditionally called St André de la Pommeraye, or St Andrews of the Apple Orchard, which betrays the significance of apples to the parish. St Andrews’s was once the cider making centres of the Island since it was covered in apple orchards. The church dates from the 12th Century and is located opposite a spring, La Fontaine de St. Clair, which was said to have healing powers. It is one of the smallest on the island, however, its small size pales into insignificance when you consider the parish’s best known attraction, The Little Chapel. The Little Chapel is said to be the smallest functioning chapel in Europe, if not the world, and believed to be the world’s smallest consecrated church.
Another of the parish’s most recognisable features is the German Underground Hospital. The largest structure from the Occupation in the Channel Islands is practically invisible to those who might be flying above it. The hospital consists of over 7,000 square meters - or 1 ¼ miles - of tunnels that were dug out by slave workers forced to work by the occupying forces in order to eat; the alternative was to be sent to a detention camp in Alderney. It took 3 ½ years to excavate and equip, however it was only in use as a hospital for a few months.
The parish also houses the Island's only current acute hospital, The Princess Elizabeth Hospital, which was featured in the BBC television programme “Island Hospital”, and Foote’s Lane.
Foote’s Lane runs through what was a large 60 acre family farm that belonged to the Foote family, after whom the lane was named when it became a public right of way. George William Foote (1853-1947) declared in his will that if any of the family wished to sell the land it could not be built on. As a consequence, it is now home to a multi-use stadium - primarily used by Guernsey RFC and Guernsey FC - and is the island's main sports venue.
