Chateau Des Marais

Ivy Castle, also known as Chateau des Marais, is a castle on Le Grand Bouet, on the island's north shore, and is one of the most beautiful historical sites in Guernsey. The Chateau des Marais, built in the 13th century, was utilized as a pirate hideaway. Prior to the construction of Castle Cornet in 1250, the castle served as Guernsey's primary defensive structure for 20–30 years. The Chateau des Marais was originally built as a motte-and-bailey castle, with stone walls and a raised section of ground known as a motte. This was a typical castle construction during that time.

During World War II, the Germans repurposed the Chateau des Marais, destroying the archaeological traces of the motte-and-bailey structure by constructing a bunker, machine-gun installations, and communication trenches. The Chateau des Marais was passed to the States of Guernsey by the War Department and Her Majesty's Commissioners of Crown Lands throughout the twentieth century. Restoration work on the castle was completed in the 1970s, and it is now managed by the Guernsey Museums Service.