 In 1949, the States of Guernsey bought Herm from the Crown because of the "unspoilt island idyll that could be enjoyed by locals and tourists alike".One of the island's most influential tenants was Major Peter Wood, who looked after the island from 1949 to 1980 with his wife.The island was run down when he arrived, with the manor hidden in undergrowth, the windows and roofs of the houses having been blown off by a sea mine drifting into the harbour shortly after their arrival, but they created a school, and restored St Tugual's Chapel.