Bayeaux and its environs

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The tapestry is believed to have been "commissioned" by Bishop Odo of Bayeux who was William’s half brother. The work was carried out by the women of Kent and it isn’t clear if they participated in the work willingly but it seems certain that the original home for the tapestry was in the cathedral. So this masterpiece would have been blessed by the Bishop and then displayed in the newly consecrated Cathedral.

The tapestry is now housed in the Centre Guillaume-le-Conquerant, an old seminary built in 1693. The tour of the tapestry is best done with individual headsets and we found that the "pace" of the tour was a little brisk, but there is an awful lot of it to see and we were happy to take in its enormity and wonder at how well it has worn over the years. The main themes of this medieval cartoon are divided into thirteen separate scenes. It starts by setting the scene and shows the meeting up of Harold and King Edward the Confessor in Westminster Palace in 1064. Don’t expect to see the Battle of Hastings in the early scenes in the early part of the work as the tapestry goes on to set the scene and identify some of the motivation for the invasion of England by William. It shows Harold journeying to France, his capture and imprisonment and, before his release, his apparent support of William in a "swearing in ceremony". This was an apparent affirmation that William would be rightfully crowned as King of England when Edward, his cousin, died.

However on the death of Edward Harold accepts the Crown (both the funeral and coronation ceremony are ably depicted on the tapestry) and William is, to put it mildly a "wee bit upset". So he plans to re-possess his rightful position as King of England by taking on the usurper and the next two scenes show his careful preparation and the building of a navy to make the crossing to English shores. The landings and the building of a fort precede the graphic battle scene with limbs a-flying, culminating with the famous arrow in Harold’s eye and his death scene. This is a fascinatingly unique piece of history that I’m really pleased to have seen.

Bayeaux’s Cathedral was originally consecrated in 1077 but little remains of that church (only the crypt and part of the west tower) the vast majority being rebuilt in the 13th century, but the central tower was added in the 15th century, and (now considered to be a monstrosity) the dome was added in the 19th century. The decorated arches in the nave were superb, the vaulting immaculate, and the 18th-century pulpit was a delight. As we wandered the outside of this magnificent cathedral (that remarkably was undamaged in the bombing raids of World War 2), we were both fascinated and amused by the Gothic gargoyles that adorn its dizzy heights, and the sculptures around the entrances. They kept us busy for some considerable time.

Bayeaux operates a "petite train" to guide you through the sights of the town, but it’s not a difficult place to walk round, and the tourist board has placed numerous informative signs up around the streets. At least walking you can "call the shots," although the "train" may be a good way of orientating yourself.

We headed off for the tree-lined Place Charles de Gaulle to the lace-making museum (the main occupation for Bayeaux workers in the 1800s). This was a particular interest, as living in Nottingham (a major lace manufacturer that in effect removed the lace-making business from France) we were interested to read about and view their perspective of the history of manufactured lace. The square itself was named to celebrate the visit of the great leader, who visited the town in 1944.

We thoroughly enjoyed our exploration of the banks of the River Aure and the fine old properties that butt right up to the water’s edge. Rue St. Jean offers advantageous views of the old tannery and dying area of the town as the narrow river offered essential waters for the processes. A walk around the medieval ramparts made for an interesting city walk, with the ancient half-timbered houses forming archways with the old defensive walls.

Of course Bayeax is an ideal place to stay if you want to investigate the beaches of the Normandy Landing (Sword, Juno, Gold, and Omaha) and Arrowmanches-les-Bains offers great views of the beaches and a chance to spot the remains of the artificial harbour that was towed across the channel as part of the invasion strategy. If you’re travelling down the coast, make sure you check out the famous bottleneck, Pegasus Bridge, at Benouville. It’s stunningly stark, and will offer a chilling reminder of battles lost and won.

It is an interesting place, and we were pleased that we’d made the effort to drive to the top of the hill to the "vieux chateau." We parked just outside the walls, and some of the views from the top across the rooftops out to the harbour and beyond are quite superb. Indeed, I later read that several accomplished artists (Pissarro, Renoir and Delecroix) had been inspired to paint the scene. That must tell us something! The "solid" looking chateau, with its three pepper-pot towers (there were four originally), was originally constructed back in the 15th century to keep the marauding British at bay; was a prison during the French revolution; and thereafter was an army barracks. From 1906 it was unoccupied and was very close to being demolished until the authorities stepped in and declared it would be retained as a museum. Now there’s ever a changing set of exhibitions alongside Dieppe’s debatable art heritage of finely carved ivory—now frowned upon but nevertheless these were painstakingly carved by sailors whiling away the long days at sea or more accomplished sculptors.

We decided to follow our noses and walk down to the harbour (the car was well-parked and we didn’t fancy finding another spot) although we had to remind ourselves that walking down did also require us walking back up! However, the lure of a fish lunch in one of the many harbour restaurants was enough to convince us that the effort would be worth our while.

Dieppe’s St. Remy Church looks forlorn and somewhat dilapidated, but it is worth pocking your nose inside because this 16th-century church (that’s when work started although it wasn’t completed until well into the 19th) has some fine Renaissance decoration, interesting windows, and a superb rococo organ.

The Porte des Tourelles is the only part left of Dieppe’s ramparts, and the other side of St. Remy is one of the oldest inns in Dieppe, Café des Tribunaux. You won’t be able to miss this tall white building with the clock face at the top right in the centre of Dieppe. It dates back to the late 1600s but in the 1730s it was known as cabaret de l’Horloge (I wonder why!). Keep an eye out for the oldest building in town, a timber-framed building built in 1621, and I’d recommend that you check out the church of St. Jacques. This place has some superbly grotesque gargoyles and small chapels, fantastically lit by the light through the intricate stained-glass windows.

On a Saturday the streets are rammed with market traders selling all manner of local products including, of course a wide variety of fresh catches from the sea. And then we wandered around the busy quayside enjoying the smells, sounds and bustle of Dieppe’s livelihood.