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Starting at the Tourist Office in the square place de l’Orne (now called place du Général De Gaulle). Pass in front of the old prison (on the road rue du Bailliage) and then towards the street rue
Aristide Cauchois. Follow the river, take the street rue des Tanneurs, passing in front of the Tour des Fascines and the Tour d’Harfleur before arriving in the square place Coty in front of the
White Horse hotel. Continue towards the street la Grande Rue and the house of Bailli de Caux then behind the church back towards the square place du Parvis. Now head towards the street rue
Guillaume Letellier then the street rueThomas Bazin while looking at the Templars House. After that, head towards the Place d’Armes by taking the road rue de la Cordonnerie. You will arrive in
the square place d’Armes after having crossed the street rue de la Poissonnerie. Admire the southern face of the church then cross the place d’Armes towards the street rue du 8 mai. You should
be back at the Town Hall. Go back to the Tourist Office walking alongside the Seine glancing towards the Maison Caron and Maison Bénard.
The town of CAUDEBEC-EN-CAUX hasn’t always looked the same as it does today. It used to be a medieval town with narrow
streets and half-timbered houses. After a terrible fire in 1940, the inhabitants had to show great courage in order to bring it
back from the ashes. The touristic itinerary proposed to you in this leaflet, laid out by the town’s Elders’ council, will let you travel
through the decades and discover the old Caudebec.
CAUDEBEC-EN-CAUX Then... and now
PROPOSED ITINERARY
The White
Horse hotel
The Caron house The Bénard
house
Rue de la
Poissonnerie Rue de la
Cordonnerie
The Chateau’s
hotel The Grande Rue
Place de l’Orme
1
5
6 13
9
10 11
12
CAUDEBEC-EN-CAUX : its name comes from the Scandinavian words “kald” meaning cold and “bekker” meaning river or stream thus meaning “cold river”. It is the homonym of Caldebek
in England. It is 35 km from Rouen and 50 km from Le Havre. The town counted 2300 inhabitants on January 1, 2014. It is sheltered by Mont Calidu. There is a small river at its foot
called Calidum-Beccum or Ambion. In the East as well as in the West, woods almost create a shield seemingly placed here to protect from the wind.
Edition 2015
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Office de Tourisme 1
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
WC
WC
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The sports café, situated on the corner of the place de l’Orme (now called place
du Général De Gaulle ) and the street rue Saint-Clair, survived the war and the bad
weather.
On the 31st August 1944, French troops were liberated. This is also when American
goodies were found such as honey flavoured cigarettes, real instant coffee,
chewing gum, chocolate and other products that were thrown to the applauding
crowd as the soldiers marched through.
After the war years, the sports café was owned by Mr and Mrs Cantrel under the
name “Restaurant des Routiers”. Afterwards it became a restaurant-crêperie called
“Au Fil du Temps” with a fantastic terrace on the square place du Général de Gaulle.
Place de l’Orme (place De Gaulle)
The Sports Café
1
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The street rue du Bailliage houses the old prison which was built in the 14th century. It is one of the rare
medieval prisons that still exist in France.
The prison was built into the walls of the town. The walls are one metre thick and originally the building
had three floors however the second floor was destroyed in 1960.
• Groundfloor – Dungeonsfor longsentencesandthosesentencedtodeath.
• First floor – Dungeonsforshortsentencesandprisoncells.
• Secondfloor – Theattic whichservedasdormitoriesfor theguards.
The trials were carried out in the courtyard and then the condemned to death were taken to the gallows
of Calidu (on the current hill going towards Saint Arnoult). The dead were exposed to all those who walked
through the town.
The wells were used for torturing; they used to make them drink up to eighteen litres of water. On the
other side of the courtyard was the so called questioning room i.e. the torture chamber. The chapel Saint- Léonard adjacent to the prison was attached to the establishment. The street that is currently named rue
du Bailliage used to be rue Malrepast undoubtedly named after the awful meals given to the residents.
Rue du Bailliage
The old prison
2
CAUDEBEC-EN-CAUX Then... and now
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The ancient fortifications
Tour d’Harfleur and Tour des Fascines
3 4
The town was fortified at the end of the 14th century and surrounded by a moat and high
walls with towers and small forts. The two towers Tour d’Harfleur and Tour des Fascines are
all that are left of the fortification.
The tower Tour des Fascines named like so replaced a tower hastily built with twigs that were
meant to fill in the moat. The only part that remains is the ground floor with an underground
bit leading to the river.
These towers with walls three to four metres high were planed off bit by bit at the end of the
15th century in order to be transformed into bunkers for either troops or to store weapons
and ammunition. They were heavily destroyed during the 18th century, the Tour des Fascines
in 1783.
In total five towers defended the mouth of the river Ambion.
Tour d’Harfleur
Tour des Fascines
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CAUDEBEC-EN-CAUX
5 The White Horse hotel
1918 – This timber framed hotel, whose name probably comes from the white horse
of Henri IV, was placed in the square place du Havre. Caudebec was the town of greasy
spoons and sellers of roasted meats. A great tourist town is one where we eat well!
1940 – The hotel was destroyed due to the bombardment and the fire that evidently
followed. It was rebuilt out of stone from Caen in 1950.
2012 – The current owner kept the hotel’s restaurant but the square in which it is
placed was renamed place René Coty as a tribute to one of the old French presidents
who was from Normandy.
Then... and now
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The Grande Rue
Maison du Bailli de Caux at number 16 (The bailiffs’ house)
6
The Grande Rue was the major artery in the Middle Ages with all traffic whether it be
merchandise or travellers moving between Lillebonne and Rouen.
The market was very important and was strategically placed just two steps from la
Grande Rue. The alleyway which runs the length of the church was narrow and had a one
way system for traffic.
In 1592, Henri IV made Caudebec the big bailiwick of Pays de Caux, almost like a capital
with its barracks and the la maison du Bailli. The house was built between 1760 and
1782. However few bailiffs lived here as the siege was moved to Yvetot during the
revolution. The house was sold in 1793. Today it is private property.
La Grande Rue like the rest of the town was burnt in 1940. Only la maison du Bailli, the
church and the houses behind the two in the north were spared. These old parts still
exist today.
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CAUDEBEC-EN-CAUX
7 The church Notre-Dame
The church has been in Caudebec-en-Caux since the 11th century as mentioned in a charter of
William the Conqueror. When the town became Grand Bailliage de Caux in the 12th century the
church was proven too small so in 1426 the first of five big reconstruction periods started.
• 1426 – 1446 – First level of the nave; chapels 5 to 11 and 18.
• 1450 – 1484 – by the master builder Guillaume Letellier, completion of the nave, choir and
apse chapels.
• 1523 – 1530 – chapels 1 to 4 and a large section of the door and the outside of the bell.
• From the 16th century until the revolution; defacing by protestants in 1562. The church was
damaged during the revolution.
• June 1940: the church was saved except the big door, the bells and the south roof.
Henri IV was of the opinion that the flamboyant gothic style ribbed structure was the most
beautiful chapel in his kingdom.
Inside, the organ was the masterpiece of the building. It was put there in 1540 and is made up
of 3345 wooden and tin pipes.
Then... and now
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8 The Templars’ House
This house dates from the 13th century; it’s the oldest building in the town. The origins of its
name are rather interesting as nothing can confirm that Templars actually resided there.
The house currently belongs to the Friends of Old Caudebec association who enabled its
conservation. The house almost disappeared right at the beginning of the century in 1918 as an
American envisaged taking the house brick by brick back to the USA. The association intervened
and bought the house with support from the state.
Since 1935 the house houses the museum Biochet-Bréchot. The expositions are dedicated to local
history. You can find a beautiful collection of fireplace mantels. This collection has flourished
thanks to those found in the burnt down houses during the war.
During the war, in 1940, a terrible fire destroyed the town. The only part remaining from this era
is the façade and the interior columns. You can see a section that was restored downstairs to the
left (restored just before the war!)
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CAUDEBEC-EN-CAUX
9 Rue de la Cordonnerie
The street rue de la Cordonnerie was one of the narrowest commercial streets
of the town. In the Middle Ages, the shoemaker’s job was closely linked to
leather work and therefore complimented the tanners who also worked in this
street. These two professions benefited from the two rivers that run through
Caudebec. A number of important inhabitants were touched by these trades.
Then... and now
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10 Rue de la Poissonnerie
Before 1940, this area was named place de la Poissonnerie. Here the fish stall
traders skinned sections of eels into a bucket placed between their legs. They made
the sign of the cross with their first white piece of meat that they came across as it
was supposed to bring them happiness. “Do you need any beautiful prawns, a lovely
mullet or some shad? Not expensive here, ma’am!” they asked passers-by.
The market was then moved towards the church square. The street rue de la
Poissonnerie was the only street without old houses after a terrible fire in the 17th
century destroyed all the buildings. Sadly in June 1940, this street didn’t escape the
next fire and there was absolutely nothing left.
In 1949/1950 reconstruction started. Each neighbourhood was slowly built back
up with the buildings in the same place but with a new architecture. This road now
catered for trade. Going down the road you can see the rue des Belles Femmes at the
bottom with a partial view of the church.
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CAUDEBEC-EN-CAUX
11 The Chateau’s hotel
This hotel dates back to Napoléon’s era, built in the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th
century before 1805 by the Chandoisel de Caumont family. The chateau is situated in the far west of the town and
surrounded by a park where you can gaze at the Seine and the chalky curved cliffs of Pays du Caux. It’s the most
beautiful property of the town due to its placement, its extent and its amazing views of the horizon of Trait to
Villequier. The building owns a living room from the Louis XV reign completely covered in gold with a fireplace in the
same style. From the chateau, which served as a hotel in the 1920s until the 1930s, you could admire the tidal bore
where the foamy waves brushed the terrace however it is not viewable today.
In August 1935, a decree allowed the transfer of the radio station Radio Normandie (which was too cramped in
Fécamp) to the chateau’s hotel in Caudebec-en-Caux. This was then purchased from the radio society that left
Fécamp in order to have recording studios linked by cable from the transmitter in Louvetot. The radio shows
started on 12th December 1930 and proposed shows in English for our neighbours near the English Channel.
After a hyped up grand opening on 4th June 1939 the shows stopped on 7th September of the same year after the
declaration of war. The radio station was taken over by the Germans in 1940 and used for propaganda. During the
Nazi occupation, this station was only a relay of Radio Paris. The chateau was not subjected to any damage during
the war.
After the fire that destroyed the town in June 1940 the first meeting of the Conseil Municipal took place in the
chateau on 7th August. It was then reacquired to become the town hall in 1941 but it wasn’t until 1953 that it was
used as the town hall. After a fire in 1994 only three rooms in the chateau remain with their original decor.
Then... and now
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12 The Caron house
Founded in 1876 as a café, tobacconists and grocery shop. In 1920 it was taken over by Mr
Marcel Caron pictured here with a white shirt in the entrance of the shop but destroyed in
June 1940.
10th and 11th June 1940 were two days of Hell. In the morning of the 10th, German planes
arrived from all directions and dropped their bombs on Caudebec. This started a terrible
fire that lasted several days, raging and destroying 80% of the town. After the advance of
German troops, masses of motorists wanted to cross the river Seine by ferry. From the 9th
June only pedestrians were allowed to cross. Around 3000 cars were abandoned many in
the streets of Caudebec.
From June 1940 reorganisation of the town began. They had to think about removal of
debris and getting rid of all the charred cars. All materials that were thought to be able to
reused were recovered. Bit by bit shacks were put up to house the casualties and breathe
life into the trade industry again especially Caron’s greengrocers on the docks.
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CAUDEBEC-EN-CAUX
13 The Bénard house
The Bénard family took possession of the bakery situated on the dockside in 1905. Until the 1940s, trade in
Caudebec was very active and it was densely populated. The craftsmen lived off the land thanks to the river,
slaughterhouse, tannery, wheat mill, sawmill, fishermen, bark mill, vinegar makers, spools makers etc.
Industry had its place with Jean Latham’s seaplane factory, cotton whitening, dye works, spinning mills and
other similar occupations linked to the proximity of the river.
Caudebec had around 610 inhabitants before the war but the fire of the war killed around 430.After this fire,
the inhabitants of Caudebec came back and found their town in a sorry state; the docks, the squares and the
promenade littered with frameworks of cars. The only thing that remained of Mr Bénard’s bakery was a giant
pile of stones and only the fireplace was still standing. After clearing up, a wooden shack was built upon the
original tiles which allowed the bakery to start up again- necessary for daily life.
Little by little the shacks were converted into shelters for the casualties and to recommence trade. Many
salespeople left the town to go to other companies but fortunately for the inhabitants of Caudebec, those
who were vital to local life stayed and restarted their businesses. This was the case with Mr Bénard’s bakery
and Mr Caron’s greengrocers as with many others even with those who changed owners. The reconstruction
of buildings took many years and only in the 1950s did the town have a new face. Trade and business took
place once and for all and was like as we know it today.
Then... and now
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Ce guide historique a été conçu par les membres du Conseil des Sages de Caudebec-en-Caux,
avec la contribution de Madame Monique Guérin et Monsieur Alain Huon. Traduction : Jem LOUISE (Bristol, Angleterre).