Arques-la-Bataille, near Dieppe
The historic Norman bourg (large village) of Arques-la-Bataille, in the department of Seine-Maritime, lies a few miles inland from Dieppe, in a valley at the meeting of the Varenne, Eaulne, Arques and Béthune rivers. Arques is dominated by the imposing ruin of the medieval Château d’Arques, originally built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror’s uncle. The village owes its name to the fact that it was the site of a battle in 1589, an important victory for Henri IV (Henri of Navarre) in the Wars of Religion. Among other Renaissance buildings, Arques has a large 16th-century church with a fine, rare stone rood screen.
The château was the subject of numerous sketches and paintings by J. M. W. Turner, done during his tours of Normandy in the 1820s and ‘30s. Some were done from the hill just behind our house, as illustrated below.
The historic Norman bourg (large village) of Arques-la-Bataille, in the department of Seine-Maritime, lies a few miles inland from Dieppe, in a valley at the meeting of the Varenne, Eaulne, Arques and Béthune rivers. Arques is dominated by the imposing ruin of the medieval Château d’Arques, originally built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror’s uncle.
Arques-la-Bataille
The village owes its name to the fact that it was the site of a battle in 1589, an important victory for Henri IV (Henri of Navarre) in the Wars of Religion. Among other Renaissance buildings, Arques has a large 16th-century church with a fine, rare stone rood screen.
The château was the subject of numerous sketches and paintings by J. M. W. Turner, done during his tours of Normandy in the 1820s and ‘30s.
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