Montreuil-sur-Mer the

Montreuil-sur-Mer the weight of a knight’s sword, have a go at reloading a crossbow, read poems of the day, listen to music of the Middle Ages, and get an understanding of the conflict and what led to it at this fascinating museum. The battle took place at nearby Tramecourt, just down the road from the centre. Now a charming, preserved village, a majestic avenue of century-old lime trees leads to the castle of the Marquis de Tramecourt and the church, where members of the family lost to the battle are buried. Open year-round: azincourt1415.com Montreuil-sur-Mer The walled upper town of Montreuil-sur- Mer perched on a plateau overlooking the Canche Valley sounds like it’s on the nearby Opal Coast (mer meaning sea), but in fact it’s landlocked. In the Middle Ages though, it was a thriving port town. Then the river Canche which flowed at its base was navigable all the way to the sea, now about 10km away. The city was prosperous, much coveted and fought Fressin chateau © Ronald Piclin over by amongst others, Plantagenet Kings, Burgundians, Spanish and English King Henry VIII whose troops ran amok here in 1537. The remains of the past are evident in the town’s labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets, ancient houses, the 12 th century Church of St Saulve with its flamboyant-Gothic chapel, the neo-gothic Chapelle de l’Hôtel-Dieu, founded in 1200 and reconstructed in 1875 by Clovis Normand, a pupil of Violet le Duc, and, at the citadel with its chateau remains, parts of which go back to the 13th Century. Inside the porch entrance of the chateau are the Coats of Arms of local knights who rode out from here to die fighting against Henry V and his army at Agincourt. Enjoy the many bars and restaurants in the town, including the Hauts de France, built in 1537. And if you want more history, head to the base of the town and explore the vast Chartreuse de Neuville, a charterhouse Fressin church Vieil Hesdin founded in 1323. Now open to the public, it’s an extraordinary building with a fascinating history, glorious gardens and hosts concerts and exhibitions regularly. destinationmontreuilloisencotedopale.com Chateau de Fressin The Chateau of Fressin was built in the early 1400s by Jean de Crequy, advisor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. The chateau was dismantled by Louis XIV in the 17th century, but the remains are an impressive reminder of its former glory and importance. In the grounds of the ancient flamboyant- Gothic style church of Saint Martin in the lovely little village of Fressin, are the graves of several knights who died at Azincourt along with the entrails of King Henry V’s uncle, Edward, Duke of York. A band of French knights mistakenly thought they had killed the English King and rejoiced, causing huge confusion. The Duke’s bones were taken back to England. Also interred in the church is Jean IV of Crequy whose wife Jeanne commissioned the chapel in 1425. Visit the castle and its pretty gardens (April to September) where events are regularly held. Vieil-Hesdin Little remains of the once flourishing town of Vieil-Hesdin, made prosperous thanks to the wool processing industry that developed here in the 11th century. It was surrounded by ramparts and ditches around an impressive castle, one-time base of Burgundian John the Fearless, father of Philip the Good, and here he manufactured his weapons and painted his pennants. The gardens of the castle were once legendary, filled with exotic beasts, a glass chapel, and medieval automatons. But in 1533, Charles V of Spain ordered its destruction, and he then built a new Hesdin just 6km away with a palace for his sister Marie of Hungary. Now the town hall, the 58 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 59