Ault, Somme
Encyclopedia
Ault is a commune
in the Somme
department in Picardie
in northern France
.
, on the D19 road, 20 miles (32 km) west of Abbeville
, in the southwest of the department, Ault possesses chalk cliffs overlooking a beach of pebbles (and sand at low tide). To the south of the town is a large wooded area, the ‘Bois de Cise’, in a valley that leads on to the coast. To the north, the cliffs descend to the level of the beach at Onival. The area around the town, the 'hâble d’Ault' was mostly tidal marshland that has been reclaimed from the sea. Cattle, sheep and game are raised here.
Woincourt
to Onival line, which closed to passengers in May 1939, but saw much use during World War II
to move materials for the Atlantic Wall
. During the war, a metre gauge
line was laid alongside the road from Lanchères
, on the CFBS, to Ault. This line was dismantled after the war.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
department in Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
Situated on the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, on the D19 road, 20 miles (32 km) west of Abbeville
Abbeville
Abbeville is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Location:Abbeville is located on the Somme River, from its modern mouth in the English Channel, and northwest of Amiens...
, in the southwest of the department, Ault possesses chalk cliffs overlooking a beach of pebbles (and sand at low tide). To the south of the town is a large wooded area, the ‘Bois de Cise’, in a valley that leads on to the coast. To the north, the cliffs descend to the level of the beach at Onival. The area around the town, the 'hâble d’Ault' was mostly tidal marshland that has been reclaimed from the sea. Cattle, sheep and game are raised here.
Railways
Ault had a station on the standard gaugeStandard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
Woincourt
Woincourt
Woincourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Woincourt is situated 15 miles southwest of Abbeville, at the D2 and D1925 crossroads.-Population:-External links:*...
to Onival line, which closed to passengers in May 1939, but saw much use during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to move materials for the Atlantic Wall
Atlantic Wall
The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the western coast of Europe as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland continent from Great Britain.-History:On March 23, 1942 Führer Directive Number 40...
. During the war, a metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
line was laid alongside the road from Lanchères
Lanchères
Lanchères is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated on the D940 road, some northwest of Abbeville.-Population:-Personalities:Paul Vimereu, author, spent his childhood at Lanchères...
, on the CFBS, to Ault. This line was dismantled after the war.
Population
Places of interest
- The 15th / sixteenth century church of Saint-Pierre,
- The war memorial, designed by Paul LandowskiPaul LandowskiPaul Maximilien Landowski , a French monument sculptor of Polish ancestry. He was born in Paris to Polish refugees of the January Uprising, and died in Boulogne-Billancourt....
. - Two chapels, at Onival and Bois de Cise dating from the nineteenth century.
- Several ancient village houses.
- The lighthouseLighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
, with its lantern over 106 metres above sea-level. - The cliffs
- The beaches of Ault and Bois de Cise..
- The ‘hâble d'Ault’, with signed pathways.