The Tourelles

The Tourelles, in Dieppe

The Tourelles is an old fortified gate of Dieppe, the last vestige of the medieval ramparts of the town, on the Boulevard de Verdun. The Dieppe audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this witness of the wall that formerly protected the town, near the seafront.

The last gate of the ramparts

Sweeping the gaze over the Boulevard de Verdun, the building that stands facing you catches the eye: the Tourelles. This fortified gate, flanked by its two round towers topped with conical roofs, is the last vestige of the ramparts that formerly surrounded Dieppe. In the Middle Ages and the modern era, the town, an important port of the Channel, was protected by a wall pierced with several gates, which controlled the entrances and defended the town against the attacks come from the sea or the land. Dieppe knew indeed an eventful history, marked by the wars, the sieges and notably a terrible bombardment by the Anglo-Dutch fleet at the end of the seventeenth century, which destroyed a large part of the town. The Tourelles have crossed these ordeals and survive as a moving testimony of the defensive past of Dieppe. Located near the seafront and the beach, the gate symbolically marks the entrance of the old town. A fortified vestige and a witness of history, the Tourelles is a fine stop of the discovery of Dieppe.

What to see

You admire the fortified gate flanked by two round towers topped with conical roofs, the last vestige of the ramparts that surrounded Dieppe, an important port of the Channel protected by a wall pierced with gates, which crossed an eventful history of wars and sieges, including a terrible Anglo-Dutch bombardment; located near the seafront, it marks the entrance of the old town. The Tourelles is a witness of the history of Dieppe. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Tourelles lies on the Boulevard de Verdun, near the seafront of Dieppe, reachable on foot. It is an open-air vestige, freely accessible. You discover it during a walk between the beach and the old town.

What is the Tourelles in Dieppe?

An old fortified gate flanked by two round towers topped with conical roofs, the last vestige of the ramparts that surrounded Dieppe; this wall protected the important port of the Channel, which crossed an eventful history of wars and sieges, including a terrible Anglo-Dutch bombardment at the end of the seventeenth century.

Where is the Tourelles in Dieppe?

On the Boulevard de Verdun, near the seafront of Dieppe, in France.