From the first villas to hotels and the tram, this file describes the transformations of the village and the beach before the Second World War. Postcards and old brochures complete Yves Cordelle's notes.
Tourism in Vierville before the war
Before 1860, the activity of Vierville sur mer was essentially agricultural: especially grasslands, a little cereal or linear crops in the "countryside" (here, we call the strip of land about 300 meters wide, without hedges, along the cliffs), artisanal breeding of various poultry, rabbits, pigs, horse and donkey farms to ensure the services of farms and local transport, fishing on foot by the sea (crabs, shrimps, mussels, periwinkles, s, herring, etc.) in addition to agricultural resources. Of course, no engines, a few rare wind and water mills (especially at the bottom of the road that leads to the sea) that disappear in favor of factories in neighboring cities. No drinking water, sanitation, electricity, telephone network. A summary road, adapted to the local service of fields and farms. Some rare stone roads connecting the village to Grandcamp, Port, Trévières and Bayeux.
In less than a century this landscape will change completely, and first by the development of tourism.
In 1875, Emile Zola stayed in Normandy and passed through Vierville, see the newspaper article opposite.
An impressionist painter, Adolphe-Félix Cals, also passed through here, see chapter 31.
The all the first villas were built towards the end of the Second Empire (Napoleon III had been interested in Bessin and had considered "vallegiating" in Grandcamp), but the seaside road was not created until 1900, subsidized by the department, (it was the RD 30), under the impetus of Mayor Etienne de Cauvigny.
Émile Zola in the Bessin, in search of La Joie de vivreRead the rewritten text
This reading version has been rewritten from the newspaper clipping. Connecting phrases and any reconstructed words are not a verbatim quotation.
Under the title "Émile Zola in the Bessin: in search of the joy of living", an article signed Th. B. toured the writer's work and Norman stays. He recalled his commitment to the Dreyfus affair with "J'accuse" in L'Aurore, his description of the Second Empire through the Rougon-Macquart, and the intensity of his descriptions, his evocation of love or human landscapes.
The author cited in particular Le Ventre de Paris, L'Œuvre, La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret, Le Rêve and Au Bonheur des Dames to evoke this way of giving life to beings and things. He opposed Flaubert's taste for travel details to a less traveling Zola, whose stays in Normandy had nevertheless marked the novels. In Rouen, he wrote, Zola retained above all the sadness of the court and the office of the investigating judge.
According to this presentation, Zola had come to Bessin in 1875 and knew Arromanches, Vierville and the sector of the future Pointe du Hoc. The fictional village of Bonneville appeared as an assembly of notes taken on the coast, from Lion-sur-Mer to Cherbourg, rather than as a single place.
The visible continuation of the article evoked the crisis experienced by Zola in 1880 after the death of Duranty on April 9, Flaubert on May 8 and his mother on October 17. The author recalled his haunting of death, analyzed by Olivier Got from Edmond de Goncourt's diary, and his readings by Schopenhauer. He also alluded to the writer's subsequent death by gas, leaving open the question of his voluntary or accidental character.
Zola would have begun at the end of 1880 a first approach to La Joie de vivre. The text linked the later location of the novel in the Bessin to a trip the following year, especially to Grandcamp and Vierville. The end of this analysis is not kept on the scan. Under the photograph of a house was a hypothetical legend: it could be Lazare’s house.
View the archive imageDownload the rewritten text
Original OCR text
The original OCR text is kept for comparison with the image. Its reading order and some words may be incorrect.
The tramway was put into service in 2 stages: in 1900, the line from Grandcamp to Saint-Laurent, via Vierville, extended in 1901 to Formigny, Trévières and Le Molay-Littry where the connection was provided with the Paris-Caen-Bayeux-Lison-Carentan-Cherbourg line.
This connection has led to the construction of many villas, restaurants and hotels.
It is difficult to know at what rate the villas were built, but construction was certainly accelerated by the commissioning of the tram.
There are many postcards (hundreds) from various eras since 1890, which show the constructions that follow one another and change, but the dates are missing to reconstruct the schedule. In particular, it is almost impossible, without cadastral research, to know which villas existed in 1900, 1914, 1930. The situation in 1939 and 1945 is better known.
The first hotels and restaurants for tourists date from the end of the 19th century.
In 1895, a brochure talks about 3 hotels: Houel (probably on the crossroads of the village, from 1872), the Grace of God, the Beach.
The constructions seem to have been made in the following order:
Around 1900, at the crossroads of the village, thehôtel des Touristes (future "La Pie qui Tette") perhaps by the family Piprel, who at the same time installed a restaurant "Casino" by the sea.
At the same time, the family Le Gallois created a bazar with buvette at the bottom of the descent to the sea and installed rented bath cabins.
Then, the hôtel de la Plage was built, probably from 1905 or 1910, by Louis Merlin, just below the hotel des Touristes, probably replacing the old hotel Houel.
Around 1910, the restaurant "Casino" too exposed to sea bumps, was moved 50 meters back.
After the war of 14-18, in 1925, the Piprel family completed the restaurant "Casino" with a "Hôtel du Casino" that is attached to it.
The hôtel des Touristes is then taken care of by the family Pignolet.
Around 1930, the small bazaar Le Gallois was replaced by the sea by a large 4-level building, the Café Eden Bellevue which included a bazaar, a café and furnished, all near the rental bath cabins.
Meanwhile, the small tram on the Decauville route of Chemins de Fer du Calvados has finished its days, defeated by the road engine. It closed in 1928, replaced by a bus line: the "Autos Satos"
The Second World War destroyed all seaside establishments. They were rebuilt on other locations, as we know them today: Hôtel-Restaurant du Casino (Piprel family, now Clémençon) and Bazar-Brasserie-Meublés "La Plage d'Or" (Le Gallois family, today Hamel) The beach cabins have not been rebuilt.
They were completed by the Créperie de la Falaise, associated with a group of furnished in holiday rentals.
The crossroads hotels had escaped the destruction on June 7, 1944 of the neighboring buildings of the École e de la Poste. But the Hôtel de la Plage, now Hôtel de la Place disappeared in a fire, while the Hôtel des Touristes, which became the café restaurant of the "Pie qui Tette" closed pending a modernization envisaged by its new owners.
A camping has opened its doors on the cliff, just above the beach and west of the sea road.
As for seaside villas, an approximate score shows that there were in 1939, facing the sea, about 35 villas and houses more or less large (not counting many beach cabins) between the Le Gallois establishment (now a monument of the US National Guard) and the Vierville-St Laurent border. On the date of writing the notes, Yves Cordelle had 63 constructions on this same area re-membered after the war, to which were added permits not yet made.
On the area re-sized from the foot of the descent to the sea to the old quarry, there are today about 20 houses and villas, there were 22 before the war, including the Gambier house embedded further into the cliff, which the war made disappear.
You will find below 2 old advertising brochures, 1895 and 1932, which present Vierville sur Mer
In 1895, a "Practice Guide for families on the beaches of Normandy", published in Paris, describes our municipality as follows:
383 inhabitants - 20km from Bayeux - Post and telephone - Station at Molay-Littry (10km), connecting car at the arrival of the train from Paris - Train journey: 5h1/2 - Distance by road: 261km - Doctor and pharmacist in Trévières.
(The small train from Molay-Littry to Grandcamp by Vierville was not put into service until around 1900, it was replaced by buses in 1928)
The seaside resort of Vierville is already very busy, and it would be even more so if we were not forced to do, when going down from the railway, two hours by car to get there. It is therefore especially recommended for bathers who can make a long stay at the sea without interruption. Once installed, we enjoy perfect tranquility, in the middle of laughing countryside whose varied aspects banish any idea of monotony or sadness.
The beach of fine and golden sand, with a few rare pebbles, has an extension of 6 kilometers and advances very far into the sea at low tide; hence it offers a vast field for children's games and walks of adults. The strike is bordered along its entire length by cliffs that descend gently and provide the rubble used in the country for construction. By parenthesis, this ease of obtaining the necessary materials on site makes it possible to raise houses in very good conditions (even today we can notice these small quarries along the top of the cliff). Baths are taken at high tide and cabins set up near the cliffs are used by bathers who do not like to undress at home.
Life is very cheap in Vierville, and small purses can come there without running the risk of seeing their expenses exceed their means. There are two butchers, a baker and several grocers in the village; but for products such as butter, milk, eggs, vegetables, you have to contact the peasants, because there is no market. For food, the average expense is 2 fr. 50 per day (about 8.5 E). The houses for rent are not very numerous, but there are quite a few furnished rooms, whose price varies from 30 to 50 francs per month (about 100 to 170 E), and small rentals from 100 francs (about 340 E). There are cleaning ladies at 1 fr. 25 per day (about 4.25 E). Three hotel-inns take residents at a rate of 100 francs per month (about 340 E).
The beach is very conducive to fishing, especially shrimp fishing. We take as many roses as gray ones; so there is enough to satisfy all tastes. We also pick mussels.
In the vicinity of Vierville, you can take some pleasant and shady walks. As for excursions, as the means of transport are completely lacking, we are obliged not to exceed a certain remote perimeter and to limit ourselves to those that are possible on foot. The castle of Saint Sever, Formigny, famous for the battle of this name, Louvières, the Bois de Saffrray will particularly attract the attention of tourists. If by chance we manage to get a car, we can visit, not without approval, the coast from Port-en-Bessin to Grancamp and the mouth of the Vire.
Hotels. - Hotel Houel; - of the Grace of God; - of the Beach.
Villas for rent. - MM. H. Genouin, E. Daon, C. Neustadt, Mrs. Le Gallois, etc.
A small advertising booklet created and published in 1932 by a printer from Trévières. Sold 2 francs, he described in his own way all the picturesque attractions of the beaches that would be called Omaha Beach 12 years later.
"THE SEA
OR TO GO... WHAT TO DO...? These are often the questions that the resorter asks himself, disoriented, in a new country for him, If the spectator, going to a party, consults the program, if the racing enthusiast acts the same, it is because they recognize its usefulness. So we thought that in our country there are beauties worthy of attracting the visitor's attention that's why we undertook in this small brochure, to facilitate his stay among us by establishing for him, what we will call a program, which will allow him to spend his days pleasantly and to win the best memory from our beaches.
We have mainly classified in these few pages the things that are visible to all, with as much precision as possible, we have added notes and information that we owe to the kind kindness of Mr. Abbé Louis Guerrin, Dean of Trévières, President of the Historical Society, whose great competence in these things, as a result of long research and work, have made him a most appreciated scholar; since we lack the place, we can only refer the specially interested amateurs, to the works published either in volume or in the Future - where these studies are completed. Similarly, the Histoire du Bessin - jusqu'à la Révolution, a work in two volumes, crowned by the French Academy, by Mr. Edmond de LAHEUDERIE is the most interesting (these volumes are for sale at our offices), and we could not fail to mention the very beautiful study, historical, Formigny, by M Georges DILLAYE, published around 1903 in the Glaneur. PF
"The tourist who is looking for calm and quiet beaches to rest, can only find better than those of Bessin, these beautiful beaches with wonderful golden sands, offering complete security, which extend from Vierville to Sainte-Honorine. This sea that advances and retreats, leaving uncovered on an area of about 15 kilometers long by 2000 meters wide, this golden dust that makes the joy of children, who armed with shovels, rakes, buckets, etc., convert it into houses, castles, men and others, which it will return to level every day in its regular back and forth from 12 hours to about 12 hours (6 hours rising tide, 6 hours descending tide); the joy of the parents - taking part in the frolics of their toddlers sitting in comfortable armchairs, or installed in the pretty cabins, rocked by the whisper of this sea that seems to sing the beauties of our wonderful country.
If the many bathers who visit us are unanimous to recognize that our beaches do not present any danger, it is nevertheless necessary that it is always useful to take certain precautions which many people and mainly young people, seem to forget and this forgetfulness can give rise to regrettable accidents; it is not a question for the bather to go into the sea as he will go to town in a swimming pool; it is useful to comply with the indications that could be given, the regulations that would be in use. If he does not know how to swim never venture into the sea, without being accompanied and stay as much as possible in a specific area, the sea has its betrayals and a simple blade can make a man lose his balance that is too advanced and roll him far away, we must also think about congestion, very frequent and above all never take a bath or get into the water immediately after a meal, any person cautious and following these principles is assured, to spend a pleasant and happy holiday on our Beaches.
Many of our visitors love fishing, it is often their favorite pleasure. What could be more pleasant than pushing the shrimp net in front of you and bringing back the pretty bouquet that we find on our sands; others prefer to look for lobsters, crabs, pick mussels in the rocks and often make very interesting fishing. On winter nights, when herring season arrives, many inhabitants stretch long nets and make fruitful harvests of these "coastal herring", which are prime and sold very expensive in the area.
The coasts of Bessin produce fish highly sought after by amateurs and Port and Grandcamp are home to many boats and trawlers engaged in fishing, they are important centers that supply part of our Normandy markets. Or can see from our beaches these boats crisscross the sea indulgining in fishing. Nowadays the transport of fish is carried out by fast means thanks to cars, but about fifteen years ago this sale had a picturesque cachet, many dog cluts would travel through the countryside and fishmongers offered the fresh tide at home. It was a very hard job, on the road by cold, rain or snow, spending part of their night to reach the port where they had to refuel; from the first boats arrived, it was the race for sale, the first passerby often taking the place, some did with their hitches up to 70 kilometers in the same day.
However, none of these emulates of Madame Angot would die in wealth, very few were those who escaped the concern that the law carried to the poor dogs, a bowl for food, absent, a poorly arranged collar, a non-regular authorization, and often when exhausted by a long race they recovered from their fatigue by being dragged in their truck, the marshal ambushed, as by chance, in some corner often appeared and the money so expensively acquired went in the form of a ticket to fill the state coffers; Other terrible enemies of these poor people were heat, cold, fatigue, also - the opportunity makes the thew - many times passing near the bistro, in exchange for good fresh fish they accepted a small glass of this tord-bowel which in fact of relief only relieved the wallet.
On each side, of Vierville as well as Sainte-Honorine stand the steep cliffs, dominating the sea with their banks of round pebbles and rocks; it is mainly there that these stones are in turn covered and discovered by the sea, crabs, mussels, etc. If we look to our left we see the point of Englesqueville-la-Percée behind which are Grandcamp-les-Bains and Les Veys which lead to Isigny-sur-Mer. Further on we notice the Cotentin peninsula which stretches in the sea forming a right angle, which allows us to distinguish on a clear day Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue whose boats bring the scallops so popular with gourmets, higher up is the tip of Barfleur whose rays of light at night, of the lighthouse illuminate the horizon intermittently. If we look to the right, our gaze will first stop at the cliffs of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes that hide Port en-Bessin from us. A little further forward is Commes (Le Bouffay) and these cliffs continue after a notch where Arromanches is located, to Saint Côme du Fresnay, our vision seems to stop at the point of Ver, now famous for the landing of American aviators.
In front of us, is the stirring immensity, in turn calm, rumbling or unleashed, it's THE SEA!!!!
By leaving the National road from Paris to Cherbourg at the place where the Memorial Monument to the Victory of Formigny is raised and heading towards the sea, we pass in front of the Church of this country, located on the right; after about a hundred meters the road forms a bifurcation, one side, the one on the left, will lead to the sea after crossing Vierville, and the other side, Saint-Laurent, at the ends of Boulevard de Cauvigny which we will talk about later.
Although the statistics give the figure of 338 inhabitants for Vierville, during the summer this number is considerably exceeded; many people devote part of their home to rental to bathers, in addition there are very good hotels in the village itself, the Hôtel des Touristes de M. Pignolet and the Hôtel de la Plage de Mr. Merlin, customers are received there with urbanity, they are treated with research and comfort, the cuisine is neat, varied, exquisite; there is also a family pension, Miss Lemoigne, we taste the healthy bourgeois cuisine, in short the village is better stocked and we find everything we may need, at affordable prices because so far the gunshots are unknown on our Beaches.
After passing the village of Vierville, crossed, as well as that of Saint-Laurent, by the road from Port to Grandcamp, we will descend towards the sea or better towards what we will call Vierville-Plage, because if about thirty years ago this shore was about deserted, the two twin beaches, formed with Saint-Laurent, are connected by a superb boulevard more than 2 kilometers long, created around 1900 by Mr. de Cauvigny, at that time Mayor of Vierville. If for many years the works carried out to preserve this boulevard from the fury of the floods, by high tides were insufficient, we began, with the support of the public authorities, very large protective works, which will continue from year to year, and will protect it from the damage caused by sea falls.
With the creation of this boulevard, pretty and coquettish constructions have emerged and it cannot be denied that there are few beaches in France with such a grandiose natural site and a panorama as wonderful as this place in Bessin"
