Vierville-sur-MerHistory and archives

Explore the village by place

Places and heritage

Explore Vierville through its places: the village streets, church, estates, hamlets and shore. Each section introduces what the archives reveal about a place, then leads to the texts, maps and photographs collected by Yves Cordelle.

Stone houses and roofs of Pavée Street, on an old postcard.
Pavée Street, an old postcard preserved in the archives.

The village centre, its streets and crossroads

At the meeting of the roads and the route down to the sea, the village centre changes from one postcard or plan to the next. The collections follow Rue Pavée, Le Hamel au Prêtre, the hotels and shops around the crossroads, then the school and Mont Olive neighbourhoods. The pond, washhouse and Les Fontaines reveal earlier uses of water. Post-war photographs and later views make it possible to compare buildings and street frontages.

  • Paved Street

    Postcards, old houses and views from the bell tower: follow the street towards Saint-Laurent and compare its transformations.

  • The Hamel to the Priest

    The former Dumont café-grocery store, the houses of the road and their extension by the pavilion constructions.

  • The crossroads, hotels and the post office

    The cadastre of 1823 and a plan of 1872 shed light on the old descents to the sea, hotels, the school and the post office.

  • The Fountains, the pond and the washhouse

    Views of the water point, the house that has become Les Clématites, the old tobacconist and the activities of the crossroads.

Other documents and albums (1)
  • Schools and Mount Olive

    Construction of the school, temporary church and rebuilt bell tower: images to situate the changes in the neighborhood after the war.

The Saint-André church with its bell tower and the old presbytery, on a postcard.
The church and the former pre-war presbytery, postcard preserved in the archives.

Saint-André’s Church and parish life

Explore the church through its architecture, carvings, stained glass and photographs of the former presbytery. Pre-war views, accounts of 6 June 1944 and photographs of the rebuilding show what was lost and what was restored. Around the church itself, accounts of the parish priests, Abbé Le Paulmier’s testimony, parish fairs and links with Altena tell the story of parish life in different periods.

Other documents and albums (3)
  • Father Le Paulmier tells his journey

    Autobiographical notice of 1813: revolutionary oath refused, exile, travel and return before his appointment to Vierville.

  • The five bell towers fairs

    Photographs of the parish festivals of Vierville and neighboring villages, organized in particular to build the parish hall.

  • Parish ties with Altena

    Memories of the relations established with the German city from youth stays and meetings around Father Tourquetil.

Aerial view of the Château de Vierville, its outbuildings and the trees of the park.
The Château de Vierville and its park, aerial view preserved in the archives.

The Château de Vierville and its estate

The façades, grounds, outbuildings and interiors form a particularly rich collection of records. Plans, photographs and research into the owners offer a tour of the estate and explain its changes. The pages on the Countess of Hautefeuille introduce her writing and ideas. Accounts of 1944 place the château, its walls and the neighbouring wood within the history of the fighting and requisitions. The author expressly questions the reliability of some documents, including the plan tentatively dated to around 1882.

  • Discover the castle

    Architecture, enclosure, disappeared turret, dovecote and interior decorations: an introduction to the buildings and history of the estate.

  • Facades and entrances

    Postcards and photographs of the castle, its gates and accesses, with several old states of the facades.

  • The park and the outbuildings

    Lawns, vegetable garden, trees, commons and dovecote, accompanied by family photographs taken in the estate.

  • Interiors, vestiges and post-war views

    Azulejos, fireplaces, perimeter walls and park: a gallery that combines architectural details, ancient views and landscape notes.

Other documents and albums (7)
The mansion of Vaumicel seen from the east, with its round tower and high roofs.
The Vaumicel, ancient view of the eastern facade and its towers.

Vaumicel Manor

Round towers, projecting turrets and farm buildings give Vaumicel its distinctive outline. The account compares architectural descriptions, earlier names for the estate and the history of its owners. Two galleries add engravings, postcards, aerial views and detailed photographs. Walls, wells, hedges and woodland place the manor in its rural setting; comments on landscape protection reflect the planning documents collected at the time.

Facade of Than's old mansion, with its central body and wings, on a postcard.
The old mansion of Than before its destruction in 1944.

The Than estate

The story of Than follows a vanished building and a changed estate. Photographs show the eighteenth-century manor, its wings, courtyard and grounds before its destruction in 1944. The farm buildings later became the main residence, and the images help distinguish these two stages. Research into the owners is complemented by the account of Abbé Edgeworth’s stay and testimony about requisitions, fighting and the fire of June 1944.

  • The old mansion and its owners

    Construction, transformations and transmissions of the estate; distinguish the destroyed mansion from farm buildings that have become housing.

  • Than before and after the war

    Postcards of the mansion, views of the park and the caretaker's house, then photographs of the redeveloped buildings.

  • Abbot Edgeworth's stay in 1796

    Stories and research on the refuge of the confessor of Louis XVI in Vierville, his travels and attempts to pass through England.

  • Requisitions, fighting and destruction

    Testimonies on the occupation of the estate, the work imposed, the observation post and the disappearance of the mansion in June 1944.

Horses and characters in the courtyard of the Ormel farm, in front of a long stone building.
The Ormel farm, courtyard scene on an old postcard.

Farms, manor houses and hamlets

Beyond the village centre, the collections follow farmyards, old houses and the lanes linking the hamlets. L’Ormel, Crespigny, Saint-Sever and Les Isles appear alongside Vacqueville, Guerberue and Les Fosses-Taillis. Cadastral plans, postcards and family research shed light on the properties; covered wells, gateways, walls and reused carved stones reveal the heritage of everyday life. Landscape surveys place these features in their surroundings, preserving the proposals and observations made at the time.

  • L'Ormel, its home and its porch

    Description of the entrances, the old house and the courtyard, history of the owners and transformations of the farm after 1944.

  • L'Ormel in the fighting of June 1944

    Stories of the fighting around the farm, family memories and aerial views to locate the fire in the house.

  • The mansion of Crespigny

    Entrance, dovecote, carved fireplace and restoration, with research on the Champion de Crespigny family and its departure to England.

  • Saint-Sever Castle and Park

    Postcards and photographs of the castle, gardens and pond, completed by a landscape reading of the enclosure.

Other documents and albums (8)
Bathers and children on the sand in front of the villas, the dike and the heights of Vierville.
The beach, the villas and the dike on an old postcard.

The beach and Boulevard de Cauvigny

The beach is also a place for games, swimming, fishing and walks. An extensive collection of photographs and postcards shows families, bathing huts, boats and storms, while the Boulevard de Cauvigny dossier traces common-land plots and the development of the seafront. Looking west towards La Percée, the views tell the story of villas, cliffs, wrecks and events along the shore.

Limestone cliffs, scree and rocky cliffs at the foot of the fields of the Vierville coast.
The cliffs of the shore of Vierville, photograph of the file on the geological history of the coast.

Cliffs, hedged farmland, water and wildlife

These supporting collections bring together the terrain, soils, springs, tides and coastal landscapes. Geological studies sit alongside observations of birds, reptiles and amphibians; woods and hedges are described plot by plot. Coastal protection and planning documents preserve their authors’ views at a particular time. They can be read as environmental archives, with their maps, measurements, hypotheses and limitations.

Other documents and albums (10)
Ancient aerial view of the village of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, its church, farms and fields.
Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, ancient aerial view preserved in the archives.

Saint-Laurent, Les Moulins and Le Ruquet

East of Vierville, explore Saint-Laurent from the village to the beach. A historical account, the château and the church lead on to images of the school, shops and local life. In Les Moulins, hotels, villas and former water-powered installations help explain the beginnings of seaside holidays; a family account follows the history of one house. Le Ruquet appears through its children’s holiday camp and photographs of their stays. Aerial views from 2001 help locate these places in relation to one another.

Other documents and albums (9)
Aerial view of the center of Louvières: church, houses, farms, pond and grove plots.
The center of Louvières and its rural landscape, aerial photography preserved in the village file.

Louvières, Gruchy and Pointe de la Percée

The Louvières collection forms a small local atlas, connecting the village, Notre-Dame Church, the Château de Gruchy and the cliffs of La Percée. Historic maps, transcriptions and aerial photographic maps complement the accounts of buildings and fishing. A related series also follows German defences and the fighting of 6, 7 and 8 June 1944 around Gruchy, La Percée and the roads towards Pointe du Hoc. Civilian testimony and military documents are kept distinct.

Other documents and albums (18)
Colorful postcard of Grandcamp, with the houses of the coast and many boats at the anchorage.
Grandcamp and its boats, old postcard kept in the archives.

Neighbouring villages and ports of the Bessin

The neighbouring collections extend the visit to the Bessin’s villages, markets and ports. Colleville, Trévières, Cricqueville, Saint-Pierre-du-Mont and Englesqueville appear through their churches, farms, châteaux and lanes. At Port-en-Bessin, Grandcamp and Isigny, the focus turns to quays, boats, maritime trades and exchanges with the inland countryside. Although often described as “pre-war”, these collections also include views from 1944 and later photographs.

Other documents and albums (3)
  • Port-en-Bessin and Sainte-Honorine

    Vauban tower, basins and boats, then castles, chapel and neighboring cliffs, including the Demoiselle de Fontenailles who disappeared in 1902.

  • Grandcamp, fishing and port

    Pier, lighthouse, tram, markets and sea trades, with images of the 1909 storm and the rescue.

  • Isigny, port and exchanges

    Docks, canal, cargo and dairy, then streets, markets, tram, Aure and lavoir: the city's activities in ancient images.

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