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| Coat of arms, Barfleur |
This weekend, Campbell De Salis (aka Fiona Campbell and Rodolph de Salis) had the pleasure of a weekend sojourn to Barfleur, Normandy at the kind invitation of artmonger JH who resides in a beautiful house on the harbour front packed with curious treasures and artworks.
A charming and dare I use the word ‘unspoilt’ harbour village that was the principal port of the medieval Anglo-Norman Plantagenet Kingdom. Point of departure in 1066 for the Normans to the Battle of Hastings and in 1120, The White Ship carrying Prince William, the only legitimate son of Henry 1 of England went down outside the Harbour causing chaos in the monarchy. According to reports (possibly from the only survivor, a butcher from Rouen named Berold, the crew had imbibed rather alot of Calvados).
Artist, Paul Signac(1853-1935) had a house in Barfleur. In a letter to his friend and art collector Gaston Lévy, Signac wrote: ‘The port has enough hustle and bustle about it, and is lined with houses of a handsome and pure architecture. The countryside around is magnificent and very wooded, and the terrain is rolling. It’s one of the high spots of France: the sea is beautiful and the gardens are full of flowers’.
Indeed Barfleur was to provide a cornucopia of delights, from the glorious residence and inside knowledge of our host and his trusty companion Clemmy the sheepdog, to the flea market, fishermen, medieval buildings, fruits de mer, the ferry journeys (of course) and visit to the Chevalier in Cherbourg…
The ferry from Portsmouth to Cherbourg provided plenty of entertainment before we were picked up by our host, JH and Clemmy for the short (25K) journey to Barfleur.
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| Departure from Portsmouth, a passenger ferry crosses our wake. |
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| Rodolph sporting a fine tabard. He takes his health and safety on board seriously. |
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| Barfleur harbour. |
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Clemmy (r) and chum
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| JH taking photograph of Campbell de Salis from outside his residence. |
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| Vide-Grenier on the harbour front. |
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Campbell de Salis in Action.
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| The Belgian, Jacques Brel wrote and recorded his songs almost exclusively in French. |
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| The item on the right was on sale for 1 euro… |
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| Barfleur’s principal resource is its fishing. The Barfleur white mussel is one of the most sought after in France. |
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| ‘Mini cuisine vapeur’… |
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| Le vendeur. |
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| Les chapeuxs. |
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| Rodolph looking resplendant in French chapeu. |
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| Chopin, the bassett hound. |
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| Bassett hound, name unknown. |
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| Le chat. |
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| Clemmy, our trusty companion. |
Before the war this used to be a sandy beach.
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| Entrance to the harbour. |
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| Les bateaux. |
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A handsome potter resides in Barfleur which is renowned for its house plaques and roof tiles known as ‘epis de faitage’ or roof statues. If you are favoured by said potter you may be lucky enough to have a custom made statue often a bird on your roof.
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| No 26. |
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| No. 26. This one bears a striking resemblance to our dear Prince Philip… |
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| Les fleurs de Barfleur. |
