Benouville

 

Benouville has long existed as prove the standing stones of pre-Celtic age, the remains of a roman camp and the localisation of an antic “villa”, but the first traces of a village called Burnolfivilla date back to the middle age.

At the end of the 18th century, the architect Claude Nicolas Ledoux built a castle where a medieval moment used to stand. It was a maternity hospital during the 20th century ; Nowadays, it is the head office of the “Cambre Régionale des Comptes”.

Due to the increasing traffic, the car-ferry on the canal was replaced by a swing bridge in 1857. To allow merchants ships of 5 or 6000 tons through, a bascule bridge took its place in 1935.

During the night of the 5th to 6th June 1944. a British commando led by major John Howard landed next to the bridge in three Horsa gliders to counter a potential German offensive from the east flank. Paras of the 6th Airborne Division joined them later on. After the war, the bridge was named “Pegasus Bridge” in honour of their symbol : Pegasus, the winged horse.

Benouville is definitely not only the First French town hall liberated by the allies.  The 11th Century choir of its church, the castle and Pegasus bridge contribute to prove the rich history of the city.

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