Dieppe Castle

Dieppe Castle, locally known as Château-Musée de Dieppe, lies in the city of the same name, in the Seine-Maritime department in France.

The first castle at this site was built in 1188 by King Henry II of England and his son Richard the Lionheart. It was built to defend the town by monitoring the Channel coast from a cliff, 30 feet above sea level. This castle was destroyed in 1195 by King Philip II of France.

In the mid-14th century the town was under the threat of the Flemish and the English. The town was fortified and a new fortification was built on the site of the previous castle.

In 1435 the town was liberated from English occupation by Charles Desmarets, a captain of Charles VII, King of France. And between 1443 and 1455 he built a new castle on this site. The castle then consisted of a rectangular enclosure with 4 towers and a gate tower protecting a drawbridge. This new castle was linked to the city walls.

In the first half of the 16th century the castle was strengthened to protect it against the advancement of artillery. A new barbican was built to protect the south-east facade, and a new tower was built at the foot of the castle and connected to the rest of the fortifications. In the late 16th century, a square tower was built in the south and the enclosure was extended in that direction. The enclosure then incorporated the square bell tower of the Saint Rémy church.

From the 17th century onwards Dieppe Castle slowly lost its military purpose, first becoming using as barracks and later as a residence for the governor of the city. Large windows were inserted into the walls and the towers were crowned with roofs.

During the First World War, Dieppe Castle was occupied by British troops. Between 1940 and 1944 it was occupied by German troops.

At present Dieppe Castle is used as a museum. It mainly houses an ivory and paintings collection. It can be visited for a fee. A nice castle on a great location, the museum was not of my interest, but hey, tastes differ.

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