Granville is a commune in the Manche department in north-western France. The residents are called Granvillais. Administratively, the island of Chausey is part of the commune of Granville, which includes a small harbour. Granville is situated on the Cotentin Peninsula at the mouth of Bosq and Pointe du Roc (Cap Lihou) which in part closes in the north of the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.
Despite the proximity with the Chausey islands, which is part of the commune, there are no regular passenger sea services between Granville and Chausey. There are some tourist services by private companies from Granville, and from Saint-Malo in Brittany. French and British security forces operate permanently in this very dangerous and narrow area of the Channel, which one of the busiest sealanes in the world. There are some sea services to England and to the Channel Islands, however, this traffic is relatively light from Granville, as Saint-Malo and Cherbourg offer better facilities for passenger and cargo traffic.
The number of rocks and shipwrecks in the area creates an environment rich in seafood, which can be exploited from the small harbour of Granville. Fishing is dangerous in the area, and many small fishing boats have been involved in collisions with large commercial vessels such as container ships and oil supertankers.
The old town preserves all the history of its military and religious past. The lower town was partly built on land reclaimed from the sea. The upper part of the old town is surrounded by ramparts from the fifteenth century. These are entered through the drawbridge (Grand’Porte), the bloody theatre of the “Siège des Vendéens” in 1793. Inside the walls of the upper town are some beautiful houses of which several are concentrated on Rue Saint-Jean. The ancient church of Notre-Dame du Cap Lihou (1441-1796) which dominates the heights, constitutes an imposing granite building of the Romanesque / early Gothic style. It was built by the English during the Hundred Years’ War.
There is a museum located in one of the gates which preserves invaluable documents enabling visitors to discover the history of the town through the centuries. At the tip of the point, by the lighthouse, spectacular views are afforded of the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, the North coast of Brittany, the Chausey Islands and, when the visibility is good, Jersey. Granville also is the home of the Musée Christian Dior, which is located in the fashion designer’s childhood home, Villa Les Rhumbs. The Granville golf course was originally designed by Harry Colt in 1912 and provides 27 holes of superb links golf.
