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88-568: The region usually regarded as the Paris Basin is rather smaller than the area formed by the geological structure. The former occupies the centre of the northern half of the country, excluding Eastern France. The latter extends from the hills just south of Calais to Poitiers and from Caen to the brink of the middle Rhine Valley, east of Saarbrücken . The landscape is one of very broad valleys ( flood plains ), modest watershed hills and well-drained plateaux of comparatively little altitude. In

176-606: A Zeppelin bombardment on 15 January 1915, falling through the roof. General de Gaulle married Yvonne Vendroux on 6 April 1921 at the cathedral. The building experienced extensive damage during World War II, and was partially rebuilt, although much of the old altar and furnishings were not replaced. The Tour du Guet (Watch Tower), situated in Calais Nord on the Places d'Armes, is one of the few surviving pre-war buildings. Dating from 1229, when Philip I, Count of Boulogne , built

264-726: A broad shallow bowl in which marine deposits from throughout periods from the Triassic to the Pliocene were laid down. Their extent generally decreases with time. Based on analysis of fossils recognized in the basin's strata during the 1820s and 1830s, the pioneering geologist Charles Lyell divided the Tertiary into three ages he named the Pliocene, the Miocene and the Eocene . To

352-645: A catastrophic erosion and flood event. Consequently the ice-age-muted flows from the Thames and Scheldt flowed through the gap into the English Channel/Inlet, but the Meuse and Rhine still flowed without any significant link to the inlet (such as today's IJssel distributary supports). In a second flood about 225,000 years ago supported by glaciers extending from areas then land such as the Zuiderzee ,

440-694: A dam from Scandinavia to Scotland, and the Rhine, combined with the Thames and drainage from much of north Europe , created a vast lake behind the dam, which eventually spilled over the Weald into the English Channel. This overflow followed by further scouring became recognisably the Short Straits (an alternative name for this strait) about 425,000 years ago. A narrow deep channel along the middle of

528-511: A deep and mellow tone, and highly ornamented by figures in relief—was built at Canterbury sometime around 1700. The pulpit and reading-desk, richly sculptured in oak, is another well-executed piece of ecclesiastical workmanship from St. Omer . The altar-piece, the Assumption, was often attributed to Anthony van Dyck , though in reality it is by Gerard Seghers ; whilst the painting over the side altar, once believed to be by Peter Paul Rubens

616-671: A land bridge that linked the Weald in Great Britain to the Boulonnais in the Pas de Calais . Though pitted by troughs and rivers, the English Channel was almost mainly land at the height of the last ice age. The predominant geology of both and of the seafloor is chalk . Although somewhat resistant to erosion, erosion of both coasts has created the famous white cliffs of Dover in the UK and

704-570: A series of belfries across the region . The building parts have also been listed as a series of historic monuments by government decree of 26 June 2003, including its roofs and belfry, main hall, glass roof, the staircase, corridor serving the first floor, the rooms on the first floor (including decoration): the wedding room, the VIP lounge, the lounge of the council and the cabinet room. The hall has stained glass windows and numerous paintings and exquisite decor. It houses police offices. Église Notre-Dame

792-634: A short steeple. The tower was a main viewing point for the Anglo-French Survey (1784–1790) which linked the Paris Observatory with the Royal Greenwich Observatory using trigonometry . Cross-channel sightings were made of signal lights at Dover Castle and Fairlight, East Sussex . The church was assigned as a historic monument by decree of 10 September 1913, only to have its stained glass smashed during

880-643: Is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department , of which it is a subprefecture . Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras . The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,625 (2020). Calais overlooks the Strait of Dover , the narrowest point in the English Channel , which

968-567: Is a great church which was originally built in the late 13th century and its tower was added in the late 14th or early 15th century. Like the town hall it is one of the city's most prominent landmarks. It was arguably the only church in the English perpendicular style in France. Much of the current 1400 capacity church dates to 1631–1635. It contains elements of Flemish, Gothic, Anglo-Norman and Tudor architecture. In 1691, an 1800 cubic metre cistern

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1056-567: Is a transition zone for the species of the Atlantic Ocean and those of the southern part of the North Sea. This mix of various environments promotes a wide variety of wildlife. The Ridens de Boulogne , a 10–20 m (33–66 ft) deep rocky shoal, partially sand-capped,15 nmi (28 km; 17 mi) west of Boulogne , boasts the highest profusion of maerl in the strait. Thus some 682 km (263 sq mi) of

1144-602: Is commemorated in The Burghers of Calais ( Les Bourgeois de Calais ), one of the most famous sculptures by Auguste Rodin , erected in the city in 1895. Though sparing the lives of the delegation members, King Edward drove out most of the French inhabitants, and settled the town with English. The municipal charter of Calais, previously granted by the Countess of Artois , was reconfirmed by Edward that year (1347). In 1360

1232-437: Is in fact by Pieter Van Mol . A high and strongly built wall, partaking more of the fortress than a cathedral in its aspect, flanks the building, and protects it from the street where formerly ran the old river, in its course through Calais to the sea. The square, massive Norman tower has three-arched belfry windows on each face, surmounted by corner turrets, and a conically shaped tower of octagonal proportions, topped again by

1320-466: Is located about 37 km (23 mi) to the east. Calais is located 236 km (147 mi) north of the French capital of Paris , or around 295 km (183 mi) by car. The commune of Calais is bordered by the English channel to the north, Sangatte and Coquelles to the west, Coulogne to the south and Marck to the east. The core area of the city is divided into the Old Town area within

1408-508: Is only 34 km (21 mi) wide here, and is the closest French town to England . The White Cliffs of Dover can easily be seen on a clear day from Calais. Calais is a major port for ferries between France and England, and since 1994, the Channel Tunnel has linked nearby Coquelles to Folkestone by rail. Because of its position, Calais has been a major port and an important centre for transport and trading with England since

1496-505: Is sometimes claimed that the Romans called the settlement Caletum and that it was the departure point for Julius Caesar 's invasion of Britain. However, the name Caletum does not appear in Caesar's accounts of the invasion. Caesar describes his departure point as Portus Itius , which is believed to have been near Boulogne . At that time Calais was an island in the North Sea. Calais

1584-674: Is still used in Dutch sources wishing to emphasise former linguistic ties to the area. Though the modern French spelling of Calais gradually supplanted other variants in English, the pronunciation / ˈ k æ l ɪ s / ( KAL -iss ) persisted and survives in other towns named for the European city including Calais, Maine , and Calais, Vermont , in the United States. In " De Gustibus " (1855), Robert Browning rhymes Calais with malice . The pronunciation shift can be seen in

1672-698: Is to say "the stubborn" or "the tough" and derives from the Proto-Celtic stem *kaletos - ("hard, cruel, strong") Early French sources use a bewildering array of spellings from Kaleeis to Kalais to Calays together with Latin-based Calaisiacum, Calesetum and Calasium . The modern French spelling of Calais first appeared in 1331. The earliest English name for the city was the Anglo-Norman Caleis . In Middle and Early Modern English , variants including Caleys, Calais, Calays, Callis and Cales were used. In later Middle English,

1760-730: Is within the territorial waters of France and the United Kingdom, but a right of transit passage under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea allows vessels of other nations to move freely through the strait. On a clear day, it is possible to see the opposite coastline of England from France and vice versa with the naked eye, with the most famous and obvious sight being the White Cliffs of Dover from

1848-575: The Pays de Bray . Due to the millions of years of later deposition, erosion and other changes since, five drainage basins today drain almost all of the Basin. These are two flowing north, the basins/specified parts of basins as follows: And three flowing west, the: The Paris Basin is a geological basin of sedimentary rocks . It overlies geological strata folded by the Variscan orogeny. It forms

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1936-486: The 10th Panzer Division . The town was flattened by artillery and precision dive bombing and only 30 of the 3800-strong defending force were evacuated before the town fell. This may have helped Operation Dynamo , the evacuation of Allied forces at Dunkirk, as 10th Panzer would have been involved on the Dunkirk perimeter had it not been busy at Calais. Between 26 May and 4 June 1940, some 330,000 Allied troops escaped from

2024-457: The 2024 election . For elections to the Pas-de-Calais departmental council , the commune of Calais is divided between the cantons of Calais-1 , Calais-2 , and Calais-3 , the first two of which also contain adjoining communes . The mayor of Calais has been Natacha Bouchart since 2008, first for the Union for a Popular Movement and then its successor The Republicans. From 1971 to 2008,

2112-677: The Atlantic via the Pentland Firth in the last glaciation (of over 300,000 years) is a necessary pre-condition for the relatively late cutting through of the Strait to the south. Likewise, a 2007 study concluded that the Strait was formed by erosion caused by two major floods. The first was about 425,000 years ago, when an ice-dammed lake in the southern North Sea overflowed and broke the Weald- Artois (Boulonnais) chalk range in

2200-702: The Battle of Crécy between England and France in 1346, followed by Edward's siege and capture of Calais in 1347. Angered, the English king demanded reprisals against the town's citizens for holding out for so long ("obstinate defence") and ordered that the town's population be killed en masse . He agreed, however, to spare them, on condition that six of the principal citizens would come to him, bareheaded and barefooted and with ropes around their necks, and give themselves up to death. On their arrival he ordered their execution, but pardoned them when his queen, Philippa of Hainault , begged him to spare their lives. This event

2288-647: The Cap Blanc Nez in France. The Channel Tunnel was bored through solid chalk – compacted remains of sea creatures and marine- deposited , ground up calciferous rock/soil debris. The Rhine (as the Urstrom ) flows northeast into the North Sea as the sea (covering most of the Netherlands) fell during the start of the first of the Pleistocene Ice Ages . The new ice unusually created

2376-542: The Channel Tunnel is situated in the vicinity of Calais, in Coquelles some 4 miles (6.4 km) to the west of the town. Calais possesses direct rail links to Paris, 148 miles (238 km) to the south. More than 10 million people visit Calais annually. From medieval times, English companies thrived in Calais. Calais was a particularly important centre in the production and trade of wool and cloth, which outweighed

2464-790: The Côte d'Or in the south-east (on an Alpine fault line ) and, at a north end, the Hills of ( French : Collines d' ) Artois which overlie the margin of London-Brabant Massif . Two notable oil fields are the Chaunoy Field , the other is the Villeperdue Field . They are centred at about 1850 metre depth. Calais Calais ( UK : / ˈ k æ l eɪ / KAL -ay , US : / k æ ˈ l eɪ / kal- AY , traditionally / ˈ k æ l ɪ s / KAL -iss , French: [kalɛ] )

2552-577: The Middle Ages . Calais came under English control after Edward III of England captured the city in 1347, followed by a treaty in 1360 that formally assigned Calais to English rule . Calais grew into a thriving centre for wool production, and came to be called the "brightest jewel in the English crown" because of its importance as the gateway for the tin , lead , lace and wool trades (or "staples"). Calais remained under English control until its recapture by France in 1558. During World War II ,

2640-489: The Pas de Calais , which marks the boundary between the English Channel and North Sea and located at the opposite end of the Channel Tunnel , 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Dover . On a clear day the White Cliffs of Dover can be viewed across the channel. Aside from being an important port and boarding point between France and England, it is at the nucleus of many major railway and highway networks and connected by road to Arras , Lens , Béthune and St. Omer . Dunkirk

2728-595: The Port of Calais or the Eurotunnel Calais Terminal , or while waiting for their French asylum claims to be processed. The people were a mix of asylum seekers and economic migrants from Darfur , Afghanistan , Syria , Iraq , Eritrea and other underdeveloped or conflict-stricken countries in Africa and Asia. The Calais migrant crisis led to escalating tension between the UK and France in

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2816-514: The Treaty of Brétigny assigned Guînes , Marck and Calais—collectively the " Pale of Calais "—to English rule in perpetuity, but this assignment was informally and only partially implemented. On 9 February 1363 the town was made a staple port . It remained part of the Diocese of Thérouanne from 1379, keeping an ecclesiastical tie with France. The town came to be called the "brightest jewel in

2904-513: The 1930s, the town was known for being a politically socialist stronghold. Calais was virtually razed to the ground during World War II . In May 1940, it was a key objective of the invading German forces and became the scene of a last-ditch defence—the siege of Calais —which diverted a sizable amount of German forces for several days immediately prior to the Battle of Dunkirk . A total of 3,000 British and 800 French troops, assisted by Royal Navy warships, held out from 22 to 27 May 1940 against

2992-408: The 19th century where the / ˈ k æ l ɪ s / pronunciation with the s ending was prescribed through much of the century, but was disappearing by the end. In the beginning of the twentieth century, the English pronunciation / ˈ k æ l eɪ / KAL -ay with stress on the first syllable was firmly established. Sources on the early history of habitation in the area is limited. It

3080-500: The Allies would target the Pas-de-Calais for invasion (rather than Normandy). The town, by then largely in ruins, was laid siege to and liberated by General Daniel Spry 's 3rd Canadian Infantry Division between 25 September and 1 October 1944. On 27 February 1945 Calais experienced its last bombing raid—this time by Royal Air Force bombers who mistook the town for Dunkirk, which was at that time still occupied by German forces. After

3168-712: The Boulevard La Fayette, the latter of which is noted for its oysters , lobster and crabs from Brittany. The Emile Fournier et Fils market on the Rue Mouron sells mainly smoked fish including salmon , trout , herring and halibut . Calais is part of Pas-de-Calais's 7th constituency for the National Assembly ; the current deputy is Marc de Fleurian of the National Rally , who ousted Pierre-Henri Dumont of The Republicans at

3256-471: The British army used Calais as their departing port to return home after occupying post-Waterloo France. General Murray appointed Sir Manley Power to oversee the evacuation of British troops from France. Cordial relations had been restored by that time and on 3 December, the mayor of Calais wrote a letter to Power to express thanks for his "considerate treatment of the French and of the town of Calais during

3344-621: The Channel and the North Sea , and separating Great Britain from continental Europe . The shortest distance across the strait, at approximately 20 miles (32 kilometres), is from the South Foreland , northeast of Dover in the English county of Kent , to Cap Gris Nez , a cape near to Calais in the French département of Pas-de-Calais . Between these points lies the most popular route for cross-channel swimmers . The entire strait

3432-411: The Channel floor, "100m deep" and in places "several kilometres in diameter", to lake water plunging over a rock ridge causing isolated depressions or plunge pools . The melting ice and rising sea levels submerged Doggerland , the area linking Britain to France, around 6,500–6,200 BCE. The Lobourg strait, the deepest part the strait, runs its 6 km (4 mi)wide slash on a NNE–SSW axis. Nearer to

3520-430: The English crown" owing to its great importance as a gateway port for the tin , lead , cloth and wool trades (or "staples"). Its customs revenues amounted at times to a third of the English government's revenue, with wool being the most important element by far. Of its population of about 12,000 people, as many as 5,400 were recorded as having been connected with the wool trade. The governorship or Captaincy of Calais

3608-512: The First World War, it served as a military observation post and narrowly missed destruction during World War II. This tower has been classified as a historic monument since 6 November 1931. The Calais Lighthouse (Le phare de Calais) was built in 1848, replacing the old watch tower as the lighthouse of the port. The 55-metre-high (180 ft) tower was electrified in 1883 and automated in 1992. The staircase has 271 steps leading up to

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3696-615: The French coast than to the English, it borders the Varne sandbank (shoals) where it plunges to 68 m (223 ft) and further south, the Ridge bank (shoals) (French name " Colbart " ) with a maximum depth of 62 m (203 ft). The depth of the strait varies between 68 m (223 ft) at the Lobourg strait and 20 m (66 ft) at the highest banks. The seabed forms successions of three habitats: The strong tidal currents of

3784-489: The French coastline and shoreline buildings on both coastlines, as well as lights on either coastline at night, as in Matthew Arnold 's poem " Dover Beach ". Most maritime traffic between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea and Baltic Sea passes through the Strait of Dover, rather than taking the longer and more dangerous route around the north of Scotland. The strait is one of the busiest international seaways in

3872-491: The French service, betrayed to the authorities in London some French plans for the capture of Calais, to be followed by a descent upon England. Stukley himself might have been the author of these plans. On 7 January 1558, King Henry II of France sent forces led by Francis, Duke of Guise , who laid siege to Calais . When the French attacked, they were able to surprise the English at the critical strongpoint of Fort Nieulay and

3960-571: The French. Use of the term is reminiscent of the Spanish Reconquista , with which the French were certainly familiar—and, since it occurred in the context of a war with Spain ( Philip II of Spain was at the time Queen Mary's consort), might have been intended as a deliberate snub. The town was captured by the Spanish on 24 April 1596 in an invasion mounted from the nearby Spanish Netherlands by Archduke Albert of Austria , but it

4048-531: The Germans at Dunkirk. During the ensuing German occupation, it became the command post for German forces in the Pas-de-Calais/Flanders region and was very heavily fortified, as the Germans generally believed that the Allies would invade there. It was also used as a launch site for V1 flying bombs and for much of the war, the Germans used the region as the site for railway guns to bombard

4136-635: The Meuse and Rhine were ice-dammed into a lake that broke catastrophically through a high weak barrier (perhaps chalk, or an end-moraine left by the ice sheet). Both floods cut massive flood channels in the dry bed of the English Channel, somewhat like the Channeled Scablands or the Wabash River in the USA. A further update in 2017 attributed a series of previously described underwater holes in

4224-436: The Place and opposite the Parc St Pierre is the Hôtel-de-ville (the town hall), and the belfry from the early 20th century. Today, Calais is visited by more than 10 million annually. Aside from being a key transport hub, Calais is also a notable fishing port and a centre for fish marketing, and some 3,000 people are still employed in the lace industry for which the town is also famed. The name Calais first appears in

4312-409: The UK government supplied fencing to be installed around the Eurotunnel complex, where the vehicles are loaded onto train shuttles in Calais. On 26 October 2016, French authorities announced that the camp had been cleared. By January 2017, 500–1,000 migrants, mostly unaccompanied minors , had returned and were living rough in Calais and there has been a presence ever since. Calais is located on

4400-599: The city of Saint-Pierre-lès-Calais merged with Calais in 1885. According to the INSEE census of 2017, Calais has 73,911 people (a decrease of 4.4% from 1999). The town's population ranked 60th nationally, down from 53rd in 1999. The city's proximity to England has made it a major port for centuries. It is the principal ferry crossing point between England and France, with the vast majority of Channel crossings being made between Dover and Calais. Companies operating from Calais include SeaFrance (currently in liquidation ), DFDS Seaways , and P&O Ferries . The French end of

4488-450: The composer Henri Dutilleux , the writers Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens , and the painters J. M. W. Turner , Carolus-Duran , Maurice Boitel and Eugène Boudin . It was the painter Édouard Lévêque  [ fr ] who coined the name for this area in 1911 to describe the distinctive quality of its light. Calais has a temperate oceanic climate ( Cfb in the Köppen climate classification ). Temperature ranges are moderate and

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4576-476: The costs of maintaining the town as part of England. In 1830 some 113 manufacturers were based in Calais and the St Pierre suburbs, the majority of which were English. There are still two major lace factories in Calais with around 700 looms and 3000 employees. The town exports in the early 20th century were lace, chemicals, paper, wines, especially champagne, spirits, hay, straw, wool, potatoes, woven goods, fruit, glass-ware, lace and metal-ware. Principal imports in

4664-422: The early 20th century included cotton and silk goods, coal, iron and steel, petroleum, timber, raw wool, cotton yarn and cork. During the five years 1901–1905 the average annual value of exports was £8,388,000 (£6,363,000 in the years 1896–1900), of imports £4,145,000 (£3,759,000 in 1896–1900). As a fishing port, Calais has several notable fishing markets including Les Délices de la Mer and Huîtrière Calaisenne on

4752-404: The embarkation." The population in 1847 was 12,580, many of whom were English. It was one of the main ports for British travellers to Europe. In World War I the British Expeditionary Force or BEF arrived in Calais on its way to the nearby frontline cutting through Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Flanders . Calais was a key port for the supply of arms and reinforcements to the Western Front . In

4840-408: The existence of this community is the town charter granted by Mathieu d'Alsace , Count of Boulogne , in 1181 to Gerard de Guelders ; Calais thus became part of the county of Boulogne. In 1189, Richard the Lionheart is documented to have landed at Calais on his journey to the Third Crusade . English wool trade interests and King Edward III 's claims to be heir to the Kingdom of France led to

4928-430: The feud between Burgundy and France: both sides coveted the town, but preferred to see England control it rather than their domestic rivals. The stalemate was broken by the victory of the French crown over Burgundy following Joan of Arc 's final battle in the siege of Compiègne in 1430, and the later incorporation of the duchy into France. In 1532, the English King Henry VIII visited Calais and his men calculated that

5016-401: The fortifications of Calais, it is one of the oldest monuments of Calais, although the oldest remaining traces date to 1302. It has a height of 35–39 metres (sources differ). An earthquake in 1580 split the tower in two, and at one time it threatened to collapse completely. The tower was repaired in 1606, and then had the purpose of serving as a hall to accommodate the merchants of Calais. It

5104-464: The haven behind it developed into fen , as the estuary progressively filled with silt and peat. Afterwards, canals were cut between Saint-Omer , the trading centre formerly at the head of the estuary, and three places to the west, centre and east on the newly formed coast: respectively Calais, Gravelines and Dunkirk . Calais was improved by the Count of Flanders in 997 and fortified by the Count of Boulogne in 1224. The first document mentioning

5192-527: The historical record late in the twelfth century AD in a mention by Count Gerard of Guelders of a charter by his father Matthew of Alsace , Some references mention the Latin name Calesium being used as early as the ninth century but without providing sources for the claim. Medieval Latin Calesium derives ultimately from Latin Caletum , in turn from Caletes , a Belgic or Gallic tribe dwelling in Pays de Caux , in present-day Normandy. The Gaulish ethnonym Caletoi literally means "the hard ones", that

5280-401: The lantern. By day it is easily distinguishable from other coastal lighthouses by its white color and black lantern. The lighthouse was classified as a historical monument on 22 November 2010. Strait of Dover The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait , historically known as the Dover Narrows , is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel , marking the boundary between

5368-430: The mayor was a member of the French Communist Party (PCF): Jean-Jacques Barthe (1971–2000) and Jacky Hénin (2000–2008). Place d'Armes is one of the largest squares in the city of Calais. It adjoins the watchtower, and during medieval times was once the heart of the city. While Calais was a territory of England (1347–1558), it became known as Market Square (place du Marché). Only at the end of English rule did it take

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5456-421: The name of Place d'Armes. After the reconquest of Calais in 1558 by Francis, Duke of Guise, Francis II gave Calais the right to hold a fair twice a year on the square, which still exists today, as well as a bustling Wednesday and Saturday market. The town centre, which has seen significant regeneration over the past decade, is dominated by its distinctive town hall ( Hôtel de Ville ) at Place du Soldat Inconnu. It

5544-418: The name of the city was most commonly spelt Cales , and this spelling survived well into the modern period, but Shakespeare for example used the spelling Callice . Confusingly, the name Cales found in the sarcastic rhyme beginning "A gentleman of Wales, a knight of Cales" and the ballad "The Winning of Cales" collected by Thomas Percy refers not to Calais, but to Cadiz in Spain. The Cales spelling

5632-472: The old city walls, and the younger suburbs of St. Pierre, which are connected by a boulevard. Calais is part of the Côte d'Opale (Opal Coast), a cliff-lined section of northern French coast that parallels the white cliffs on the British coast and is part of the same geological formation . It is known for its scenic cliffs such as Cape Blanc Nez and Cape Gris Nez and for its wide area of dunes. Many artists have been inspired by its landscapes, among them

5720-424: The only route across it except for air transport. The Channel Tunnel now provides an alternative route, crossing beneath the strait at an average depth of 45 m (148 ft) below the seabed. The town of Dover gives its name to one of the sea areas of the British Shipping Forecast . The formation of strait was through scouring by erosion . It had for many millennia (since the last warm interglacial ) been

5808-453: The sluice gates, which could have flooded the attackers, remained unopened. The loss was regarded by Queen Mary I of England as a dreadful misfortune. When she heard the news, she reportedly said, "When I am dead and opened, you shall find ' Philip ' [her husband] and 'Calais' lying in my heart." The region around Calais, then-known as the Calaisis , was renamed the Pays Reconquis ("Reconquered Country") in commemoration of its recovery by

5896-545: The south and south-east. In the centre of the old town is the Place d'Armes, in which stands the Tour du Guet, or watch-tower, a structure built in the 13th century, which was used as a lighthouse until 1848 when a new lighthouse was built by the port. South east of the Place is the church of Notre-Dame , built during the English occupancy of Calais. Arguably, it is the only church built in the English perpendicular style in all of France. In this church, former French President Charles de Gaulle married Yvonne Vendroux . South of

5984-412: The south-east and east the plain of Champagne and the Seuil de Bourgogne (Threshold of Burgundy) differential erosion of the strata has left low scarps with the dip slopes towards the centre. The varying nature of the clays, limestones and chalk gives rise to the characteristics of the regions such as Champagne Humide (Damp Champagne), Champagne Pouilleuse (poor Champagne), the Pays de Caux and

6072-421: The south-eastern corner of England. In 1943 they built massive bunkers along the coast in preparation for launching missiles on the southeast of England. Despite heavy preparations for defence against an amphibious assault, the Allied invasion took place well to the west in Normandy on D-Day . Calais was very heavily bombed and shelled in a successful effort to disrupt German communications and persuade them that

6160-411: The strait at depth slow around its rocky masses as these stimulate countercurrents and deep, calm pockets where many species can find shelter. In these calmer lee zones, the water is clearer than in the rest of the strait; thus algae can grow despite the 46 m (151 ft) average depth. They help increase diversity in the local species – some of which are endemic to the strait. Moreover, this

6248-674: The strait is classified as a Natura 2000 protection zone named Ridens et dunes hydrauliques du Pas de Calais (Ridens and sub-aqueous dunes of the Dover Strait). This includes the sub-aqueous dunes of Varne, Colbart, Vergoyer and Bassurelle, the Ridens de Boulogne , and the Lobourg channel which provides calmer and clearer waters due to its depth reaching 68 m (223 ft). Many crossings other than in conventional vessels have been attempted, including by pedalo , jetpack , bathtub , amphibious vehicle and more commonly by swimming . Since French law bans many of them, unlike English law , most such crossings originate in England. In

6336-537: The strait is the remnants of the main (summer) outflow of the northern Ustrom glacial lake (a collect for other then-seasonal rivers, in winter iced up, such as the Thames and Weser) in the last Ice Age . A deposit in East Anglia marks the old preglacial northward course of the Urstrom-Thames when it also drained Doggerland . The deep sea floor east of Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire , connecting to

6424-468: The summer of 2015. The UK blamed France for not doing enough to stop migrants from entering the Channel Tunnel or attempting to scale fences built along the border. The British Prime Minister David Cameron released a statement saying that illegal immigrants would be removed from the UK even if they reached the island. To discourage migrants and refugees from jumping on train shuttles at Calais,

6512-521: The town had about 2400 beds and stabling to keep some 2000 horses. Following the royal visit, the town's governance was reformed in 1536, aiming to strengthen ties with England. As part of this move, Calais became a parliamentary borough sending burgesses to the House of Commons of the Parliament of England . In September 1552, the English adventurer Thomas Stukley , who had been for some time in

6600-523: The town lacked any natural defences. Maintaining Calais was a costly business that was frequently tested by the forces of France and the Duchy of Burgundy , with the Franco-Burgundian border running nearby. The British historian Geoffrey Elton once remarked "Calais—expensive and useless—was better lost than kept". The duration of the English hold over Calais was, to a large extent, the result of

6688-465: The town was virtually razed to the ground: in May 1940, it was a strategic bombing target of the invading German forces who took it during the siege of Calais . The Germans built massive bunkers along the coast in preparation for launching missiles at England. The old part of the town, Calais-Nord, is on an artificial island surrounded by canals and harbours. The modern part of the town, St-Pierre, lies to

6776-582: The war there was little rebuilding of the historic city and most buildings were modern ones. Since 1999 or earlier, an increasingly large number of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers started to arrive in the vicinity of Calais, living in the Calais jungle , the nickname given to a series of makeshift camps . The people lived there while attempting to enter the United Kingdom by stowing away on lorries, ferries, cars, or trains travelling through

6864-619: The west, the strata folded by the Variscan rise below the more recent marine deposits in the hills of Brittany and, to the east, the Ardennes , Hunsrück and Vosges . To the south, the basin borders on the Massif Central and the Morvan . To the north, its early strata match those of the bed of the English Channel and south-eastern England . Other boundaries lie on ridges in more recent deposits and scarps (escarpments). These include

6952-407: The winters are cool with unstable weather. It rains on average about 700 to 800 mm (28 to 31 in) per year. The commune of Calais is divided into 13 quartier s : Changes in the number of inhabitants is known throughout the population censuses conducted since 1793 in Calais. Note the massive growth in population from 13,529 in 1881 to 58,969 in 1886, a growth of 335.9%; this is because

7040-520: The world, used by over 400 commercial vessels daily. This has made traffic safety a critical issue, with HM Coastguard and the Maritime Gendarmerie maintaining a 24-hour watch over the strait and enforcing a strict regime of shipping lanes . In addition to the intensive north-east to south-west traffic, the strait is crossed from north-west to south-east by ferries linking Dover to Calais and Dunkirk . Until 1994 these provided

7128-646: Was a lucrative and highly prized public office; the famous Dick Whittington was simultaneously Lord Mayor of the City of London and Mayor of the Staple in 1407. Calais was regarded for many years as being an integral part of the Kingdom of England , with its representatives sitting in the English Parliament . The continued English hold on Calais however depended on expensively maintained fortifications, as

7216-491: Was added to the church under orders by Vauban . The church is dedicated to the Virgin, and built in the form of a cross, consisting of a nave and four aisles— The old grand altar dated to 1628 and was built from Carrara marble wrecked on the coast, during its transit from Genoa to Antwerp . It contained eighteen figures, the two standing on either side of the altar-piece—representing St. Louis and Charlemagne . The organ—of

7304-439: Was also used in other European languages at the time, including Spanish, Italian and German and it is reflected in the city's name in the local Ch'ti language, Calés . Other archaic names for the city are Portuguese Calêsio and German Kalen . Kales , the city's historic name in Dutch and West Flemish (once spoken in the area) was retained until more recently in the name for the Strait of Dover , Nauw van Kales , and

7392-422: Was an English outpost for many centuries while it was an island surrounded by marshes, and difficult to attack from the mainland. At some time before the 10th century, it would have been a Dutch -speaking fishing village on a sandy beach backed by pebbles and a creek, with a natural harbour at the west edge of the early medieval estuary of the river Aa . As the pebble and sand ridge extended eastward from Calais,

7480-513: Was built in the Flemish Renaissance style between 1911 and 1925 to commemorate the unification of the cities of Calais and Saint Pierre in 1885. An extra terrace had been erected at the previous town hall in 1818. One of the most elegant landmarks in the city, its ornate 74-metre (246 ft) high clock tower and belfry can be seen from out to sea and chimes throughout the day and has been protected by UNESCO since 2005 as part of

7568-406: Was damaged in 1658 when a young stable boy set fire to it, while it was temporarily being used as royal stables during a visit of King Louis XIV . It was not repaired for some 30 years. In 1770, a bell identical to the original bell of 1348 was cast. Due to its height, from the late 17th century it became an important watchout post for the city for centuries until 1905; the last keeper of the tower

7656-417: Was forced to leave in 1926. Abraham Chappe (a brother of Ignace Chappe ) installed a telegraph office in the tower in 1816 and operated for 32 years. It was this office which announced the death of Napoleon I to the French public in 1821. It also had the dual function as lighthouse with a rotating beacon fuelled by oil from 1818. The lantern was finally replaced by a new lighthouse on 15 October 1848. During

7744-589: Was returned to France under the Treaty of Vervins in May 1598. Calais remained an important maritime city and smuggling centre throughout the 17th century. However, during the next century, the port of Calais began to stagnate gradually, as the nearby ports of Boulogne and Dunkirk began to rise and compete. The French revolution at the end of the 18th century did not disturb Calais and no executions took place. In 1805, Calais hosted part of Napoleon's army and invasion fleet for several months before his aborted invasion of Britain . From October to December 1818,

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