Manoir d'Ango

Varengeville-sur-Mer

A few kilometres from Dieppe, in the countryside of the Pays de Caux close to the cliffs, the Manoir d'Ango bears witness to the fabulous fortune of a shipowner who became one of the richest men of his day. Jean Ango, privateer and merchant of Dieppe, fitted out whole fleets for Africa, Brazil and the Indies in the reign of François I, to the point of financing part of the Italian Wars and receiving the king himself at Dieppe with great pomp. Between 1530 and 1544, he had this manor built, blending the Norman half-timbered tradition with the refinements of the early Italian Renaissance, with a main courtyard bordered by an arcaded gallery and a tithe barn with a remarkable roof frame. But it is the octagonal dovecote, a masterpiece of chequered black flint and pink brick topped by a conical roof, that has made the site famous: one of the largest dovecotes in France, still pierced with its hundreds of original nesting holes. Ruined by the Wars of Religion and by the financial disgrace of its founder at the end of his life, the manor came through the centuries before being restored in the 20th century and becoming a favoured film location, notably for scenes from La Grande Vadrouille. Even today, to stroll through this silent courtyard is to recover the echo of the Norman splendour of the great maritime trade of the 16th century.

Getting there : Admission charge in season, Varengeville-sur-Mer, a few kilometres west of Dieppe

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound