Ault, Somme

Ault is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

Ault
Commune
The beach at Ault
Coat of arms
Location of Ault
Ault
Ault
Coordinates: 50°06′07″N 1°26′58″E
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentSomme
ArrondissementAbbeville
CantonFriville-Escarbotin
IntercommunalityCC Villes Sœurs
Government
 • Mayor (2014-2020) Marthe Sueur
Area
1
5.99 km2 (2.31 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
1,464
 • Density240/km2 (630/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
80039 /80460
Elevation0–107 m (0–351 ft)
(avg. 86 m or 282 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Situated on the English Channel, on the D19 road, 20 miles (32 km) west of Abbeville, in the southwest of the department, Ault possesses chalk cliffs overlooking a beach of pebbles (and sand at low tide). To the south of the town is a large wooded area, the ‘Bois de Cise’, in a valley that leads on to the coast. To the north, the cliffs descend to the level of the beach at Onival. The area around the town, the 'hâble d’Ault' was mostly tidal marshland that has been reclaimed from the sea. Cattle, sheep and game are raised here.

Railways

Ault had a station on the standard gauge Woincourt to Onival line, which closed to passengers in May 1939, but saw much use during World War II to move materials for the Atlantic Wall. During the war, a metre gauge line was laid alongside the road from Lanchères, on the CFBS, to Ault. This line was dismantled after the war.[2]

Population
Historical population of Ault, Somme
Year19621968197519821990199920062015
Population19962014219220582054207019411516
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Places of interest
  • The 15th / sixteenth century church of Saint-Pierre,
  • The war memorial, designed by Paul Landowski.
  • Two chapels, at Onival and Bois de Cise dating from the nineteenth century.
  • Several ancient village houses.
  • The lighthouse, with its lantern over 106 metres above sea-level.
  • The cliffs
  • The beaches of Ault and Bois de Cise..
  • The ‘hâble d'Ault’, with signed pathways.

Sea defences

The town has paid a heavy price defending itself against the sea, which is constantly washing away the beach, cliffs and public spaces, such as the car parks and gardens. The problem is ongoing. A "balcony on the sea", a huge concrete construction has been built but the risks remain. Signs of wear of the dyke under the casino have been noted.

  • The cliffs
  • Bois de Cise and cliffs

See also

Communes of the Somme department

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. Pacey, Philip (2000). Railways of the Baie de Somme. The Oakwood Press (Usk). p. 87. ISBN 0-85361-554-3.


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