Landerneau in Brittany

Landerneau dates back to the hermitage of St Ternoc in the 7C. By the 13C it was a settlement and in the 14C the first wooden bridge was built over the river. Today Landerneau is famous for the Rohan Bridge, built in the 16C over the River Élorn, because the bridge carries buildings and houses, including the Crêperie du Pont to which we repaired (as it used to be said) after a wonderful few hours in the Chagall Exhibition.

The Rohan Bridge overlooks the tidal port of Landerneau and two information boards on the quayside had interesting early photographs of the area. The Cornwall Quay, previously the St Julien and St Thomas Quays, was built in the 15C and formed the town port. The town traded in flax and linen and was the centre of the flax trade until the 19C; it was a more important trading centre than Brest. Today tourism is the significant source of revenue.

The Rohan Bridge over the Elorn River, Landerneau, and the Cornwall Quay

The quays and port before the new bridge, the Carnafon Bridge, was built in 1957

The rich merchants built their mansions, such as the Maison des Treize Lunes, in the port area and it is easy to imagine the hustle and bustle in old streets (below) and auberges near the parish church.

Engraving on the wall of the Maison des Treize Lunes

The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury is one of the Enclos Parroissiaux in Brittany and was built in the 17C. The enclosing wall, Triumphal Arch and the Calvary have gone, but the Ossuary is still very handsome.