Les Tourelles is the last of the seven gates in the wall surrounding Dieppe. This gate was first called Porte du Port d?Ouest, then Tour Jumelle, before becoming the Tourelles we know today. It was one of five gates facing the sea when the town wall was built in the 14th century. The aim of this defensive structure was to protect Dieppe from English and Flemish attacks during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). The purpose of the gates was to allow supplies to Dieppe, and the controlled passage of people by land and sea.
At the end of the 18th century, the unusual wall gradually fell into ruin, until it was demolished in 1837 for the construction of today?s Boulevard de Verdun. The tower was converted into a prison until the 19th century, saving it from destruction. Since 1886, the Tourelles have been listed as a Historic Monument.
Tower, Medieval