| Les Andelys |
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| It's a town of two halves – Grand Andely and
Petit Andely. It lies on the Seine inland from Rouen and was once
the
strategical key to dominance of the Seine valley. On the hill above th tow,
Richard I (The Lionheart) of England
built the castle of Château-Gaillard, which
he referred to as his 'favourite daughter'. (Actually, as he was gay, it was
his
only daughter.) English domination lasted only as long as the King;
once he was gone his brother John lost the
place to Philippe-Auguste of France. Les Andelys in later years became famous for its glassworks. One of them still exists; under the trade name of Verlys it produced art glass in the early 20th century; now, as Holophane, it turns out car headlamp glasses – just as precise a job, but somewhat less inspiring. |
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