History – The Clock Tower

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History
The original feudal motte was built in 928 by Sifrid Le Danois, founder of the Comtes de Guînes dynasty, to defend the town of Guînes.
A keep was successively built on this motte, followed by a fortified house, where a clock was installed in 1630, and a bell in 1634 to give the hours to the whole town and to workers in the fields.

From the 16th century until the Edict of Marly in 1765, Guînes was administratively and judicially dependent on Calais. This situation was not to the liking of Guînes’ notables, who aspired to communal independence. A visible sign of this desire for autonomy was the construction of the Tour de l’Horloge in 1763, financed by Pierre Lenoir.

An interpretation center

A few years ago, a space was entirely dedicated to the history of the town of Guînes. This entertaining interpretation center has been set up at the foot of the Tour de l’Horloge, and the museum has been named after it. Here, you’ll discover the origins of the town, its medieval grandeur and the famous Camp du Drap d’Or.

At the heart of the town of Guînoise, the Tour de l’Horloge was built on a feudal motte.