For whom THE BELL TOLLS

The Unesco-listed belfries of northern France are a sight to behold and each one has a unique and fascinating history, as Rudolf Abraham discovers

- Rudolf Abraham

Looking down from the balcony which encircles the belfry in Arras, the trapezoid form of the Place des Héros stretches below, its rain-soaked cobblestones catching the light from the early afternoon sun, as it emerges into a pale blue sky filled with ragged white clouds. The beffroi was built between 1463 and 1554, and together with the adjacent Hôtel de Ville, completed in 1508, is a beautiful example of the Flamboyant Gothic style, all florid lines and pointy windows. It is one of 23 belfries in northern France, spread across the départements of Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Somme, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2005, when they joined 33 belfries in neighbouring Belgium, most of which were inscribed a few years earlier in 1999. These northern French belfries cover a period stretching from the 12th to the early 20th century, and encompass a huge range of architectural styles – from Romanesque to Gothic to Baroque and Neo-Renaissance, sometimes several periods and styles being represented in just one belfry.

Built in the town centre, and generally attached to the town hall (although some are freestanding), their forms range from short, relatively squat towers (for example Lucheux) to tall, almost impossibly slender constructions (such as the belfry in Lille, at 104m the highest in northern France).

While their building materials range from well-dressed sandstone or limestone to red brick to reinforced concrete, they are united, however, in their purpose – as symbols of municipal power.