This was one of the visits we made during our recent camping trip to the north of Brittany. I'd been there before about twenty years ago but hadn't been able to visit the castle itself at the time. If you do go to see Fort La Latte, I'd suggest not to do so in mid-August as it was heaving with tourists looking for something to do on a rainy day, complete with bored teenagers, whining kids and bemused overweight parents...and that's just my family!
The castle itself was pretty impressive although much smaller than it looked from the outside. It has several phases of construction and alterations from the mid 14th century through to the late 18th century, although there's little in the way of information to guide you. I particularly liked the shot oven that dates from the Napoleonic phase of the fortifications, when the castle was used as an element of the coastal defences for St.Malo.
You may also recognise it from the very cheesy but classic 1958 film The Vikings starring Kirk 'I am Spartacus' Douglas, Ernest Borgnine and Tony Curtiss.
What a great looking fort. A shot oven? For heating shot to do more damage to ships?
ReplyDeleteYes indeed. I think the correct term in a shot furnace. They are built with a sloping fire grate inside so that the cannon balls roll down to the lower end where they can be removed when red hot, before being loaded into the cannons (very carefully) ;0)
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