Maisoncelle brings together traces of the war years, postwar reconstruction and hiking trails around the Battle of Agincourt. The remains at the V1 site, the history of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church and two routes of different lengths give your stay several clear focal points. For planning, it is worth considering local history and hiking time separately: the historical themes range from World War II installations to the 1959 church building; the routes differ considerably in distance and duration.
War history and reconstruction
The remains of the V1 launch ramp at Maisoncelle date from 1943. The site preserves an entrance storage building, the foundations of a ski-shaped storage shelter, the concrete foundations of the launch ramp, a water reservoir and other concrete foundations. The combination of ramp, storage and water structures makes clear that the surviving structures comprise more than just the launch ramp foundations. This gives this chapter of local history a tangible architectural focus.
Another wartime relic is the Maisoncelle observation tower, also known as the air watchtower. It is located at Les Haies d’Herlecamps on the RD 104 and was part of a network of air observation posts that extended as far as Dunkirk. While the remains at the V1 site concern built structures, the tower represents aerial observation. The network’s extension to Dunkirk places the local observation post in a broader context.
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church links the war years with reconstruction. It was built in 1959 by architects Jean Bureau and Henri Frey, on the site of a 16th-century church. The older building was destroyed in the bombings of December 1943. Destruction and new construction therefore meet at the same location: the church remained in the same place, even though the earlier building was lost.
Landscape and hiking trails
Maisoncelle is included in the ZNIEFF area “Vallée de la Ternoise et ses versants de St-Pol à Hesdin et le vallon de Bergueneuse.” Within this larger area, the landscape includes forests, dry grasslands, meadows and wooded edges; there are also numerous pleasant hiking trails. This natural setting complements the local history with a broader view of the landscape.
There are two different time frames to choose from for hikes connected with the battle. The Tour du champ de Bataille d’Azincourt passes through Maisoncelle; information panels explain the course of the battle. The easy circular route is 5.4 kilometers long and takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The Sentier Henry V is longer at 12 kilometers and takes approximately three hours; it passes through the area around the Battle of Agincourt. This lets you compare distance and time: a shorter, easy loop with information panels, or a longer hiking trail that takes about three hours.
The route to the battlefield is also signposted. You can reach it by bus, car, bicycle or on foot. For planning, this lets you consider two questions separately: how much time you would like to allow for a hike and which means of transport you will use to get to the trail.
Discover more destinations: Autingues, Souastre, Croisilles, Saint-Martin-Choquel, Dannes, Cambligneul, Gonnehem, Sainte-Catherine.
For the broader travel overview: Pas-De-Calais.
