Pays de Bray

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Pays de Bray

The Pays de Bray is a small (about 750 km²) natural region

Natural region

A Natural region is one which is distinguished by its natural features of geography and usually more importantly, geology. The natural ecology of the region is likely to be significant but one of these factors tends to influence the others....
of France

France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
situated to the north-east of Rouen

Rouen

Rouen is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital of the Haute-Normandie r?gion in France....
, straddling the French départements of the Seine-Maritime

Seine-Maritime

Seine-Maritime is a France departments of France in Normandy. Before 1955 it was known as Seine-Inf?rieure....
, Somme

Somme

The Somme is a departments of France of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme River. It is part of the Picardie regions of France....
and Oise

Oise

Oise is a departments of France in the north of France named after the Oise River....
(hence divided among the official regions of Haute-Normandie

Haute-Normandie

Haute-Normandie is one of the 26 regions of France of France. It was created in 1956 from two d?partements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie....
and Picardie

Picardie

This article is about the modern French region. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is one of the 26 regions of France of France. It is located in the northern part of France....
). The landscape is of bocage

Bocage

Bocage is a Norman language word which has entered both the French and English languages. It may refer to a small forest, a decorative element of leaves, a terrain of mixed woodland and pasture, or a type of rubble-work, comparable with the English use of 'rustic' in relation to garden ornamentation....
, a land use which arises from its clay

Clay

Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained minerals, which show plasticity through a variable range of water content, and which can be hardened when dried and/or fired....
soil

Soil

Soil is the naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering on the Earth's surface. Soil is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and environmental processes including weathering and erosion....
; suited to the development of pasture

Pasture

Pasture is land with herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulate livestock as part of a farm or ranch. Prior to the advent of factory farming, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses....
for the raising of dairy

Dairy

A dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal milk—mostly from goat or cattle, but also from bovine, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption....
cattle. It produces famous butter

Butter

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermentation cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications such as baking, sauce making, and frying....
s and cheese

Cheese

Cheese is a food consisting of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cattle, Water Buffalo, goats, or sheep's milk. It is produced by Coagulation of the milk protein casein....
s among which the Neuchâtel

Neufchâtel (cheese)

French Neufch?tel is a soft, slightly crumbly, mould-ripened cheese made in the region of Normandy. One of the oldest cheeses in France, its production is believed to date back to the 6th century....
.

Etymology
Etymologically, the name of Bray comes from a Gaulish

Gaulish language

The Gaulish language is the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became dominant in Roman Gaul....
word braco > old French Bray marsh, swamp or mud.

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Encyclopedia

The Pays de Bray is a small (about 750 km²) natural region

Natural region

France

Rouen

Seine-Maritime

Seine-Maritime is a France departments of France in Normandy. Before 1955 it was known as Seine-Inf?rieure....
, Somme

Somme

The Somme is a departments of France of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme River. It is part of the Picardie regions of France....
and Oise

Oise

Oise is a departments of France in the north of France named after the Oise River....
(hence divided among the official regions of Haute-Normandie

Haute-Normandie

Picardie

Bocage

Clay

Soil

Pasture

Dairy

Butter

Cheese

Neufchâtel (cheese)

Etymology

Etymologically, the name of Bray comes from a Gaulish

Gaulish language

Pays de Caux

The Pays de Caux is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the France d?partement in France of Seine Maritime in Haute-Normandie....
; the one of sticky clay, the other on dry, firm chalk.

Geology

Viewed geologically

Geology

Geology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitute the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structural geology, physical properties, dynamics, and History of the Earth of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed....
, the Pays de Bray is a relatively small eroded anticline

Anticline

In structural geology, an anticline is a Fold that is Convex set up and has its oldest Stratum at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up....
along the Bray fault, breaking through rocks on the fringe of the Parisian Basin. The latter forming the chalk

Chalk

Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. It forms under relatively deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
plateau

Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland , usually consisting of relatively flat terrain....
s around it. It is a small version of the Weald

Weald

The Weald is the name given to a physiographic area in south-east England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North Downs and the South Downs....
of Kent

Kent

Kent is a Counties of England in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary....
and Sussex

Sussex

Sussex , from the Old English Su?seaxe , is a Historic counties of England in South East England England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex....
but reveals the beds more deeply; down to the Upper Jurassic

Jurassic

The Jurassic is a geologic period that extends from about annum to Ma, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous....
clay.

To the north is the Upper Cretaceous

Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
plateau of Picardy

Picardy

This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France....
with the Pays de Caux

Pays de Caux

The Pays de Caux is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the France d?partement in France of Seine Maritime in Haute-Normandie....
to the west and the Vexin

Vexin

The Vexin is a former region in France, divided since the 10th century between Norman Vexin and French Vexin .The List of peoples of Gaul of the Veliocassi, whose capital was at Rouen, gave their name to the region that became known as the Vexin, later to become a county....
to the south-east. The erosion has exposed clay beds in an elliptically-shaped region which is called the buttonhole of the Pays de Bray. A "boutonnière" (buttonhole), in French geological language, is an eroded anticline. This is why the Pays de Bray's outline is shaped as a buttonhole, marked as it is with surrounding escarpment

Escarpment

In geomorphology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves a sharp, steep elevation differential, characterized by a cliff or steep slope....
s of 60 to 100 metres in height, making it a distinct physical and cultural entity.

The pays de Bray is rich in springs and several watercourses rise there; notably the Epte

Epte

The Epte is a Rivers of France in Seine-Maritime and Eure, in Normandy, France. It is a right tributary of the Seine.The river rises in Seine-Maritime in the Pays de Bray, near Forges-les-Eaux....
and the Andelle

Andelle

The Andelle is a river of Normandy, France, in length, flowing through the departments of Seine-Maritime and Eure....
, tributaries of the Seine

Seine

The Seine is a slow flowing major river and commercial waterway within Regions of France of ?le-de-France and Haute-Normandie in France and famous as a romantic backdrop in photographs of Paris, France....
. The Béthune

Béthune

B?thune is a city in northern France, Subprefectures in France of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France....
and the Eauline flow into the Arques

Arques River

The river Arques is a watercourse located in the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France. ...
which enters the English Channel

English Channel

The English Channel is an Arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest, to only in the Strait of Dover....
at Dieppe

Dieppe, Seine-Maritime

Dieppe is a town and Communes of France in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France and Haute-Normandie Regions of France of France. At the 1999 census the town had 34,653 inhabitants , while the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419....
. Among the most notable springs are those of Forges-les-Eaux

Forges-les-Eaux

Forges-les-Eaux is a communes of the Seine-Maritime d?partement and chief town of a cantons of France in the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France....
("Forges-The-Waters") which gave it and its surroundings the renown of a spa

Destination spa

A destination spa is a short term lodging facility with the primary purpose of providing individual services for spa-goers to develop healthy habits....
. As a result of its clay-rich soil, the traditional building style of the Pays de Bray is of brick and tile, although places such as Lyons-la-Forêt

Lyons-la-Forêt

Lyons-la-For?t is a commune in France in the Eure Departments of France in Normandy, in northern France.Because of its architecture which has been maintained as it was at the beginning of the 17th century, it is also a well-known landmark within the very distinct geophysical and geocultural entity that is the end of Vexin normand and the fo...
having maintained its early 17th architecture throughout, show wattle and daub

Wattle and daub

Wattle and daub is a building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw....
structures.

The cross-Channel geological structure

The Bray Fault is part of the Lizard front which is represented also in The Lizard

The Lizard

The Lizard is a peninsula of Cornwall, and contains the Extreme points of the United Kingdom of mainland Cornwall and of the island Great Britain, Lizard Point, Cornwall....
and Start Point, Devon

Start Point, Devon

Start Point is a promontory in the South Hams district. It is one of the most southerly points in Devon, England, . It marks the southern limit of Start Bay, which extends northwards to the estuary of the River Dart....
. It is also part of the anticline which lies to the south of the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is an England island and county, located 3-8 km from the south coast of the mainland, in the English Channel. It is situated south of the county of Hampshire and is separated from mainland Britain by the Solent....
. The chalk of that island's central ridge is cognate with that of the Pays de Bray's northern escarpment. The syncline to the north of the Isle of Wight underlies the Hampshire Basin

Hampshire Basin

The Hampshire Basin is a geological syncline in southern England underlying parts of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, and Sussex. Like the London Basin to the Ordinal direction, it consists of an area of sands and clays of Paleocene and younger age surrounded by a broken rim of chalk hills of Cretaceous age....
and rises in the next anticline to form Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire....
and the Wealden ridge of which the territory of Boulogne-sur-Mer

Boulogne-sur-Mer

Boulogne-sur-Mer is a city in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France of the Departments of France of Pas-de-Calais.The population of the city was 44,859 in the 1999 census, whereas that of the whole metropolitan area was 135,116....
, the Boulonnais

Boulonnais

The Boulonnais, also known as the "White Marble Horse", is a heavy draft horse breed now bred mainly by the France government due to their decreased numbers....
is the equivalent feature in France. The syncline of south Hampshire is represented by the bay and département of Somme

Somme

The Somme is a departments of France of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme River. It is part of the Picardie regions of France....
.

Fundamentally, the Bray fault dates from the late Carboniferous

Carboniferous

The Carboniferous is a geologic period that extends from the end of the Devonian period, about 359.2 ? 2.5 annum , to the beginning of the Permian period, about 299.0 ? 0.8 Ma ...
and early Permian

Permian

The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Roderick Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian system" after the ancient kingdom...
but the effect in France and England, of its associated earth movements, has quietly continued so as to gently fold the overlying Jurassic and Cretaceous strata.

Geography

The main towns of the Pays de Bray are Neufchâtel-en-Bray

Neufchâtel-en-Bray

Neufch?tel-en-Bray is a communes of France and chief town of a cantons of France in the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France....
, Forges-les-Eaux

Forges-les-Eaux

Gournay-en-Bray

Gournay-en-Bray is a communes of the Seine-Maritime d?partement in the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France....
. It is primarily an agricultural region. Its "brand" products are its three AOC

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée

Appellation d?origine contr?l?e , which translates as "controlled term of origin" is the French certification granted to certain France geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National des Appellations d'Origine ....
, Neufchâtel cheese

Neufchâtel (cheese)

Calvados (spirit)

Calvados is an apple brandy from the French r?gion in France of Basse-Normandie or Lower Normandy. ...
and Normandy pommeau

Pommeau

Pommeau is an alcoholic drink made in northern France by mixing apple juice with apple brandy .It is consumed as an ap?ritif, or as an accompaniment to melon or blue cheese....
. The famous local speciality of fromage frais

Fromage frais

Fromage frais is a dairy product, originating from Belgium and north of France. The name literally means "fresh cheese" .Pure fromage frais is virtually fat free, but cream is frequently added to improve the flavor, which also increases the fat content, frequently to as high as 8 percent of total weight....
called petit Suisse

Petit suisse

Petit suisse, Petit Suisse or Petit-Suisse may be:*Petit suisse , a French type of cheese from Normandy*Petit Suisse, the French name for Little Switzerland in Luxembourg...
was launched from a farm near Gournay-en-Bray

Gournay-en-Bray

Gournay-en-Bray is a communes of the Seine-Maritime d?partement in the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France....
; Charles Gervais set up his first factory at Ferrières-en-Bray and his second one at Neufchâtel-en-Bray

Neufchâtel-en-Bray

Neufch?tel-en-Bray is a communes of France and chief town of a cantons of France in the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France....
.

Communications

Road

The Pays de Bray is served mainly by two axial roads:

From east to west the "route départmentale" (D road) D915, the Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
-to-Dieppe road which meets the Reims
Reims

The city of Reims lies in the Champagne-Ardenne region in northeastern France 129 km east-northeast of Paris.Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
to Rouen road at Gournay-en-Bray
Gournay-en-Bray

Gournay-en-Bray is a communes of the Seine-Maritime d?partement in the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France....
.
North and south, the Autoroute (motorway or turnpike) A28, part of the road called the Estuaries Autoroute, joining Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer

Boulogne-sur-Mer is a city in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France of the Departments of France of Pas-de-Calais.The population of the city was 44,859 in the 1999 census, whereas that of the whole metropolitan area was 135,116....
to Rouen
Rouen

Rouen is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital of the Haute-Normandie r?gion in France....
.

Rail

The rail network is reduced to two lines carrying a light goods traffic only. They run between Paris and Dieppe via Pontoise

Pontoise

Pontoise is a Communes of France in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 28.4 km from the Kilometre Zero#France, in the "new town#France" of Cergy-Pontoise....
and Reims to Rouen via Beauvais

Beauvais

Beauvais is a town and commune in France and capital of the Oise Departments of France in northern France. Population : city: 57,355; city and suburbs: 59,003; metropolitan area: 100,733....
. They merge between Gournay-en-Bray and Forges-les-Eaux.

Adjoining natural regions

Pays de Caux
Pays de Caux

The Pays de Caux is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the France d?partement in France of Seine Maritime in Haute-Normandie....
(to the west)
Vexin normand (to the south)
Pays de Thelle (to the south-east)
Beauvaisis (to the east)

External links

The principal town of the northern Pays de Bray :

. The English version is not yet running.
. The English version is not yet running.