Ault, Somme

Ault
Ault
Commune
	The beach at Ault
	Coat of arms
	Location of Ault
	Ault Ault
	Coordinates: 50°06′07″N 1°26′58″E / 50.1019°N 1.4494°E
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Somme
Arrondissement	Abbeville
Canton	Friville-Escarbotin
Intercommunality	CC Villes Sœurs
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Marcel Le Moigne
Area 1	5.99 km2 (2.31 sq mi)
Population (2021)	1,370
• Density	230/km2 (590/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	80039 /80460
Elevation	0–107 m (0–351 ft) ; (avg. 86 m or 282 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Ault (French pronunciation: [olt]; Picard: Eut) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

Geography

Situated on the English Channel, on the D19 road, 20 miles (32 km) west of Abbeville, in the southwest of the department, Ault possesses chalk cliffs overlooking a beach of pebbles (and sand at low tide). To the south of the town is a large wooded area, the ‘Bois de Cise’, in a valley that leads on to the coast. To the north, the cliffs descend to the level of the beach at Onival. The area around the town, the 'hâble d’Ault' was mostly tidal marshland that has been reclaimed from the sea. Cattle, sheep and game are raised here.

Railways

Ault had a station on the standard gauge Woincourt to Onival line, which closed to passengers in May 1939, but saw much use during World War II to move materials for the Atlantic Wall. During the war, a metre gauge line was laid alongside the road from Lanchères, on the CFBS, to Ault. This line was dismantled after the war.^[3]

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	2,014	—
1975	2,192	+1.22%
1982	2,058	−0.90%
1990	2,054	−0.02%
1999	2,070	+0.09%
2007	1,846	−1.42%
2012	1,629	−2.47%
2017	1,464	−2.11%
Source: INSEE^[4]

Places of interest

The 15th / sixteenth century church of Saint-Pierre,
The war memorial, designed by Paul Landowski.
Two chapels, at Onival and Bois de Cise dating from the nineteenth century.
Several ancient village houses.
The lighthouse, with its lantern over 106 metres above sea-level.
The cliffs
The beaches of Ault and Bois de Cise..
The ‘hâble d'Ault', with signed pathways.

Sea defences

The town has paid a heavy price defending itself against the sea, which is constantly washing away the beach, cliffs and public spaces, such as the car parks and gardens. The problem is ongoing. A "balcony on the sea", a huge concrete construction has been built but the risks remain. Signs of wear of the dyke under the casino have been noted.