LE BATEAU DE LA BOUILLE Regardez les cartes de France, même

LE BATEAU DE LA BOUILLE
Regardez les cartes de France, même les plus anciennes. Vous y trouverez curieusement
mention de LA BOUILLE, un village pourtant minuscule puisqu’avec ses 110 hectares, c’est le
plus petit de Seine Maritime. C’est à cause du Bateau de La Bouille !
Le petit port de Seine était une étape importante pour les voyageurs venant, en diligence, de
Basse Normandie et de Bretagne. Ils s’y embarquaient pour rejoindre la capitale Normande,
éloignée de 20 kms.
Les premiers bateaux bouillais effectuant la ligne La Bouille/Rouen datent du XVIe siècle et la
liaison a perduré jusqu’en 1974, avec la vedette Joffet.
Entre deux, à l’époque des bateaux à vapeur et des Impressionnistes, elle a connu une
fréquentation record. Découvrant les joies des voyages et du tourisme, une foule de citadins,
amateurs de pêche à la ligne, de peinture en plein air ou de la gastronomie… s’embarquait
chaque dimanche, souvent en charmante compagnie !, pour une croisière vers La Bouille,
« Perle de la Seine ».
Les témoignages sur cette traversée, littérature, peinture, cartes postales, guides
touristiques… foisonnent. Cette ligne insolite, et les aventures qui lui étaient associées, ont
été le thème central de 3 pièces de théâtre !, a inspiré un récit satyrique, et de nombreux
poèmes.
Bien sûr, le bateau est évoqué par les plus grands : Flaubert, Maupassant, Hugo, Malot,
Mirbeau, Maurice Leblanc…
Quant aux peintres, ils sont nombreux à avoir croqué l’arrivée ou le départ du célèbre
navire.
Agnès Thomas-Vidal
- version youtube :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgYT4I5pCv8
- ou version exe (à télécharger) : http://calurama.fr/diaporama/la.bouille.clip.exe
Why is the tiny village of La Bouille shown on the old maps of France?
Because of the La Bouille boat!
From the 16th century people travelling from the West boarded the boat on their way to
Rouen, and
in the 19th century numbers of passengers soared.
Testimonies of passengers travelling to Rouen abounded in literature, paintings, postcards and
tourist guides.
Historical background
1560 – Barges were pulled by horses along the tow path, and were also rigged with sails.
They were regularly attacked by highwaymen, and had to defend themselves with weapons:
the fare went up!
The La Bouille boat had an enclosed shelter and carried up to 200 passengers, plus goods and
animals…
1830 – The age of steam. The look of the boat changes: the hull is propelled by 2 paddlewheels, just like the Mississipi steamers.
1900 – 150 000 passengers per year, sometimes up to 4000 on bank holidays!
1974 – The line is permanently closed after operating for a while only at week-ends and in
summer time.
The route
In the 16th century, the route was as follows:
In Rouen, the boat was anchored in the middle of the river. Passengers went ashore on small
covered boats which looked like gondolas.
1830 – Disembarkation quays are built, all on the right bank. Passengers from the left bank
use the ferry.
Literature
There is a rich profusion of literary works devoted to the La Bouille boat.
3 plays (among which one dating back to 1690!) The recurring themes are boat delays and
romantic affairs taking place on the journey.
A short satyrical story (1752) relates the adventures of a passenger who dreamt of going as far as the « famous
town of La Bouille » !
Many tourist guides provide information on towns and villages which the boat passes through.
In the 19th century, several well-known writers mentioned the famous boat:
- Maupassant : described the boat passing by in front of Flaubert’s house in Croisset
-
Flaubert : made fun of the passengers clothes.
Octave Mirbeau : “La Bouille gives tourists the illusion of the sea-side”
Malot : evokes the touristic aspects of the village
Maurice Leblanc : describes lovers eloping on the boat.
Jean de la Varende : “La Bouille is the Tomb of virtues”
Poems
-
Albert Lambert : « From La Bouille to Rouen by boat »
-
Hugo : «La Seine forms a superb crescent »
-
Robert Delamare : « We were at least 300 on the little ship…"
Paintings
Albert Lebourg, an impressionnist painter, leading figure of the Rouen School, devoted to
the village nearly a hundred oil paintings.
Systematically on the foreground he includes a moving object : the ferryman’s boat, the
ferry, or most often, the little ship with its circling smoke.
Pissarro gives a vivid picture of the little ship when visiting Rouen .
All the painters of the Rouen School have also included this picturesque element in their
paintings.