Gavrelle: rural surroundings and memorial sites

Gavrelle combines an agricultural landscape with a history that is visible in several places. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Gavrelle, its rural character, memorial sites and road connections offer different points to consider when choosing your destination.

Rural surroundings and road connections

Gavrelle lies in an area shaped by agriculture. Small farms, green spaces and a sociable atmosphere define its rural character; its peaceful surroundings and natural setting are also part of what makes the place distinctive. At the same time, Gavrelle is at a road junction linking the RN 50, A1 and A26. The Fresnes-les-Montauban toll plaza is 2 kilometres away.

Church, abbey and memorial sites

The Église Saint-Vast has been listed as a Monument historique by decree dated 4 November 1994. Beneath the church porch is a wooden cross bearing the names of 57 British officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers who died in April 1917 during the liberation of the village. The protected status of a building and a specific memorial to the fallen stand side by side here.

Gavrelle’s history is also connected with the Abbey of Saint-Vaast d’Arras: the village had been a seigneury of the abbey since the 11th century. At the entrance to the village, a monument in the Parc de la paix et du souvenir depicts a destroyed house with a large ship’s anchor lying on top of it. It was erected in 1991 to commemorate the Royal Navy Division Fusiliers who died in April 1917 during the liberation of Gavrelle. The wooden cross beneath the church porch bears the names of the 57 British dead; the monument offers a more pictorial form of remembrance, while the link to the abbey reaches back to a much earlier period.

Two cemeteries, different location details

The location details for the two cemeteries differ in both direction and distance. Naval Trench Cemetery lies about 0.75 kilometres southwest of Gavrelle, on the D42E; access involves a 1-kilometre walk. Check route and accessibility conditions before visiting. It contains 59 First World War burials, including two unidentified burials, and one Second World War burial. Chili Trench Cemetery lies 1.5 kilometres southeast of Gavrelle, on the northeast side of the minor road to Fampoux. It contains 197 First World War burials and commemorations, including 19 unidentified burials, as well as the grave of an airman from the Second World War. The figures are therefore not directly comparable: 59 refers to the First World War burials at Naval Trench Cemetery, whereas the figure of 197 for Chili Trench Cemetery includes burials and commemorations.

Brewery and farm-grown produce

One local aspect of agriculture is the Brasserie Paysanne de l’Artois, a microbrewery on an organically farmed mixed-crop farm in Gavrelle. The brewery sells organic beers made entirely from its own agricultural produce directly to customers. As sales arrangements may change, please check them before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Salperwick, Courset, Le Ponchel, Guisy, Longfossé, Surques, Coulomby, Tramecourt

For the broader travel overview: Pas-De-Calais.